Monroe: Barry makes sure pals won't forget

[timvp]

Barry makes sure pals won't forget
Mike Monroe - Express-News

HOUSTON — Sitting in a San Antonio restaurant for dinner one day this week, Spurs center Fabricio Oberto responded to a beep that told him he had a text message on his cell phone.

Checking the message, he discovered a cell phone photo of former Spur Brent Barry, a grin on his face and an arm around Oberto's Argentine Olympic teammate, Luis Scola.

Oberto and Manu Ginobili have not realized their dream of teaming up with Scola in the NBA, but Barry's summertime free agency decision to sign a two-year contract with the Rockets has given him an opportunity the two Spurs envy.

“Finally found an Argentine player I like,” read the text message on Oberto's phone.

“I think Fab got a good laugh out of it, even if his text back wasn't something I could share with the kids,” Barry said Friday afternoon in Houston, where Rockets coach Rick Adelman already understands that Barry is one of basketball's most astute students.

Barry, who has the NBA's keenest sense of humor, never passes a chance to needle. The better the friend, the sharper the barb. By the end of their two seasons together on the Spurs, Barry and Oberto had become guitar picking buddies and frequent concert companions.

Now, Barry is gone from the Spurs because the team wanted to get younger and had strict fiscal standards for role players beyond a certain age.

In the end, though, the choice to depart was Barry's. He had another year, at his option, on the deal he signed when he returned to the Spurs after the bizarre trade-waiver-free agency phase that spanned February and March. But he knew other teams wanted him, especially the Rockets. They had aggressively pursued him when the SuperSonics waived him following the deal that brought Kurt Thomas to the Spurs.

Spurs general manager R.C. Buford suspected Barry wanted to check the market in July because he had explored it before deciding to return to the Spurs in March. Business is business, even in basketball. Both Barry and Buford insist every conversation they had this summer was cordial.

“R.C. was very up front and amicable,” Barry recalled Friday. “He said if I wanted to come back, I could come back. If there were other opportunities I wanted to explore, he said to explore them, and we wish you the best. He said I was always welcome to come back.”

Buford, though, had a limit to what he wanted to pay Barry. The Rockets exceeded it, and not by a differential that was eye-popping.

Barry understood. He had grown up in an NBA family, with the business of basketball part of his early education.

There were no hard feelings, he said, but leaving San Antonio was hard.

“It certainly wasn't easy leaving San Antonio,” he said. “Obviously, it's something I still think about. The business side of basketball gets a little ugly, and if you didn't know it before, you haven't been following the league long enough.

As happy as he is to be in Houston, where he is learning to love Adelman's free-wheeling offense, a big piece of his heart remains in San Antonio. He has no plans to sell the Alamo Heights home that he plans on returning to when his career ends.

“Certainly, talking with R.C., there was an opportunity to come back and play in San Antonio,” Barry said. “The opportunity here in Houston was just different. It just seemed like this was going to be a better situation for me and that's why I made the decision.”

The Spurs replaced Barry with a younger swing man who is a better defender and may even be as accurate a 3-point shooter, though Roger Mason must prove his long-range marskmanship over time to match Barry as a shooter.

Mason seems a quick study and an engaging personality capable of becoming a quiet locker room leader. He is much too smart to try to replace Barry as the Spurs' resident comedian. To a man, the Spurs understand the locker room won't be filled with as many laughs as it has been for four seasons.

Barry doesn't know how Spurs fans will greet him the first time he shows up at AT&T Center in red and white. He hopes they will remember him fondly and appreciate his contribution to the two NBA title teams on which he played.

The Barry-Spurs equation, he said, was lopsided.

“I obviously got more out of San Antonio than they got from me,” he said, “because of the timing. For me to be there for four years and be part of two championships, and see what that's like and to be around the quality character guys and the successful coaching staff that embraced the players, was a great experience.”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Barry_makes_sure_pals_wont_forget.html

[lefty]

Barry :lmao

[timvp]

Now, Barry is gone from the Spurs because the team wanted to get younger and had strict fiscal standards for role players beyond a certain age.Yeah, that's why they gave Finley five million dollars.


