He would already have a head coaching job if he would treat media , owners and execs with a little compassion. He was a great player, NBA finals MVP in his 2nd year as the team leader of the Warriors..knows passing and has taught a couple sons how to play NBA basketball. Former Rocket Rick Barry deserves a shot at coaching and has been denied access for the same reason Rick Carlisle was fired. If he came to the Rockets ..maybe he could coax his two sons to come over too..That is if they dont think hes too much of a prick.
He has always been a fan favorite, just bruised too many big egos along the way. Hes mellowed some. While I doubt the Rockets will consider him..hes capable. He put a big push on a few years back trying for a head coaching job and was turned down. He may still coach the Warriors someday..He will be good at it. Hes a bball junkie and a genius except when it comes to the off-court. He and Rick Carlisle are almost carbon copies, they deserve to be coaching, but may both be in the announcers booth next year.
zzhiggins, could you elaborate on your story of Rick Barry "the prick?" i haven't heard this one. has he ever expressed desire to coach? is he being black-balled?
Hes an opinionated guy , when he sought a job, it was felt he was blackballed. His response was to buy into a team in the now defunct USBL where he coached three years in a league that never got off the ground. Rick loves basketball and he loves his sons, he has two others playing in Europe. He has since made amends with his kids, admitting he neglected them during his NBA career. His wife was a college star too ..maybe we should consider her too, between them they developed 4 NBA quality players. You can bet Rick wants to be a NBA head coach.
Barry's rocky relationship with the NBA dates back to early in his career, when he was one of the first high-profile players to jump to the ABA. But he definitely doesn't have the personality to be an NBA coach. That he is so demanding is a good thing, but he's just not the kind of guy to establish a rapport with his players. His own sons don't even much like him.