Well, generally I agree with this but given how our offense, or at times lack thereof, relies so heavily on perimeter passing and reversing the ball to counter all the Yao-fronts, I would say the need for this true point that "runs" your offense is somewhat diminished. And I don't think anybody is suggesting we bench Brooks or Lowry. Merely insert Barry during a stretch where Brooks and/or Lowry are ineffective or are unable to take advantage of all the open looks the confusion/mass hysteria Portland's defense sometimes encounters worrying about Yao. It could be worth a try. I don't see this as the gigantic, somewhat controversial change that you do. It's more or less an adjustment than it is an indictment against any of our PG's.
In deed, if the OP meant that Brent should START at PG, then that's a no go. The above poster has got it right. Bring in Barry for shrot stretches when neither brooks nor lowry can get the job done. Experimenting this far into the playoffs is too risky, however just giving him some modest game time for running plays may just add a few extra scoring runs by Yao.
Risky business messing with your line up at this point in a series. But I do hope Barry can contribute some 3's if we advance.
At this point in the season, you can't bring Barry at point, because he doesn't have a lot of game experience with the players besides some of the bench crew. You just can't stick a guy out there and expect him to anticipate his teammates out of the gate, that is an experiment meant to be done early in the season if at all. Our entire team had one horrible game, must we go through this constant whining about point guards and centers every time like NBA players are not allowed to have bad games.
Barry is old and slow. He'd be like a traffic cone out there against Portland's athleticism. Yes, he can get pwned by Steve Blake.
The only time we should bring in Barry when the game is still in doubt is for free throw shooting or if we need a three. I like Barry but this isn't the Barry that contributed to the Spurs Championships.
I hope you know just because he is playing the point doesn't mean he has 2 guard the other team's point guard. There is no reason to panic and have Barry play point guard. There is a reason why the Rockets are in the playoffs up 3-2. What has Brent Barry done to help them. He hasn't really played all season and I don't think he will.
I agree but if AB and Lowry are playing like trash he should give Brent Barry some minutes to see what he is capable of.. As of right now its to late in the series to put Barry out there. Adelman is gonna close the series with the players he has been playing with.
Right. But when you run as many screens as Portland does, switches are inevitable. The idea of Barry even guarding Roy for one possession is unsettling. I can live with trying this idea against Blake since all he does is roam the perimeter. Not as a two, though.
Yes, against Steve Blake. To Aaron Brooks, he doesn't seem that quick, but put Barry on him...and he'll beat him off the dribble constantly. I like Brent, but he does not match up well with the Blazers.
All he does is roam the perimeter and punish us whenever he gets an open look. It doesn't help that he's 6'3" vs. 6'0" and can shoot right over Brooks. With Barry he wouldn't have that advantage.
HH1250 is right. I would much rather have Blake try to beat us from the perimeter or have to pass off for someone else to create than letting him blow by Barry and dish off or throw his body into Yao and draw a foul. Roy does enough of that all by himself. Our perimeter defense is so important in respect to protecting Yao and the middle.
He's shot seven FT's in four games against mostly Brooks' suspect D. Blake has attempted only six shots inside 10-feet of the basket in five games. If he plays 40 minutes and gets 1-2 drives you can live with that. I think it's safe to say Blake isn't beating much of anybody off the dribble.
I see your point, but on the offensive end, what would concern me the most is Barry's lack of quickness, combined with his frequent attempts at lazy/fancy passes that end up as TOs.
Well, yeah, I can't argue Barry has played as smart as we would all hope a 14-year veteran would. For whatever reason, our team struggles with passing the ball to Yao. Battier is the only player that seems to know how to do it right which is pretty scary. What's our offense looked like with Yao on the floor? Basically, our PG walks the ball down the court and we read/react to however the defense is playing Yao. Our offense involves a LOT of perimeter passing and ball reversals to counter all the Yao-fronts. All i'm saying is inserting him into the game for 10-15 minutes could conceivably work provided he was matched up against Blake, and put him on the same unit with Yao. Barry is capable of making these basic perimeter passes and the fronting/doubling creates so much confusion defensively, that somebody is usually wide open. Brooks has been streaky, Lowry doesn't really have that type of range....would it really hurt to give Barry a quick look? Again, provided he was (A) matched up against Blake and (B) on the same unit as Yao.