Buford, though, had a limit to what he wanted to pay Barry. The Rockets exceeded it, and not by a differential that was eye-popping.The Rockets gave him the LLE. So that means the Spurs were only offering the minimum for Barry. Not even the LLE.

Buford thought Finley for five million dollars was better than Barry for a dollar over the minimum.

Wow.


Barry doesn't know how Spurs fans will greet him the first time he shows up at AT&T Center in red and white. He hopes they will remember him fondly and appreciate his contribution to the two NBA title teams on which he played.Barry will always be a fan favorite :tu

[duncan228]

I'll miss him. I loved him as a Sonic, and I thought he fit in perfectly as a Spur. I wish him well.

[MannyIsGod]

I love Barry. It'll hurt when he hits daggers against us because I don't think I could ever cheer against the guy. Fucking giving Finley his money makes me want to puke.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Beat me to it, LJ. If they really wanted to keep Brent they could have by giving up Finley, and that's what I would've done... it's hard to believe they kept Finley over Barry. :pctoss

[jayc23]

but... but... pop loves finely... i hope losing 15 pounds helps him hit a shot

[m33p0]

ONMkAYaeOJM

[timvp]

The minimum contract offered to Barry by the Spurs was $1,262,275, or half of what they ended up giving Finley. The Rockets outbid by offering $1,910,000. The Spurs got outbid by ~$640K and apparently wouldn't match.

I would be mad but obviously the Spurs wanted to move on. If they desperately wanted Barry back, they wouldn't have offered the minimum. They needed to open minutes for a younger wing player, which was accomplished by letting Barry walk.

I just question the wisdom in offering Barry half of what you offer Finley. I guess we'll see over the next two season which of them has more gas left in the tank. I'd assume Barry but obviously Buford thought differently.

[Dex]

:(

[ss1986v2]

The minimum contract offered to Barry by the Spurs was $1,262,275, or half of what they ended up giving Finley. The Rockets outbid by offering $1,910,000. The Spurs got outbid by ~$640K and apparently wouldn't match.

I would be mad but obviously the Spurs wanted to move on. If they desperately wanted Barry back, they wouldn't have offered the minimum. They needed to open minutes for a younger wing player, which was accomplished by letting Barry walk.

I just question the wisdom in offering Barry half of what you offer Finley. I guess we'll see over the next two season which of them has more gas left in the tank. I'd assume Barry but obviously Buford thought differently.
not to wish ill will on a player i really like, but barrys leg has to fall off or finley has to remember how to play basketball for sustained stretches for this to make much sense, no?

[Indazone]

$ 5 million to Bonner cost both Scola and Barry

[Big P]

I loved Barry as a Spur, but how many fookin times does he pass up open shots...EVERYONE including POP said SHOOT the ball & 50% of the time he would make a bad pass & or a turnover when he was wide open...theres more to this than money, & I think his name is Roger Mason..everyone talks about how we need some youth(I know he's 29, but hes younger than Barry) or how we need to mix it up a bit..well the Spurs did mix it up a bit & it did not include Barry.

[spursjustice]

Brent holds the title of funniest man in a Spur uniform.

Dfinitelt miss him and I hope he does well..

[Manufan909]

Hell, it shouldn't have included Finley either. Udoka would've been more than a suitable replacement, combined with Mason, Hill, and Stoudamire. But whatever, at least Finley cleaned himself up and got back to his Mavericks weight.

[dn0774]

Perhaps the FO had lingering injury concerns about Brent? Either way I think Fin is still a slightly superior player at this point although not as much as the contract offers indicate.

[angelbelow]

threads like these make it hard to forget him, not that it was easy.

[TDMVPDPOY]

its the same shit all over again....fuck this

[ChumpDumper]

$ 5 million to Bonner cost both Scola and BarryThere is nothing right about that statement.

[dknights411]

Brent barry will always be one of my favorite players, no matter who he plays for.

[T Park]

I think the reoccuring calf problems scared em off.
Can't say I agree with the decision but what's done is done.

[Fermixalot]

I think we're missing the most important topic:




Checking the message, he discovered a cell phone photo of former Spur Brent Barry, a grin on his face and an arm around Oberto's Argentine Olympic teammate, Luis Scola.

