It seems to me "healthy" has becomes the key word. Is Barry healthy "enough"? We don't know, one way or the other. All we know is that he's healthy "enough" to get on the floor a few times. And given time, he is likely to get "healthier". If "healthy" at a specific time becomes standard to waive a player, we might as well waive all the injured players.
Um, exactly! We DESPERATELY NEED outside shooting, and you think JVG (full well knowing this) deliberately decided not to give him playing time? I mean, you REALLY believe JVG (who we all know sacrifices sleep and sanity to find EVERY little angle and hole in the opponent to give his team the best chance possible to win EVERY GAME) would hold out some super secret 3pt shooting machine? Give me a break. Again, Fitch was nothing but a semi-salary match to get rid of DA. Nothing more, nothing less. And, who says that he won't get waived at some point either? The point being is that yesterday was the deadline to realease a player and they can still be eligible for the playoffs. They were trying to do Barry a favor and allow him to latch on to a contender that could get a ring before he retires, while opening up a roster spot to sign a guy they feel will help the team more. Besides, Barry is already conteplating retiring right now. You don't do that if you are confident enough in knowing you can still really contribute to a team and/or your heart and passion is still in it. Yea, JVG has a brain washing machine in the locker room that turns all these players into JVG fans. From TMac to Barry to Alston to Sprewell and on and on and on, players (past and present) have continued to talk highly of how good a coach he is, how he is straight-forward with you as a player, a good teacher of the game, and prepares his team for every game like no other. Rafer said just a week ago. It's on the players to execute and win because he gives them every bit of info, angles and strategy to beat the other team. Hell Barry was on the radio a few weeks ago saying, even with not getting playing time, he still thinks JVG is the best coach he has played for. I know JVG is easy to dislike because of his demeanor and his perception that he doesn't care what others think of him, but this bashing and hatred of him is way overboard. The man only cares about doing what is best for this team and putting the best product out there on a consistent basis to win games.
Why? You are still paying him the same amount of money and it doesn't cut any cost. Unless you have a new employee about to come in and help, it doesn't make sense at all.
Did you guys miss the JVG interview last night? He said they cut Barry because Denver called and said they wanted him. JVG knew Barry was gonna get little or no PT here. So OUT OF RESPECT for Barry, he cut him to allow him to pursue the Denver spot or simply retire (which Barry said he wanted to retire LAST season). JVG said he COULD have used Barry...but only a little. Cutting Barry was an act of respect. Barry doesn't enjoy being burried on our bench. Now he can simply retire, as planned, or try to get picked up somewhere else where he can get more PT.
I know you are being sarcastic, but yes, that is exactly what I think. If JVG were totally rational, why is he giving Bowen so much playing time? Let's face it, JVG has his pets, and for whatever reason Barry wasn't one of them. And you believe what players say about their coach while they are totally in his power? Why don't we ask what Mike James thinks of JVG?
I'm just trying to save bandwidth. Which part did I leave out? You said yourself that we don't know if he was healthy or not. I would assume that the organization knows more about his health than Clutchfans posters. Like mogrod says, why else would he have not been on the floor? You think JVG just doesn't like him? JVG has been saying that we need shooters. He's had one on the bench all year. If he was healthy, why else would JVG not play him? Seriously, this is not a rhetorical question. If he's been healthy, why do you think he hasn't played?
And by the way, mogrod, I am not implying that Barry has been good to go, and that JVG has been deliberately squelching him. What I am saying is that, given Barry's history as a great shooter, we should have waited for him to recover. If he never recovers, well, we don't lose much.
All we know is that he's healthy "enough" to get on the floor a few times. And given time, he is likely to get "healthier". You assume is as good as I assume. I don't assume. he's healthy "enough" to get on the floor a few times. That's a fact. I don't know, just like I don't know why the hell Ryan Bowen was on the floor. But it's hardly a defense in justfying cutting JB as far as I can see it.
Please read my post (#306) above. We waived him so Barry would have the option to get picked up by another team in time for the playoff roster deadline. If we held onto Barry longer and still didn't utilize him, then that really sucks for Barry. Now if Barry choses to retire, he can do so and get paid for the last 2 months. You think Barry is complaining about that part of it?
Actually Barry said himself on a 610 interview that he is healthy "enough" offensively but that defensively he wasn't healthy enough. Barry said it himself. Don't kill the messenger. Do you think JVG is going to play somebody who isn't healthy enough to play defense?
Do you actually believe everything coming out of JVG's mouth? Ok, for a moment, let's assume they are doing this out of the "respect" so he can choose to play somewhere else. That elicit two more questions: 1) It would indicate JB is healthy enough to play, and would of some use to someone. 2) JVG is doing a favor to a WC team by doing a favor to JB. "still didn't utilize him" is the key here. I bet JB would not be happy being force to retirement 2 month short of his planned retirement. see this thread: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=109639 It is where a lot of posters disagree with the decision of JVG, not counting the fact JB's lateral movement will likely to improve as he continue to work on it.
Did Fitch take Barry's roster spot? Have we signed another guard? I can not believe Wesley is still our stating SG ! NO "O".
Yes, clearly JVG doesn't like Barry. That's why he made these quotes in today's paper: <I>"He decided I think to retire. I hope something works out to where he can stay in the Rockets' organization. He's a great guy. Even though we were only together for a little more than a year, I was as fond of him and Sura as any two guys I've ever coached. Personally, it hurts a lot that both had injuries that impacted them and us." ... "He's had a remarkable career. I think he doubts health-wise whether he can still do it. He's not sure. I was not sure, either. I might even miss that stupid . . . three sign those two clowns gave us last year, I miss those guys so much."</I> http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3693918.html He clearly did not like Barry.
Perhaps. Barry has said that he would rather retire than move again. I don't think he desperately wanted to play so much as he desperately wanted to help out his friends here. But we will see. He might be mad enough at JVG to sign on with Denver, just to prove how wrong JVG was. Yes, the financial part of it will work out for Barry no matter what happens. But I don't think he cares. At this point in a long career, money is probably not a concern for him. I just can't see how the team benefits by dumping Barry. The pickings in the FA market right now are so slim that we would have been better off to hope that Barry recovers.
That is a typical JVG kiss-off. Despite the honeyed words, the bottom line is that the player is humiliated and gone.
If I'm a couple of months from retiring, I'd rather be given the option of going to sign with another team before being cut. This may or may not have happened though my gut says it did not. I wouldn't want my last moment in the NBA to be cut 2 months before the seasons ends for no real reason. If it was to open up a spot for a pg, why not cut the pg who you won't play and have no long term plans with. Give the old man some respect.
I beleive him more than I beleive you. For a team that doesn't stress defense, he might be able to play. But that definately ain't the case in Houston. That is EXACTLY the way JVG worded it. He has so much respect for JB that he wants him to have the option to play...which he isn't getting here. So now it is JB's choice rather than rotting at the end of the bench. A guy like JB is a fierce competitor. He probably hates every second he's sitting on the bench. Now he doesn't have to. Ok. I wish we could have used his energy and his outside shooting. But he's never been known as a good defender and if his defense is even more degraded than before, Early in the season guard penetration was killing Yao. Now we have guys that can stay in front of their men (Bogans, Rafer) and Yao is not getting as many fouls. JB doesn't help Yao's foul situation. Sad to see JB go. I thought we could have used him in spots. But if JB/JVG had a heart to heart than I gotta appreciate that. This won't make/break the season. I'm moving on.
