Matt Barnes: Derek Fisher and I 'were friends'

No great surprise here, but Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes appears to have ended his friendship with former teammate and present New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher.

Barnes, who reportedly engaged Fisher in a bout of fisticuffs over the weekend, spoke to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne on Thursday and was rather frank about his feelings toward Fisher.

"We were close. We were friends," Barnes said. "Some things have happened to change that. It is what it is."

Barnes went on to question some of the details of the report. For one, Barnes says he didn't drive nearly 100 miles in a fit of rage.

"I can't believe people think I was some maniac driving 95 miles and listening to Tupac to go beat somebody up," Barnes said. "No. I live 15 minutes away and I was going over to check on my kids because they seemed uncomfortable. That was my main reason for going over there."

As for the incident itself, Barnes deemed it a "personal matter" and steered the conversation toward basketball when talking to reporters in Memphis. Meanwhile, Grizzlies head coach Dave Joerger said the team stands behind Barnes "one thousand percent."

The NBA will investigate the dispute, but Barnes said he has not yet spoken to the league.