“Finally found an Argentine player I like,” read the text message on Oberto's phone.


:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

[samikeyp]

Barry will always be a fan favorite :tu

+1

[whottt]

Really sorry to see Brent go but he's shithead for going to the Rockets. MF go to Boston, don't go to a freaking instate rival.

He can't be given a free pass from Spursfans when picks the Rockets. Even AJ didn't go directly to an instate rival when he left...

Brent seems to be from the school of not playing well against his old teams so hopefully that trend will hold up.

I don't know how many minutes he'll get but he's going to fit really well in Adelman's offense.

He's going to try to hurt us at the personal level this year...remember that Spurs brethren. He's not the Brent we knew...he is evil now.


AJ>Brent

Finley, sigh>Brent

[bdictjames]

You're crazy whott.

I doubt Spurs would've won 2005 without Brent. This organization owes a lot to Barry, its sad it has to be the asshole in the situation.

I'll miss that herky-jerky three-point quick release which almost always go in, those timely steals and point guard in a shooting guard's body. I hope Brent does well in Houston.

[Texas_Ranger]

Can we trade Bonner for Barry??

[Buddy Holly]

I hope that whenever Barry retires he ends up in some capacity with the Spurs doing PBP with Sean or being the mic man at events.

[Biernutz]

Seems everyone liked Brent but he joins a Rocket team that where just about everyone has health concerns. Brent has spent time on the injury list every year he has been here. The older you get usually the longer it takes to heal. Let's see if he can stay healthy in Houston.

[mrspurs]

Timvp is right if the spurs wanted him back they woulda reached into their pockets. The fact is barry was always injured and the fins wasnt. Either way its not brent that will contribute on pounding the spurs. We all know with Scolla and Ron the rockets are the better team. Brent will help HOU, because he knows basketball and he really knows each spurs players habits. Add a good coach like Rick and HOU and NO are the teams to beat in our division as of right now. Just think how much better our FO has made the rockets. They cant find players to fit in our uniforms so they make sure they fit into rocket uniforms. hahahahahaha......bunch of dummys in charge of the FO if you ask me.

[Spurs Brazil]

Barry doesn't know how Spurs fans will greet him the first time he shows up at AT&T Center in red and white. He hopes they will remember him fondly and appreciate his contribution to the two NBA title teams on which he played.

Barry will have a big ovation.

I think it was Barry of Finley and Spurs opted for Finley and for pay more. I hope they got it right

[SpurSupremacist]

As much as I like to criticize the Spurs front office(and rightly so), you can't lay sole blame to them. Arguably more blame has to go on Barry. Barry could have came back. He had the option. He chose to opt out. He must have thought he deserved more playing time. I can't say I disagree. I'd rather have him at backup point than Jacque Vaughn or George Hill.

[1Parker1]

I love Barry. It'll hurt when he hits daggers against us because I don't think I could ever cheer against the guy. Fucking giving Finley his money makes me want to puke.

:tu Basically, what bullshit. Pop spurts all kinds of stuff about needing Finley's leadership in the lockeroom and how losing Finley would have been a "Depreciation in Corporate proportions" or something like that.

WTF...Barry was infinitly more valuable.

[Dre_7]

Now as you know I am the biggest Michael Finley fan there is. However, letting Barry go was a huge mistake. :depressed

I would have rather seen them let Fin go before Barry. I just hope the Spurs dont have to face the Rox in the playoffs cuz I know Barry will have some big shots ready for his old team. :(

[Mark in Austin]

Now, Barry is gone from the Spurs because the team wanted to get younger and had strict fiscal standards for role players beyond a certain age.


You have got to be fucking kidding me. How about showing even the slightest bit of journalistic integrity, you douchebag. An organization who pays Finley $5 million can never, ever claim this was about age or money.

