duncan228
03-26-2008, 12:11 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA032408.spurs-mailbag.WEB.en.219c348c.html
Spurs Mailbag: Barry is back, but not yet
Jeff McDonald
Express-News Staff Writer
Say this about the Spurs’ newest newcomer. It won’t take him too long to learn the offense.
Brent Barry is back with the Spurs, although the word “back” isn’t quite accurate. He essentially never left.
The 30-day exile that briefly rendered Barry an ex-Spur hardly took him across his Terrell Hills living room, much less across the country.
Still, questions remain in the dawn of Barry’s, ahem, second stint with the Spurs, which was inaugurated when he signed a contract with the club Sunday evening.
Foremost among them: Now that Barry is back, how much longer until he’s back?
Before his injury, Barry was enjoying perhaps his best season in silver and black, averaging 7.3 points and hitting 43 percent of his 3-point tries. Most nights, he was the Spurs’ most productive reserve not named Ginobili.
How long before that Barry is back?
It would be illogical to expect it to happen immediately. For example, we wouldn’t expect him to start raining 3-pointers in Orlando on Tuesday night.
Barry spent his month’s paid vacation rehabbing the torn calf muscle that had cost him 11 consecutive games prior to his Feb. 20 “trade” to Seattle. He shot around a little bit on his own. He tried to stay in shape.
None of this is tantamount to playing in an NBA game.
It will take him a while to get in playing shape. It will take him a while to get his groove back.
As Tony Parker discovered on his own way back from injury this season, sometimes regaining one’s rhythm can be the hardest part of rehabilitation. And Parker had the benefit of being allowed to practice with the team during his recovery.
It could also take Barry some time to find some minutes, depending upon the status of Michael Finley’s jump shot.
This much is not in question, however: The Spurs could certainly use the return of that old Barry.
“It seems like every year, he wins a playoff game or two for us,” Manu Ginobili said.
And maybe that’s the best-case scenario.
Maybe Barry spends the remaining 12 games of the regular season playing his way into shape. Maybe he rediscovers his shooting stroke by the end of April.
And maybe, by the time it matters most, Barry will truly be back.
Now let’s see what the electronic postman has for us this week …
I’m an avid Spurs fan and trust Pop but his thinking of bringing Ginobili off the bench for the team stinks. Why not bring Parker off the bench and let Ginobili be a starter?
-- R. Cerda, San Antonio
Off the top of my head, because Parker is a point guard and Ginobili is not. They don’t play the same position.
On a more general note, there are certainly arguments for and against making Ginobili the sixth man, and they are the same arguments that fly back and forth daily in Spurs coaches’ meetings. It seems Gregg Popovich finally got tired of his bench not producing when Ginobili was not on it. With Ginobili as a starter, the Spurs had to ask Michael Finley to carry the scoring load off the bench, and it didn’t work.
I do not agree with Pop’s plan to send Manu...again.... to the bench. For me, it does not make any sense. Just imagine a man with the right arm strong and the left arm weak. The solution is not to transfer muscles from the right to the left. The solution is to work to make your left arm stronger. As simple as that.-- Augusto, Buenos Aires
There’s no arguing with that, Mr. Miyagi.
Manu is considered by many to be an MVP candidate. To bring up "sixth man" award and "candidacy" is one of the silliest things you have mentioned. That is the dumbest award in the league anyways, and one that I wouldn't (nor would Manu) want to accept. -- Bob, California
Hey, don’t rabbit punch the messenger here. Ginobili is a candidate – and possibly the frontrunner -- for the Sixth Man of the Year award, whether you like it or not. And sure, Ginobili would accept the trophy, provided he could find a spot for it amongst his NBA championship rings and Olympic gold.
As for the Manu-for-MVP campaign, it’s not going to happen. This thing is a three-man race between the one-named triumvirate of Kobe, LeBron and ChrisPaul.
Why do you think there are so many people angry at Tony Parker?
-- Gabo, Rocklin, Calif.
By far the most enlightening thing about our first season at the Mailbag has been the sheer vitriol among some Spurs fans for their starting point guard. We’d be willing to bet George W. Bush doesn’t get this much hate mail from Al Qaeda.
People complain about Parker shooting too much (apparently not realizing this is exactly what the coaches keep asking him to do) or not passing enough (apparently not realizing that he isn’t Steve Nash). Meanwhile, there are about 25 NBA general managers out there who would love to have these problems with Parker.
Why is Finley still starting, or even on court, or even dressed like a basketball player. In respect of his great memory, we should stop the Haiti voodoo we're using to make him move and send his championship corpse to his widow. I swear to you: He rips my will to see the game.
-- Juan, Argentina
Has the Michael Finely saga run its course? The Spurs are getting diminishing returns from his presence on offense and defense.
-- Jay, Tarpley
Call us crazy, but we don’t think Finley is done. He’s just become a very streaky shooter in the twilight of his career. He’s shooting a woeful 29.4 percent from the field in March, but remember what he did in February? He hit 45.7 percent of his shots for his best month of the season.
It could be that the grind of March is catching up to Finley, and he will be better in April or in the playoffs as the schedule spreads out. Or, is sometimes the case with streak shooters, maybe not.
Why won't Pop hire Sean Elliott as an assistant coach?? He is VERY astute in his TV coverage about the Spurs!!! He knows more than most coaches in the NBA!!! Pop ought to watch his broadcasts!!! He would be impressed!!!-- Barbara Slater, Canyon Lake
That’s a very good idea!!! We’ll pass it along!!! Although we do have a counter question!!!
Why would Sean Elliott even want to be an assistant coach? Seems like he’s got a pretty good (low-pressure) TV gig, and plenty of time to play golf.
