ducks
01-31-2004, 02:48 PM
Back in lineup, Barry hopes game back, too
Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News
A network blazer eventually may be waiting for Jon Barry. For now, he's back in a tank top.
Barry, who dabbled in television and radio broadcasting during his absence, was activated from the injured list by the Denver Nuggets on Friday. The shooting guard will play today at Dallas, beefing up a backcourt that has been depleted.
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Barry, who hasn't played since Dec. 20, underwent arthroscopic surgery Dec. 30 for a right shoulder labral tear. At the time, it was expected Barry would return in six weeks. But he made it back in 4 ½.
"Everything is feeling good," said Barry, activated after forward Mark Pope was placed on the injured list because of tendinitis in his left knee. "I'm back a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Now, I'll see if I can get my game back."
The Nuggets are happy to be getting their backcourt back. With starting shooting guard Voshon Lenard sitting out the past two games because of a strained right quadriceps, the only true guards on hand were Andre Miller and Earl Boykins.
The Nuggets certainly could use guards against the perimeter-oriented Mavericks. The Nuggets list Lenard as a game-time decision for today, but there appears to be optimism he'll play.
At least there appears to be optimism when Bzdelikspeak is translated. Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik was asked whether he thought Lenard would play against the Mavericks.
"He practiced today (Friday)," Bzdelik said.
Bzdelik was asked whether that's a good sign.
"He practiced today," Bzdelik said.
Later, Bzdelik again was asked whether practicing was an indication Lenard would play.
"He went through the whole practice," Bzdelik said.
Nuggets trainer Jim Gillen said Lenard figures to play as long as his quadriceps "doesn't tighten up" overnight. Lenard, sticking with the official line, said he's a "game-time decision."
"I had a nice practice (Friday)," he said. "I'll see how I feel (today). I don't want to do something that will hurt the team."
Once Lenard and Barry, the team's two best three-point shooters, get back in the groove, the Nuggets won't be hurting. They'll be able to go back to a four-guard rotation that gave them one of the better benches in the NBA early in the season.
Bzdelik is looking forward to getting back some "veteran leadership." At age 34 and in his 12th season, Barry is the team's oldest and most experienced player.
"It's going to take Jon a while to get back in the swing of things, but I'd like to see the team in a week or so," Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. "Everyone will be healthy."
Barry, who suffered shoulder problems in training camp, was not fully healthy during the first two months of the season even though he continued to play. He averaged 6.6 points while shooting only .373.
Barry, though, did have his moments. One was a season-best 20 points the previous time the Nuggets were in Dallas, a 115-101 loss Nov. 22.
"The game is much faster when you're out there," Barry said. "In practice (Friday), I was fumbling the ball around a little more than I normally do. Dallas is a good up-
and-down team, so it will be good to see what I can do."
Barry plans to play a few more seasons, but he's already thinking about life after basketball. While on the injured list, he helped out on four pregame shows for Fox Sports Net. Then he served as radio analyst for two games alongside play-by-play man Jerry Schemmel.
"My wife (Betsy) said I was good," Barry said. "I didn't ask anybody else."
As for Pope, 31, he's another player thinking about his next career. Pope is preparing for medical school, and this could be his final NBA season.
There's no guarantee that Pope, who went scoreless in two games during the past two weeks - it was his only stint this season on the active roster - will play another NBA game. Still, Pope had plenty of fun joking about being shelved with the NBA-cliché tendinitis.
"I told (the Nuggets) it's a hip replacement," Pope said of being put on the injured list because of tendinitis at the start of the season. "I was really pushing for something interesting like chronic dandruff or some type of serious schizophrenia disorder, a mental disorder. You never see that. Jim Gillen has some amazing qualities, but he does not have a great sense of humor."
Some might beg to differ. Gillen said Barry rushed back to play "when he found out his only hope was radio."
ETC.: The Mavericks, as expected, claimed forward Scott Williams off waivers Friday from Phoenix. "We need someone who has been through some of the playoff wars," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. It's not yet decided whether Williams, who played for Denver in 2001-02, will be in uniform today . . . Nuggets center Francisco Elson, who suffered a cervical strain in the third period Wednesday against Chicago and sat out the rest of the game, went through practice Friday and said he feels fine. He'll be in uniform today.
