Nuggets’ Will Barton T’d up for throwing Trevor Ariza’s lost shoe
As I mentioned in Monday’s Most Interesting Power Rankings, there haven’t been a ton of bright spots for the Denver Nuggets thus far this season, but sixth man Will Barton’s been a glaring exception. The 24-year-old swingman — who came to Denver last season in the trade that sent Arron Afflalo to the Portland Trail Blazers — is finally getting consistent playing time and making the most of it, averaging career-highs in per-game minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals while shooting a shade under 47 percent from the floor, 39 percent from 3-point land and 87 percent from the free-throw line with a microscopic turnover rate and a penchant for wreaking havoc, both on the defensive end and in transition.
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Interesting stuff just seems to happen when Barton’s on the court — this, in part, is why Blazers fans heralded the little-used wing as “The People’s Champ” during his days in Oregon — and during Monday’s meeting with the Houston Rockets, it happened in the general vicinity of Houston forward Trevor Ariza’s feet.
After missing a straight-on 3-point try with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Barton and Ariza scrambled for the long rebound, which Ariza tipped back toward the basket … and, unfortunately for Houston, right into the waiting hands of Denver center Joffrey Lauvergne, who rose up for an uncontested dunk that put the Nuggets up by 15. In the course of the scramble, Ariza lost his left shoe; as he trotted back on defense, Barton spotted it, picked it up as Ariza was reaching for it, and threw it toward the sideline, out of his grasp.
“That’s how the game goes sometimes,” Barton said after the game, according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. “You never know. You might have to make a 3. You might have to throw somebody’s shoe into a crowd.”
This is not the first time we’ve seen an in-game shoe toss. Dwyane Wade once chucked Mike Bibby’s kick. Jarrett Jack once launched Dorell Wright’s. Ronnie Price even threw his own at Andre Iguodala. Hell, it’s not even the first one we’ve seen involving Ariza:
And yet, it was the first one that I can recall that resulted in a technical foul on the sneaker-heaver, as Denver received a delay-of-game penalty that gave the Rockets a free throw.
While we certainly respect Barton’s willingness to do whatever he feels is necessary to win ballgames, this made Ariza and his teammates really mad, and may actually have injected life into a Rockets club that had spent most of the previous 14 minutes of game time sleepwalking, especially on the defensive end. Immediately following Barton’s shoe toss, Ariza made two jumpers and snagged a steal, getting the deficit down to single digits; his teammates followed suit, continuing what would become a 15-2 run that would draw Houston within two points at 110-108 in the final minute. From Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
Rockets guard Jason Terry had a wide-open corner 3 for the lead with 15.9 seconds remaining and Denver’s lead reduced to two. […]
After reserve Will Barton, who led Denver with 23 points, missed a 3 with 28 seconds left, [James] Harden found Terry in the corner.
“Got a great look, a great look,” Harden said. “Ten out of 10, I’d take that shot all day. Jason Terry in the corner, one of the best 3-point shooters in the history of the game. I’d take it.”
Alas, this time, the JET wasn’t cleared for landing:
… and Denver was able to hold on for a 114-108 win that — surprise surprise! — draws Michael Malone’s 10-14 Nuggets to within a half-game of the West’s No. 8 seed. Barton led the way for Denver with 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals in 33 minutes off the bench, and had the evening’s most exhilarating play when he soared along the baseline to punch one on Rockets big man Donatas Motiejunas:
After the game, though, the main topic was Barton’s exuberant method of removing any on-court debris — y’know, for safety’s sake. From Pat Graham of the Associated Press:
“I’ve seen guys take that sneaker and throw it 15 rows into the stands,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. ”Will just threw it off the field of play.”
After the game, Barton said he chatted with Ariza about the incident.
“We’re cool. No hard feelings,” Barton said. “Stuff happens during the game, man.”
It sure does. Especially when Will Barton’s around.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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