Barry>>Finley

[polandprzem]

Definately we will miss Barry not only off the court but on the court as well.
But all in all it's business and there are people who are deciding certain things. Those are the same people that let malik go, and many Spurs fans loved Malik.

btw. Why the spurs offense gives many players (shooters esp.) so much stress?
I always thought it is a big issue in success. Spurs mainly were losing because of lacking in shooting.
Barry had problems with open himself in that matter. Findog as well. Hedo screw the playoffs cause it was too hot for him. Vaugh is always in shoot or not to shoot mode ... dayumn

[JamStone]

Brent always seemed to me one of the more genuinely fun and funny guys in the league. Pistons got stuck with the older, slower, shorter, balding, less humorous Barry, and he still became a cult hero and fan favorite among Piston fans.

[exstatic]

whottt talking out of his ass again. The very first time SA cut AJ (91-92), he went directly down IH10 to....you guessed it....the Rockets.

[tav1]

Help me: I thought Fin signed a 1 year, 2.5 million dollar deal.

I don't Finley will be back next season; he'll retire.

[nfg3]

Seems everyone liked Brent but he joins a Rocket team that where just about everyone has health concerns. Brent has spent time on the injury list every year he has been here. The older you get usually the longer it takes to heal. Let's see if he can stay healthy in Houston.


That was a concern for me, too. I think maybe the calf injuries were making the FO a little more hesistant in offering Barry the LLE, though $640K is chicken feed in the NBA. So it seems that the FO wants a younger wing to get the PT rather than Barry. Time top roll the dice and see what happens. As Timvp has stated in previous threads Mason (Barry's heir apparant) could be the make or break player this year for the Spurs.

It would have been interesting to sit in on the meeting between Pop and RC, among others, conerning Barry vs Finley. What a thread that could have produced.:rollin

[exstatic]

Help me: I thought Fin signed a 1 year, 2.5 million dollar deal.

I don't Finley will be back next season; he'll retire.

I believe Fin has an option for next year. My hope is that he gets so little playing time behind Udoka and Mason after Manu comes back that he doesn't exercise it. I also think that playing time projections were one of the reasons that Barry left. He knew that he wasn't going to see nearly as much time here as he would in Houston.

[wildbill2u]

barry isn't just funny--he's a very classy guy. He'll be missed

But who knows, he may come back in another capacity since he is keeping his SA home. I think that is interesting since he's such a West coast surfer guy. He may be one of the legion of players who have come to love SA as their permanent home, despite the moving around that is caused by their profession.

[exstatic]

TIt would have been interesting to sit in on the meeting between Pop and RC, among others, conerning Barry vs Finley. What a thread that could have produced.:rollin

I actually think they would have preferred Barry, but he chose to leave. At least that's what I took away from the Finley opening day of camp interview. He said he almost wasn't retained. Since they failed to keep Barry, they went and got a younger version who plays better defense in Mason.

[tav1]

I actually think they would have preferred Barry, but he chose to leave. At least that's what I took away from the Finley opening day of camp interview. He said he almost wasn't retained. Since they failed to keep Barry, they went and got a younger version who plays better defense in Mason.

I tend to agree with you on this.

But we'll have to wait for Pop to pen his tell-all autobiography to know.

[lefty]

Can we trade Bonner for Barry??

Rocket's GM is not Bufordic enough to do that

[wisnub]

Yeah, that's why they gave Finley five million dollars.

The Rockets gave him the LLE. So that means the Spurs were only offering the minimum for Barry. Not even the LLE.

Buford thought Finley for five million dollars was better than Barry for a dollar over the minimum.

Wow.

Barry will always be a fan favorite :tu

I agree..I think in this case RC Bufford is a dick. He could at least offer barry LLE and I just found out $5 mill for Finley??? I dont know why Finley rated over Barry,but I love both. Fuck you RC for this..hopefully things will be better next time

[Avitus1]

I'll miss Brent... HEB commercials just wont be the same.

[Bruno]

Finley has been consistently ahead of Barry in the rotation for 3 years. It's quite logical to see Pop and Spurs re-signing Finley and letting Barry go.

[BlackSwordsMan]

so he left for more money? cool guy

[ploto]

No matter how bad Finley played and no mater how well Brent played, Brent was always stuck behind him. I think Brent mostly left to go to a place where he would actually get to play.

Besides his humor, do not underestimate Brent's basketball knowledge. So many times it was Brent who would notice things in games and point them out to teammates.

