Rockets seeking to sign Mutombo for last two years Barry to agree to one-year deal By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Describing signing with the Rockets as no more than a formality, guard Jon Barry returned to Houston on Tuesday and said he expected to this week sign a one-year deal that could complete his career. ADVERTISEMENT "I'm just waiting to sign the contract," Barry said while indicating that the only remaining issue is setting up a time to sign the deal while moving to Houston this week. The Rockets are close to completing a deal to bring back center Dikembe Mutombo, Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. Mutombo, who had been vacationing in Europe and did not return to the United States until late Monday, said Tuesday that he had not yet spoken to his agent David Falk and did not know where contract talks stood. But as he has said since last season, Mutombo reiterated that his desire is to return. "I hope things work out to come back to Houston," Mutombo said. "My plan is to play two more years and then retire. I'm not asking too much. I'm hopeful it will work out with the Rockets. I think it will." Falk was unavailable for comment on the details of Mutombo's contract talks. Barry, meanwhile, left no doubt about where he stands. "I want this to be the last stop of my career," Barry said. "I came in here and got a shot of adrenaline. It's a great team, the best staff I've ever had and one of the best groups of guys I've ever been around. I'm excited about doing it again. "If we stay healthy, we have as good a team as anybody."
Great to here the excitement in players as if the season starts tomorrow... I'm ready for this season to get going.
yeah, for the lazy bums on the site who dont like to click links. btw....just looked up what pachyderm meant.
Lol. I bet you were all like "WTF is a pachyderm?" I mean, it wasn't like I was wondering what it was too or anything.... p.s. We need more smilies. There isn't a smilie for laughing.
This is sweet, Deke is one of better guys in the NBA. He does lots of stuff with Africa and he fills the void as foreigner friend for Yao!
::sniff:: Two players, one a possible hall of famer and the other from a legendary bloodline, wanting to retire as Rockets. Let's win one for them.
With Boki gone we gotta make sure Yao has his foreigner friend. Maybe we could have Megnke Bateer be our water boy.
Great news. These guys helped so much with the team energy and chemistry last season, no doubt they'll be able to do it again. It'll be sweet to see Deke and Barry retire a Rocket.
The fact that Barry and Cookie Monster want to finish out thier career here in Houston only makes you wonder why? You know that Mutumbo's value skyrocketed after his performance last season. He could go pretty much anywhere he wants. Barry out right just said that if the Rockets don't re-sign him that he would just have rather retired then play with any other team. The reason why they both want to come back is because they see something special on this team. Not so much something special as in "this is a championship team", but more along the lines of a special bond these guys have with eachother. I get the impression that with these guys, everyone on the team, that every game they go play, its like going to war alongside your brothers, best friends, people you trust and care about. When one guys has a bad night, you got your boys to pick you up. You guys remember in the Dallas series how Yao got down on himself and Tracy embraced him and told him to keep his chin up? You remember when Josh Howard hammered Yao and a couple trips down the lane later Sura flattened his @$$? You saw the fire in Yao's eyes when he was pushed down and he wanted get back up to return the favor? I genuinely get the feeling that these guys truely have eachothers back. This type of chemistry can magnify a team's talent exponentially. They have eachother's back not in a ganster (Detroit/Indiana) way, but more of an honorable, noble kind of way. To have guys on the same page with eachother, with the staff, with the fans. That type of positive feeling is contageous. I have never felt so much a part the games as I was last season, not since the championship years anyway. I can't wait till the season starts.
Actually Shaggadelic, What I found most noteworthy about both sets of quotes is that JVG has his players buying into the notion of "TEAM". If either Mutombo or Barry were at all in it for the money, I'm 99% sure both of them could have gotten more from other teams. Yet maybe that's the maturity that comes with age? Or perhaps the change in perspective? The desire to win? To accomplish something meaningful in this lifetime other than cashing in fat checks. I must say though, as a throwback to oh four or so years ago, THANK YOU PHILADELPHIA for taking Mutombo and destroying his perceived market value. There is no way, in this Plinko-like, world of the NBA that the Rox would have gotten Mutombo had it not been for his disasterous experience with Philly. Mutombo has/was/is and will forever be the prototypical center who the JVG's, Pat Riley's, and the folks at Georgetown know and love. Just as SF3 needed a more open system to thrive, Mutombo belongs in a system like the Rox if he is to thrive. JB? What more can be said of this guy. He wants to WIN. I mean, if that isn't a plus in itself for team chemistry I dont' know what is? JB is far from being a bench cheerleader which is why I think he's the perfect dude to have back on this team. He's hungry to win, hungry to play, yet cool about his role. That's your classic JVG template right there... returnoftheSAGE
Actually Sage, Mutombo averaged 11/10/2.4 in his last year in Philly, and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2001. You're probably thinking about his time in New Jersey and New York. I agree with the rest of your post, for the most part...
Now if we can just pull off a 2-1 swap of our bad contracts and pick up a better PG, we'll be set. But even if we don't, I'm still happy with this team.
Other than McGrady, Mutombo was probably the Rockets' best addition last year. There were many, many games when Yao was in foul trouble and the team needed him to not only play major minutes, but to be productive. He almost always came through. Mutombo's ability to peform at his age, whatever it is, is amazing. He'll more than earn his money over the next two seasons.
