Overrated? Yes. That right there is overrating Brent Barry. I think he'll bring what Novak brought to us last year, but can also handle the ball. If Francis can't go I expect AB or Head to be in the rotation.
Maybe we are keeping him because his contract expires after this season? If the right deal comes along, I'm sure they wouldn't have much of an issue with trading him sooner.
I don't know why everyone keeps expecting a decent return on these low risk/low reward type signings. No one wanted Brent Barry for a reason. He's too old for even the spurs, who signed a marginal talent in Roger Mason Jr. at the same price to replace him. The spurs initially signed Barry for the MLE to play a big role, but he became so old all he was good for was spot up shooting. The spurs did not limit Barry, his body did. And I'm sick of people actually thinking that Barry can be our backup PG when he didn't play a single minute of PG for the spurs last year. He couldn't steal minutes from Vaughn or Stoudamire. And when Parker went out with injury, Manu became the starting point. We're not getting the Seattle version of him.
I think the main two reasons that he was brought here: 1. Instant offense off the bench. 2. Great personality for the locker room, possible as a foil to Artest. As a bonus, we take him from the Spurs. Woot!
what do you think Brent should produce? imo he'll do fine playing within a system that requires him to stick the occasional 3. anything else is a huge plus. likewise for Dekembe ... whose presence on the squad should not be mistaken as a regular season sub for Yao, definitely not as a garbage time sub. ideally a quality post season sub. injuries have asked more of Mt. Mutombo than theory would recommend. we really don't need all star brilliance at every position. w/o injuries we'll be fine at centre ... there really is no insurance for losing a player of Yao's calibre.
Novaks roll?. what are you talking about?. lol he's gonna play anywhere from pg to sf. he's gonna alternate between those spots. novak was a scrub who was stock to the bench. Also brent averaged 7 points in 17 minutes last season. here in houston he's roll will increase and he'll play probaly 21 to 22 minutes a night. so a few extra points will bump he's average to close 10 to 11 points.
Personally, I think Barry will take over Bobby Jackson's minutes. No, I'm not talking about the backup PG role but the amount of time Bobby Jackson played for us last season. 18-22 minutes is what he'll probably get unless Steve Francis somehow steps up and takes backup pg minutes.
I'm not sure it's actually possible for Barry to be worse than Luther Head, and for me that's all I need from him. I don't expect him to be some kind of super back-up to everybody, but having a guy who's actually capable of making an open shot in the playoffs is pretty good.
Wasn't that from February? Teams were looking at a 30 game rental for the veteran's minimum. That's a far cry from offering a full-season commitment as a primary backup in June. And unless you're expecting huge improvements from Brooks or Head, primary backup is exactly what Barry will be. Can you find me an article about all the interest Barry was generating in the offseason? I'm pretty sure it was just us.
Another one from *July 8th*... "Getting Barry to Houston wasn't easy. He was courted by several top teams eager to add his shot-making and experience to their roster. But, in the end, the 14 year NBA veteran chose Houston; following in the footsteps of both his Hall of Fame father, Rick Barry, and brother, Jon Barry, who both ended their pro basketball careers with the Rockets. "
Did you not see Barry play backup PG in the playoffs!? He was a stud especially against the Lakers. He filled in brilliantly for an injured Ginobili and allowed Parker to play as a scorer while he handled PG duties. He knocked down open shots, took care of the ball, and made crisp passes all over the court. Now go look back at what Luther Head did in the playoffs.
Another one... Yahoo Sports, July 10th, 2008 "Brent Barry is off the Phoenix Suns radar. Darius Miles and Devin Brown are on the periphery."
Barry had 1 hot game in the playoffs against the lakers, that's it. I've said it that there were one or two teams pursuing barry. The teams going after him wasn't even offering half mle which says something. Then his previous team that has shooting slumps let him go and replaced him with a younger guyin mason jr. If barry is playing more than 10-15 mins, he will break down or will be a liability on defense. Just like MrButtocks said, this isn't the seattle barry, its the one san antonio kept trying to get rid of. I expect 5pts and 47% and 40%3pt fg from him. This whole 20 minute 11ppg is crazy talk.
sweet analysis . very accurate, also look up brent barry stats and highlights from last years playoffs , he was spurs best player in atleast 2 games. not to say hes amazing but at times his shooting can break a game wide open, plus his vision and bb IQ is off the charts. his playmaking ability is high under rated and on a team like ours which sorely needs a playmaker majority of the time, he shall come in handy when it counts
I know he had that one hot game he scored 23pts or so, but I don't expect nor am I asking for that. It's his overall body of work. He came in the game and made mostly positive plays. All I expect is a solid 12-15mpg. Face it, he's an upgrade over Head which will pay massive dividends come playoff time. LOL @ anyone calling for double digit scoring and heavy minutes. If San Antonio was trying so hard to get rid of him, he would've been a Rocket since February, but who signed him back? San Antonio. What team out there is gonna sign a 36yr old 7th or 8th man for anything above the vet minimum anyway!?
