Clan-Members » PGA Tour win is likely to be a big one.For th

LOS ANGELES -- Harrison Barnes believes he still would be a member of the Golden State Warriors if they had won last seasons NBA championship.However, Barnes knew after his exit interview in the wake of the Warriors blowing a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers that he had likely played his final game for the franchise. He described his chances of returning to the Warriors at that point as slim to none, even though Golden State had the right to match any offer he received as a restricted free agent.There were a lot of emotions after a Game 7 loss, said Barnes, who will return to Oracle Arena as a visitor for the first time along with fellow former Warrior Andrew Bogut on Wednesday, when the Dallas Mavericks face Golden State. I think a lot of people were upset, frustrated. And we blew a 3-1 lead. So that was the mindset. I think we knew they were going to blow it up if we lost that series, which we did. I cant say I was surprised.Golden State management informed Barnes during that meeting they would have other priorities in free agency, essentially confirming seasonlong rumors that they planned to pursue Kevin Durant. The Warriors needed to let Barnes leave and move another significant salary in a trade to make room to give the superstar a maximum contract.It was difficult, man, Barnes said. Just because you go back and you watch Game 7 and youre like, Man, its two minutes away from planning a parade or Thank you for your services. It was a pretty big switch.At the end of the day, youve got to put that stuff to the side. I made the decision to go to Dallas. I dont really dwell on that and just move forward.The Mavs signed Barnes to a four-year, $94 million max contract, a move that was questioned by many, considering his pedestrian offensive numbers during his four seasons as a complementary player for the Warriors. He averaged 10.1 points per game during his Golden State stint, including a career-best scoring average of 11.7 points last season.But Barnes has quickly blossomed as a primary option with Dallas, which desperately needs him to be a prolific scorer, since?Dirk Nowitzki?is dealing with health issues. Barnes is averaging 22.3 points per game on 50.8 percent shooting. He already has more 30-plus-point performances for the Mavs (three) -- including consecutive games during the 2-5 Mavs modest winning streak -- than he did for the Warriors (one).Theres a lot more opportunity for me here, said Barnes, who had 31 points on 11 of 18 shooting in Tuesdays 109-97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The offense is different. Obviously, Im not complaining about my role at Golden State, because we won a lot of games doing that. But in the same regard here, theres just more opportunities to do different things.I love it. As a player, you always want to know what you can do. At the end of your career, you can look back and say, look, I was able to get this much out of my playing career and I was able to become this type of player. I think thats what allows you to sleep well at night. Im getting a chance to see and experience and learn. Obviously, we had a rough start, some growing pains. But Im really looking forward to this situation.Barnes acknowledged that it made sense for the Warriors to pursue Durant, whose arrival gave Golden State three of the leagues most explosive scorers, as the 2013-14 MVP joined two-time MVP Stephen Curry and All-Star Klay Thompson.Bogut, who was traded to Dallas in a salary-dump deal, characterized it as an easy decision for Golden State general manager Bob Myers, despite the Warriors winning the 2014-15 title and setting an NBA regular-season record with 73 wins in 2015-16.Look, you get a chance to get one of the best players in the world, you jump at that chance, Bogut said. If Im the GM, you generally jump at that chance.Obviously, we had a lot of success with the group that we had. We understood our roles. We knew our strengths and our weaknesses each way -- individually and how we needed to lift each other up. But obviously, theyre looking to build for the future too. Theyre trying to build it for the next five or six years and not just the next one or two.The Warriors considered Barnes an insurance policy, as he put it, and would have matched the Mavs offer if Durant had chosen to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Barnes said he considered his exit interview the closing of that chapter of his career.It would have been a little awkward, Barnes said. At a press conference if they would have been like, Yeah, we really wanted him to come [back], no one would really believe that. You know what Im saying?How things went down, like I said, its a business. Its not something you get emotionally hurt about or anything like that, but when you lose and they say, Thank you, were going to go in a different direction, you take that and keep it moving.Cheap Vans Shoes Online . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Discount Jordan Shoes Wholesale . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. http://www.outletsneakersclearance.com/fake-vans.html . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Cheap Sneakers Wholesale China . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Air Max 97 Outlet Clearance .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend.The first World Golf Championship of the year takes place at Trump National Doral, where Ben Coley expects power to be the order of the day.A year ago, JB Holmes dominated for three rounds only to be reeled in on Sunday, first by Bubba Watson and then by Dustin Johnson who eventually made a brilliant par on the final hole to win by one.When Johnson, Watson and Holmes take up the first three places, clear of fourth, there can be only one conclusion, and its further confirmed when we consider that this golf course is one of the longest on the PGA Tour. Johnson came fourth in his last start at the Northern Trust Open So, while this is a really competitive event which features all of the worlds best, we can at least begin to narrow down our shortlist using the driving distance stats as a guide.Dustin Johnson topped the charts last season with a whopping 317.7 yards from the tee and hes in good shape to put together a successful title defence.Last time out, the 31-year-old came close to winning at Riviera which was also the case in 2015, so we know his game is close to its best, which is really the only trigger needed to back him here. Johnson claimed a one-shot victory at Doral last year Simply put, Doral is made for Johnson, who was placed in 2014 as well and is now a two-time WGC winner.Skipping the Honda Classic was probably a wise move given that hed played a lot of golf on the west coast and hes primed to go well in his bid for back-to-back titles here.On that note, Johnson has defended a title successfully before, which is another positive given that some can struggle under the weight of expectation.Of the key dangers at the top of the market, dont be surprised if Rory McIlroy bounces back at a suitable venue, given that the weather forecast is quite calm. McIlroy looks to bounce back from last weeks missed cut at the Honda Classic The world No 3 might not have been quite at his best this season but hes still been very close and my feeling is hell win at Doral one day, with his imperious driiving a major asset.ddddddddddddJordan Spieth probably has more questions to answer and can be ignored this time whereas Jason Day is harder to assess, given that he seems to be coming to the boil but has an awful record in Florida.Clearly, this course should suit big-hitting Day but until he shows it, prices in the 12/1 region can be left alone.Instead, the final vote comes down to a toss-up between Justin Rose and Brooks Koepka, with the latter preferred. Brooks Koepka (left) and Justin Rose are both tipped to impress this week Rose is a former course winner but the redesign which took place prior to the 2014 edition of this event has seemingly worked against him.Still, hes too good not to work it out eventually and given that hes adding length with every passing year, this could be a good time for him to bounce back. However, Koepka looks in marginally better form and this Florida native also has the right game for the set-up.He putted badly last week but still finished within a couple of shots of the top 10, while in this tournament a year ago it was a similar story; a series of destructive holes undermining a generally strong performance. Koepka has already posted two top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour this year With another year to improve and the Ryder Cup firmly in his sights, I expect this monstrously long hitter to step up and show that his next PGA Tour win is likely to be a big one.For those looking for the pick of the European challengers, Rafael Cabrera-Bello might show up for a time while Victor Dubuisson and Anirban Lahiri are two big hitters who come with risks attached but have contended for top-grade events in the past.Even so, the man most likely beyond McIlroy and Rose must be Henrik Stenson, who is very much due a return to the winners circle and seems sure to play well.Watch the WGC-Cadillac Championship throughout the week live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf. Or watch from £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV.Also See:2015 recap: Johnson takes titleSpieth and McIlroys H2H recordBig three battle for top spotGolf live on Sky Sports 4 ' ' '