[urunobili]

the FO desicion could only be measured after the season goes along and compare Finley production, and injuries vs. Brent's... i am sorry but i don't wish him well on that uniform... so fuck Barry now... nobody gives a shit about you from now on...

[Biernutz]

I'll always miss Brent but when he goes to the basket and Fab puts him on his ass at the basket ---:nope

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

so fuck Barry now... nobody gives a shit about you from now on...

That isn't exactly true.

[Indazone]

Appreciate the Assist :toast

San Antonio to Houston for the and one!

Last year Scola, this year Barry!

Rockets guard Barry dishes out some assistance



By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Oct. 4, 2008, 10:36PM



http://www.chron.com/photos/2008/10/04/13363328/260xStory.jpg
James Nielsen Chronicle

A two-time NBA champ with the Spurs, Brent Barry could be a missing ingredient for the Rockets.

Rockets train at Toyota Center

The Rockets knew he could shoot, were certain he could pass, and believed he could flourish in Rick Adelman’s offense. Brent Barry has played in 13 NBA seasons, the past four in the San Antonio Spurs’ spotlight. There is not a scout alive who could miss abilities that obvious.


There has, however, been something else the Rockets have either discovered or, if they knew before, likely did not consider quite as carefully as all that shooting and passing stuff.
The man can talk, really talk. He can talk a lot and have a lot to say when he does.
After five days of training camp, the Rockets have come to appreciate Barry’s dead-ball gift of gab as much as that quick release from 3-point range, as if when they signed him as a free agent, they got an instant leader backed with the credibility of championship rings.
‘That’s who he is’

“He’s been very active to the point I spoke to coach (Rick) Adelman and asked how that was going,” Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. “He really welcomed Brent doing that. He’s been pulling aside pretty much everybody, but mostly the younger players. Pretty much from day one, he’s been running what Coach wants him to do as well as the guys that have been here.
“It’s more specific basketball — defensive pointers, offensive reads. I think he has as high a basketball IQ as anybody on the team. I think a lot of people look to him knowing he knows what it takes, particularly the younger players. He has won more than anyone we have.”
A lot of players talk. Barry, however, has known what to say. Though new to Adelman’s system, he has taken to it quickly enough to offer instruction. But more than talking about how to run through the offense, he has offered everything from tips to encouragement.
With Shane Battier, who often was at the center of on-court strategy sessions, out, Barry has quickly filled that void, and with Adelman’s blessing.
“I think that’s who he is,” Adelman said. “He’s probably always been that way — vocal. He’s a very smart player. If he thinks he can help somebody, he’s more than willing to say it. I’ve had guys do it before in a bad way. But he picks his spots and does it in constructive ways. Guys respond to that. I have no problem with that. The more guys talk to each other, the better.”
Let’s talk it out

Adelman has seen examples of that spreading. During a stoppage of play in Saturday’s practice, Ron Artest and Barry got together to go over a particular cut in the offense, then called Tracy McGrady over to briefly discuss the topic.
Barry did not think his counsel was much of a contribution but said communication in general is beneficial. His ability to get his point across might be a family tradition — his father Rick and brother Jon both became broadcasters after finishing careers with the Rockets — as much as his shooting eye is. Brent, however, described that as part of the job.
“It’s just trying to help guys be more efficient the way they play,” Barry said. “It’s better than not telling them. We’re trying to all get better. Training camp is there for a reason. The coaching staff is trying to get us in shape and on the same page. The more communication we have between teammates, the better off we’re going to be once the season starts.
“There might be some (credibility) because of where I came from. It might be because they appreciate the way the game is played in San Antonio. That or they’re very dumb. If they’re willing to listen to me, they might be willing to listen to anybody.”
Teammates receptive

Either way, Barry’s teammates have been eager to hear what he has to say, not that they have had much of a choice.
“He’s always, always putting his input into stuff,” second-year guard Aaron Brooks said. “He tells me when I’m doing a good job, tells me what I can do better. He’s always saying something. He’s been in the league so many years, there’s a lot of stuff I can learn from him.
“He has the respect. He has everybody’s ear. We need that. He’s outspoken, and he’s good at it.”
Beyond that, when Barry isn’t talking, the Rockets have found he also can shoot and pass the ball a little.