Spurs Mailbag: Barry is back, but not yet
Jeff McDonald
Express-News Staff Writer
Say this about the Spurs’ newest newcomer. It won’t take him too long to learn the offense.
Brent Barry is back with the Spurs, although the word “back” isn’t quite accurate. He essentially never left.
The 30-day exile that briefly rendered Barry an ex-Spur hardly took him across his Terrell Hills living room, much less across the country.
Still, questions remain in the dawn of Barry’s, ahem, second stint with the Spurs, which was inaugurated when he signed a contract with the club Sunday evening.
Foremost among them: Now that Barry is back, how much longer until he’s back?
Before his injury, Barry was enjoying perhaps his best season in silver and black, averaging 7.3 points and hitting 43 percent of his 3-point tries. Most nights, he was the Spurs’ most productive reserve not named Ginobili.
How long before that Barry is back?
It would be illogical to expect it to happen immediately. For example, we wouldn’t expect him to start raining 3-pointers in Orlando on Tuesday night.
Barry spent his month’s paid vacation rehabbing the torn calf muscle that had cost him 11 consecutive games prior to his Feb. 20 “trade” to Seattle. He shot around a little bit on his own. He tried to stay in shape.
None of this is tantamount to playing in an NBA game.
It will take him a while to get in playing shape. It will take him a while to get his groove back.
As Tony Parker discovered on his own way back from injury this season, sometimes regaining one’s rhythm can be the hardest part of rehabilitation. And Parker had the benefit of being allowed to practice with the team during his recovery.
It could also take Barry some time to find some minutes, depending upon the status of Michael Finley’s jump shot.
This much is not in question, however: The Spurs could certainly use the return of that old Barry.
“It seems like every year, he wins a playoff game or two for us,” Manu Ginobili said.
And maybe that’s the best-case scenario.
Maybe Barry spends the remaining 12 games of the regular season playing his way into shape. Maybe he rediscovers his shooting stroke by the end of April.
And maybe, by the time it matters most, Barry will truly be back.
Now let’s see what the electronic postman has for us this week …
I’m an avid Spurs fan and trust Pop but his thinking of bringing Ginobili off the bench for the team stinks. Why not bring Parker off the bench and let Ginobili be a starter?
-- R. Cerda, San Antonio
Off the top of my head, because Parker is a point guard and Ginobili is not. They don’t play the same position.
On a more general note, there are certainly arguments for and against making Ginobili the sixth man, and they are the same arguments that fly back and forth daily in Spurs coaches’ meetings. It seems Gregg Popovich finally got tired of his bench not producing when Ginobili was not on it. With Ginobili as a starter, the Spurs had to ask Michael Finley to carry the scoring load off the bench, and it didn’t work.
I do not agree with Pop’s plan to send Manu...again.... to the bench. For me, it does not make any sense. Just imagine a man with the right arm strong and the left arm weak. The solution is not to transfer muscles from the right to the left. The solution is to work to make your left arm stronger. As simple as that.-- Augusto, Buenos Aires
There’s no arguing with that, Mr. Miyagi.
Manu is considered by many to be an MVP candidate. To bring up "sixth man" award and "candidacy" is one of the silliest things you have mentioned. That is the dumbest award in the league anyways, and one that I wouldn't (nor would Manu) want to accept. -- Bob, California
Hey, don’t rabbit punch the messenger here. Ginobili is a candidate – and possibly the frontrunner -- for the Sixth Man of the Year award, whether you like it or not. And sure, Ginobili would accept the trophy, provided he could find a spot for it amongst his NBA championship rings and Olympic gold.
As for the Manu-for-MVP campaign, it’s not going to happen. This thing is a three-man race between the one-named triumvirate of Kobe, LeBron and ChrisPaul.
Why do you think there are so many people angry at Tony Parker?
-- Gabo, Rocklin, Calif.
By far the most enlightening thing about our first season at the Mailbag has been the sheer vitriol among some Spurs fans for their starting point guard. We’d be willing to bet George W. Bush doesn’t get this much hate mail from Al Qaeda.
People complain about Parker shooting too much (apparently not realizing this is exactly what the coaches keep asking him to do) or not passing enough (apparently not realizing that he isn’t Steve Nash). Meanwhile, there are about 25 NBA general managers out there who would love to have these problems with Parker.
Why is Finley still starting, or even on court, or even dressed like a basketball player. In respect of his great memory, we should stop the Haiti voodoo we're using to make him move and send his championship corpse to his widow. I swear to you: He rips my will to see the game.
-- Juan, Argentina
Has the Michael Finely saga run its course? The Spurs are getting diminishing returns from his presence on offense and defense.
-- Jay, Tarpley
Call us crazy, but we don’t think Finley is done. He’s just become a very streaky shooter in the twilight of his career. He’s shooting a woeful 29.4 percent from the field in March, but remember what he did in February? He hit 45.7 percent of his shots for his best month of the season.
It could be that the grind of March is catching up to Finley, and he will be better in April or in the playoffs as the schedule spreads out. Or, is sometimes the case with streak shooters, maybe not.
Why won't Pop hire Sean Elliott as an assistant coach?? He is VERY astute in his TV coverage about the Spurs!!! He knows more than most coaches in the NBA!!! Pop ought to watch his broadcasts!!! He would be impressed!!!-- Barbara Slater, Canyon Lake
That’s a very good idea!!! We’ll pass it along!!! Although we do have a counter question!!!
Why would Sean Elliott even want to be an assistant coach? Seems like he’s got a pretty good (low-pressure) TV gig, and plenty of time to play golf.