[email protected] or 303-892-5125
Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News
A network blazer eventually may be waiting for Jon Barry. For now, he's back in a tank top.
Barry, who dabbled in television and radio broadcasting during his absence, was activated from the injured list by the Denver Nuggets on Friday. The shooting guard will play today at Dallas, beefing up a backcourt that has been depleted.
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**
**
Barry, who hasn't played since Dec. 20, underwent arthroscopic surgery Dec. 30 for a right shoulder labral tear. At the time, it was expected Barry would return in six weeks. But he made it back in 4 ½.
"Everything is feeling good," said Barry, activated after forward Mark Pope was placed on the injured list because of tendinitis in his left knee. "I'm back a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Now, I'll see if I can get my game back."
The Nuggets are happy to be getting their backcourt back. With starting shooting guard Voshon Lenard sitting out the past two games because of a strained right quadriceps, the only true guards on hand were Andre Miller and Earl Boykins.
The Nuggets certainly could use guards against the perimeter-oriented Mavericks. The Nuggets list Lenard as a game-time decision for today, but there appears to be optimism he'll play.
At least there appears to be optimism when Bzdelikspeak is translated. Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik was asked whether he thought Lenard would play against the Mavericks.
"He practiced today (Friday)," Bzdelik said.
Bzdelik was asked whether that's a good sign.
"He practiced today," Bzdelik said.
Later, Bzdelik again was asked whether practicing was an indication Lenard would play.
"He went through the whole practice," Bzdelik said.
Nuggets trainer Jim Gillen said Lenard figures to play as long as his quadriceps "doesn't tighten up" overnight. Lenard, sticking with the official line, said he's a "game-time decision."
"I had a nice practice (Friday)," he said. "I'll see how I feel (today). I don't want to do something that will hurt the team."
Once Lenard and Barry, the team's two best three-point shooters, get back in the groove, the Nuggets won't be hurting. They'll be able to go back to a four-guard rotation that gave them one of the better benches in the NBA early in the season.
Bzdelik is looking forward to getting back some "veteran leadership." At age 34 and in his 12th season, Barry is the team's oldest and most experienced player.
"It's going to take Jon a while to get back in the swing of things, but I'd like to see the team in a week or so," Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe said. "Everyone will be healthy."
Barry, who suffered shoulder problems in training camp, was not fully healthy during the first two months of the season even though he continued to play. He averaged 6.6 points while shooting only .373.
Barry, though, did have his moments. One was a season-best 20 points the previous time the Nuggets were in Dallas, a 115-101 loss Nov. 22.
"The game is much faster when you're out there," Barry said. "In practice (Friday), I was fumbling the ball around a little more than I normally do. Dallas is a good up-
and-down team, so it will be good to see what I can do."
Barry plans to play a few more seasons, but he's already thinking about life after basketball. While on the injured list, he helped out on four pregame shows for Fox Sports Net. Then he served as radio analyst for two games alongside play-by-play man Jerry Schemmel.
"My wife (Betsy) said I was good," Barry said. "I didn't ask anybody else."
As for Pope, 31, he's another player thinking about his next career. Pope is preparing for medical school, and this could be his final NBA season.
There's no guarantee that Pope, who went scoreless in two games during the past two weeks - it was his only stint this season on the active roster - will play another NBA game. Still, Pope had plenty of fun joking about being shelved with the NBA-cliché tendinitis.
"I told (the Nuggets) it's a hip replacement," Pope said of being put on the injured list because of tendinitis at the start of the season. "I was really pushing for something interesting like chronic dandruff or some type of serious schizophrenia disorder, a mental disorder. You never see that. Jim Gillen has some amazing qualities, but he does not have a great sense of humor."
Some might beg to differ. Gillen said Barry rushed back to play "when he found out his only hope was radio."
ETC.: The Mavericks, as expected, claimed forward Scott Williams off waivers Friday from Phoenix. "We need someone who has been through some of the playoff wars," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. It's not yet decided whether Williams, who played for Denver in 2001-02, will be in uniform today . . . Nuggets center Francisco Elson, who suffered a cervical strain in the third period Wednesday against Chicago and sat out the rest of the game, went through practice Friday and said he feels fine. He'll be in uniform today.
[email protected] or 303-892-5125