Rocky Mountain News July 3 :Houston offers brent barry 4 year 24 million deal

1. I've seen Memphis X all over the place lately.
2. Do you really not know how to start a new thread? Perhaps those who live in glass houses shouldn't be throwing stones.
3. I personally like Memphis X. He offered congratulations when the T-Mac went through and he's generally a pretty good sport and a very informed fan, even if he does love giving us a hard time. I think the board would be a lot less interesting with out people like him or mfclark. (but where has mfclark been? )

 

If this rumor is true, I am so impressed with the Rockets management this season. Pulling off the McGrady deal was a coup, but we had help on the inside from Tracy. I had kind of lowered my expectations for this season, due to lack of depth, but the mgmt is being very aggressive about going after the players we want.

I think that Les believes that we can pull a T-Wolves type turnaround and that this will boost attendance enough to pay for it. I know I've already decided to get a 12-pack, and I have a friend who's buying season tickets for the first time.

On the flip side, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a rumor spread by Barry's agent to try and raise his market price. If it is true though, I can't see Barry saying no. It has the 4 years at MLE that he reportedly wanted, and he gets to play with Yao and TMac. UNBEATABLE!!!

 

he's probably waiting for other team's offer and have his option

 

Not sure if this has been posted...didn't see it. You have to register, but most of the article has to do with Cleveland and Wagner so I'll only post what might be of interest here.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/9075907.htm

DRIBBLES - The Cavaliers never got into the bidding for Seattle SuperSonics free agent shooting guard Brent Barry as some speculated. Barry, 32, really wanted to stay in the Western Conference, and it appears he will. Sources report the Houston Rockets have offered Barry a $24 million deal over four years. That was longer than the Cavaliers would have wanted to commit to. Sources say the Sonics have targeted Los Angeles Lakers free agent Derek Fisher to replace him.


BOOZER UPDATE

After becoming a free agent this week, Carlos Boozer has been offered the maximum contract the Cavaliers can give him at the moment, believed to be six years at about $40 million. Boozer has said he wants to stay and sources say the Cavaliers believe they'll get him to agree to those terms. If the Cavaliers thought they would lose Boozer, they never would have allowed him out of the remaining year of his contract. Still, Boozer's agent, Rob Pelinka, might talk with other teams to see if he can drive up the bidding. The Cavaliers could increase their offer, but only by making roster moves to free up cap space.

 

you're way off. the guy is a better ball handler and passer than derek fisher. i would say better point guard and better shooter too. 4 for 24 is a bit pricey though, but he's a better point than dfish.

 

the best thing about barry on D, is that the rockets will have alot of length in thier back court. You cant teach height, and thats barry has over the rest (plus that shot)
so im not too worried about our defense since it is basically a team defense and not composed of all defensive teamers.

That is all the bear has to say

 

This sounds like an opportunity to use our TE to help Cleveland & ourselves out.

How about the TE for Battie? That way, we get our backup center & they have an extra $4.8 million to use on Boozer.

 

SJC -
I didn't want to post in this thread again because it's gotten so lengthy but I felt I owed you an answer.

Early on, I made a comment about Barry not relying on athleticism and you pointed out he was a former Slam Dunk Champ. Perhaps it's an age thing and you have never heard it but there is a very old joke that people use about athletes. The saying is that "the legs are the first thing to go". Over the years, the saying has taken on a sexual connotation...I think you can read between the lines. That was the reason for the smilies. The legs are the first thing to go.... Clear?

 

Another point about Barry is that he's not really a PG. He can play the position, but I get the feeling that he'd much rather dump it and return to his natural spot at SG.

If you're not trained as a PG, the pressure of running the offence, day in and day out, can be pretty overwhelming. Especially with a coach as demanding JVG, who tends to grossly overwork his starters.

So my question is, is Brent Barry mentally strong enough to be our PG day after day? He seems to be more than smart enough, but is he psychologically resilient? Can someone who has watched a lot of Seattle games comment on this?

If Barry is fragile, I would much prefer the Fish.

 

we can only wish for something that nice to happen...

what an offseason it would be.

yao-battie
howard-mo-spoon
jj-boki-ag
tmac-pike
bb-sue

 

Hottodie,

That is an EXCELLENT idea !!

CD...if you are reading this...check out HotToddie's post...very smart.



DD

 

Okay and thanks for the tip.

