[Chron]Barry's transition goes as smooth as possible

March 2, 2006, 10:34PM
ON PRO BASKETBALL
Barry's transition goes as smooth as possible

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Kiki Vandeweghe, the general manager of the Denver Nuggets, called minutes after Jon Barry was waived. George Karl, the Nuggets' coach, called the next morning.

Friends offered kind words. Teammates fought back tears (not really, but they were sorry to see him go).

Then Barry sat down with his boys, 7-year-old Tyler and 5-year-old Eli, to tell them their dad was thinking about ending his basketball career, planning to make them understand this disappointing news.

Barry knows how cool it can be to have a dad in the NBA, having served as a ball boy with Rick Barry's Warriors and Rockets. But he was way off on this one.

"When I told my kids I wasn't playing anymore, they were excited," Barry said. "They thought it was great. I thought they would be upset. They were excited because it meant I would be home."

Barry has not officially ended his career. If he had to make a decision Thursday, he said he would retire. He liked the idea of extending his career with the Nuggets and waving that three-finger sign around Toyota Center tonight just for laughs, but increasingly, he has found staying home to be a better option.

That was always the plan. He went to Atlanta last season to wrap up his career in the town his family called home. The Hawks, however, were so awful, they decided to go with kids and eventually traded him to the Rockets.

That changed the plan. He enjoyed last season's run so much, he signed up for another season, moved the family to Houston and planned to make this season his last.

That all went wrong when Barry, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming filled their season with injuries. Barry, whose value to the Rockets was as a shooter in Yao's and McGrady's orbit, played only nine games with the Rockets' stars.

He played in just seven games since his first injury on Nov. 25. The first time he came back from his strained right calf, he struggled through three games, clearly not well. When he came back again Feb. 14, Jeff Van Gundy had little confidence in Barry's health and the Rockets had reached the part of the season when they had to go with their best-guess playing rotation.

Barry understood this. Van Gundy braced himself to bring bad news. Barry let him off easy.

"I don't know whether I could have helped them or not," Barry said. "They brought in Keith (Bogans). And with Luther (Head), they have to see what they have there. That's part of the deal. I went through that in Atlanta last year. They decided to go young. And I think Jeff, he didn't want to see me sit on bench the rest of my career watching the team fight to make the playoffs. He knew it ate me up inside to be sitting there watching every night. It was tough."

But it was not personal. Van Gundy's affection for Barry was clear, and Barry always understood Van Gundy.

"I told him he was my favorite coach," said Barry, who made nine stops in a 14-year NBA career. "His knowledge of the game is better than anybody I've ever been around. You've got to be a tough-skin guy. He's honest. He'll tell you as he sees it. But he's got a lot of respect."

With that in mind, Barry could choose to work for Van Gundy. There already has been talk about Barry working as a scout. He said he does not want to coach but would like to learn how to be a general manager.

Over the years, ESPN has shown interest. Barry said he would happily broadcast Rockets games if Clyde Drexler does not want to do a second season.

First, Barry must decide whether to end his playing career. He could give it a few more weeks. The lure of a last chance is strong and understandable.

He has, however, already decided to keep playing. Wednesday, after their little talk, Jon, Tyler and Eli shot together. The Rockets might even have a third generation of Barrys: Tyler and Eli are young and shoot well, qualities the Rockets need.

For now, Jon Barry is back where he started with the Rockets, happy to be a ball boy.

But for the first time this season, on Wednesday, he missed a Rockets game. He never turned on the television. Funny thing was, he didn't miss it.

jonathan.feigen@chron.com