No way! I'd rather have JJ who plays defense and provides leadership. What is the fascination with this board on Brent Barry?!?! The guy plays bad defense and has been on a ton of losing teams! The only time he was on a winning team (the Heat), he was relegated to the bench. If Pat Riley didn't think highly of him, why should we. I'd rather have Jon Barry because he actually fills his role (spark off the bench) better than Brent (role playing starter).
BBarry sort of, kind of linked to Rox by SI http://premium.si.cnn.com/pr/subs/siexclusive/2004/01/19/nba0126/ Top contenders such as the Pacers and the Rockets would benefit from Barry's playmaking, scoring and leadership. Inside the NBA: Get Brent Brent Barry isn't the biggest name on the trading block this season, but he is one of the most coveted By Ian Thomsen Barry's leadership on the floor is as valuable to Seattle as his ability to create. Brent Barry is an MVP of a different sort -- a most versatile player. And that makes the SuperSonics guard a desirable commodity during the trading season. Barry's chameleon ability to change roles may mean he'll be changing uniforms after the Feb. 19 trade deadline. The Sonics, 19-19 and 10th in the Western Conference at week's end, don't want to trade the 6'6" Barry, who leads the team in assists with 5.3 per game and is hitting 44.2% of his three-pointers, fifth best in the NBA. But they're aware that someone might make an offer they can't refuse -- preferably an explosive big man. Top contenders such as the Pacers and the Rockets would benefit from Barry's playmaking, scoring and leadership. Rebuilding teams covet him too, because when he becomes a free agent this summer, they can erase his salary of $5.4 million from the books. "A lot of people will want him for different reasons," says Seattle coach Nate McMillan. "We have to be careful with what we do, because he's the glue to our team." Barry's leadership is a key reason why the young, perimeter-heavy Sonics are contending for a Western playoff spot. The nine-year veteran has held the team together despite injuries to main scoring threat Ray Allen, who missed the first 25 games while recovering from ankle surgery, and to rookie power forward Nick Collison, who was expected to be Seattle's low-post scorer until shoulder surgery ended his season before it had begun. McMillan might wish the 215-pound Barry, an athletic slasher, were a little more selfish -- he's averaging 10.8 points per game, fifth on the team -- but Barry is comfortable shepherding his teammates. "I really don't think the scoring mentality is in me, which sounds funny to old-school NBA people when you mention the name Barry -- they tend to think, Shoot first, and shoot second," says Brent, referring to the legacy of his Hall of Fame father, Rick. "But my job is to help guys along and pull guys aside, which is good for the team." While phone lines are always busy as the midseason deadline approaches, most teams are looking to unload high-priced baggage -- Portland's Rasheed Wallace, Dallas's Antawn Jamison and Antoine Walker, Miami's Eddie Jones and Brian Grant, and Atlanta's Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff and Jason Terry. Barry is an exception, and Seattle general manager Rick Sund seems willing to move him under either of two conditions: If Barry indicates before the trade deadline that he probably won't re-sign with Seattle this summer or if a team proposes a multiplayer package that gives the Sonics the dynamic inside player they need to keep pace in the West. If no deal materializes, Sund and McMillan will spend the second half of the season trying to sneak into a playoff spot, evaluating their wealth of young shooters and trying to sniff out the 2004 draft's version of Jamaal Magloire or Brad Miller. In the summer they'll be able to outbid rivals for Barry, though money may not be the determining factor if Barry decides he wants to spend his remaining years playing for a contender -- something he's never done while bouncing from the Clippers to the Heat to the Bulls before landing with Seattle in 1999. The Sonics would also need to decide how many years to offer a 32-year-old player who's occasionally bothered by knee tendinitis. "He did a real good job alongside Gary Payton, and now he's adjusted very well to Ray Allen while playing an entirely different role," says Sund, who joined the Sonics last season. "I respect Brent's game a lot more now that I'm seeing him every day."