 

I seem to have a vauge uneasyness about Barry, and I think terse helped to frame it up for me. I like BB a lot. The contract seems high, but I think I would do it. He seems to fit our team especially well.

However, as I said, I have an uneasiness about him as our starting PG. I love his as a back up PG. And I like him as a starting 2. And I like the idea of Barry at the 2 and T-Mac at the 3. But all that said and done, T-Mac is our starting 2. If Barry is not our starting PG, $twentysomething million is a lot to pay for a back up. Even iif he does back up two positions.

This GM stuff is harder than it looks.

 

PG - Barry
SG - JJ
SF - Tmac
PF - Howard
C - Yao

 

Now that's my Rockets. If we can't get Barry, grab Fisher.

PG: Fisher
SG: T-Mac
SF: JJ
PF: Howard
C: Yao

DD, why do you have T-Mac at SF?

 

Lets save our money for boozer. Hopefully a third team could be involved.

 

B-cause I always think Defense first and Tmac is 6'8" whereas JJ is 6'6".

Tmac would guard the SF whilst JJ guards the 2.

DD

 

Well, this is an article from a couple of days ago, but he seems to be favoring the Sonics:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sonics/2001969553_soni01.html

Notebook: Free agent Barry's preference is Sonics

Brent Barry talked about his Sonics past and future as if they were intertwined, and only once during an afternoon conversation a couple of days ago did he sound as if he were at a crossroad in his NBA career.

"I just don't know what's going on at this point," said Barry, an unrestricted free agent whose agent, Arn Tellem, can begin talking with the Sonics and the NBA's 29 other teams today. "I'm nervous, excited and anxious at the same time.

"I haven't had any contact with people. Arn has heard some things, but officially I can really start seeing what's out there (today)."

Barry reiterated his desire to remain in Seattle, where he has spent the past five years in his nine-year NBA career, which has included stops with the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami and Chicago.

But he will explore free-agency options and will almost certainly speak to Denver, which has roughly $23 million in salary-cap room and seeks a long-range sharpshooter who can play both guard positions.

Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe has coveted Barry for years, and Denver has targeted Barry, along with New Jersey's Kenyon Martin and San Antonio's Manu Ginobli, according to league sources.

The Spurs likely would be suitors if they lost Ginobli, and Boston, Golden State and Philadelphia are other possible destinations for Barry, whose ability to shoot (he was second last season in three-point field-goal accuracy) and direct a team have made him a hot commodity.

Barry adroitly completed the crossover from shooting guard to point guard without a decline in productivity. And despite missing 29 games because of a broken right hand, he made slight improvements from the previous season in his scoring (10.8 points per game vs. 10.3) and assists (5.8 vs. 5.1).

He indicated that he would welcome a chance to return to shooting guard. He also said the chance to play for a contender isn't a determining factor in his decision.

"Who knows if those options are going be available?" he said. "In all of my conversations with Rick (Sund, Sonics GM) and with people in Seattle, I've always said I like to be around to see a player develop.




"There's a lot of twists and turns and luck involved with winning a championship, and whether or not we get to the top of the mountain, who knows."

Barry said he would like to have a deal in place before July 14, the first day teams can sign players to a contract.

"I talked to Rick a couple of times and certainly, the door is still open to come back to Seattle. I'm hoping so. Maybe we could get something done sooner rather than later."

The two sides broke off contract talks in February and Barry described the discussions as amicable. It had been widely reported that the Sonics offered a three-year, $18 million deal, but Barry strongly refuted those reports.

"That deal was never been on the table," Barry said. "That deal has never been offered. Never. It's not something I want to get into, but I heard about that offer and that's not true. They offered a couple of different deals that didn't reach that number."

Barry was noncommittal when asked if he would accept a similar deal.

To sign Barry, the Sonics could use all or a portion of their mid-level exception, which is expected to be valued at $5.5 million, as well as the million-dollar exception.

Barry, who will turn 33 in December, also dispelled another misconception, one that insinuated he would only grudgingly give up the starting point guard position to second-year player Luke Ridnour.

"I have no problem with that," said Barry, who has been a fixture in the starting lineup for four of the past five seasons. "He's gonna be ready. How soon? Who knows? It's his position. Like I said to Luke, it's a matter of time."

 

But hasn't JJ been a good defensive player at SF?