Barry's Intangibles

Here's an article on a player we're trying to get I thought you might be interested in.



Locked on Sports: Sonics in need of Barry's intangibles

By DAVID LOCKE
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

I hope Sonics management has heard of Darrell Armstrong. No, I am not looking at the 36-year-old Armstrong as the answer to the Sonics' free-agency questions.

I am just worried that last year's Armstrong may be this year's Brent Barry.

The Sonics have said they want Barry, 32, back. They just don't want to give him the fourth year on his contract.

Barry has said he would return provided he receives a fourth year.

However, the deeper you dig into Barry's free agency, the more you realize this is a more complex issue than just one year.

Sonics management and coach Nate McMillan have stated a two-pronged goal for the off-season. The Sonics think, correctly, they must add a perimeter defensive presence and get rebounding help in order to build a playoff team.

The dilemma is this: One, Barry does not make the Sonics a better perimeter defensive team. Two, though he is a good rebounder for a guard, he is not what the Sonics mean by rebounding help.

McMillan has made it abundantly clear he wants to coach a team that can pressure the ball and disrupt the opponent's offensive flow.

If Barry were to return, he would be keeping the point guard position warm until Luke Ridnour becomes a prime-time player, if that happens.

Barring a trade, the Sonics are again left with a backcourt of Barry and Ray Allen, with Rashard Lewis at small forward. This group is to defensive presence as Froot Loops is to nutritional value.

Adding to the quandary is the money game. The Sonics' financial situation does not allow them to sign Barry and add another midlevel free agent to satisfy their needs.

This is the cost of having Calvin Booth, Jerome James and Vitaly Potapenko eating nearly $20 million of the budget.

Therefore, the Sonics have to ask themselves: If we re-sign Barry, where will we get the defensive presence to play the game the way McMillan wants it played?

This is where so many teams fail in the off-season. They analyze all their decisions based on what will take place on the floor and how their rotations will be affected.

Barry is all about locker room, all about chemistry and all about the being the glue to the franchise.

At some point since last season, people have forgotten how lost the Sonics were when Barry was not on the floor.

Barry is not perfect. He could have dealt with Flip Murray's selfishness better, and his uncertain status last season affected his demeanor.

That notwithstanding, Barry is one of the best in the NBA at communicating with teammates, at reading moods, at assisting young players and at sacrificing his numbers for the game.

This is a league where players are in the CBA one day and complaining the next that they aren't getting enough shots in the NBA.

Barry is the antithesis of this model. He might be the only player criticized for not being selfish.

He thrives off his teammates' success. The happiest I saw him all year after a game was in the final week when Ridnour finally showed Sonics fans the play of which he is capable.

Teams must have players like Barry. Last year, after an exhibition game, when an injured Ridnour showed up wearing sweats, it was Barry who took him shopping.

Four years ago, Barry was looking over a quiet Lewis; three years ago, he tended to Desmond Mason. Most impressively and contrary to how it usually works in the league, once Lewis matured, Barry stepped back and has allowed Lewis to start leading.

Which leads us back to Darrell Armstrong.

The Orlando Magic ended 2003 by pushing the Pistons to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.

Everyone thought the Magic were on the verge of taking the next step. They had an either/or financial decision similar to the one the Sonics are facing with Barry.

In a move that seemed reasonable, the Magic decided to let go an aging and oft-injured Armstrong, although he had been the unquestioned leader of the Magic for the previous nine seasons.

The goal was to allow their superstar, Tracy McGrady, to lead, and sign a player who better fit their needs.

It was a colossal disaster. The Magic went through a rudderless training camp and were totally unprepared for the season.

They began the season 1-19, which led to popular coach Doc Rivers' firing. The Magic finished with the NBA's worst record, prompting McGrady to force a trade to the Houston Rockets.

The Sonics are presenting Barry's free agency as an issue of whether he can get a four-year contract on the open market. The real issue is this: Can the Sonics accomplish their stated off-season goals and bring leadership back to the roster?

Otherwise, be scared of the example of the 2003-04 Orlando Magic and Darrell Armstrong.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/181047_locke07.html