[Chron] In Barry, Rockets possess a role model at role-playing

In Barry, Rockets possess a role model at role-playing

By JOHN P. LOPEZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

DALLAS -- If Jon Barry ever misses a game because of a sore back, like Tracy McGrady did to end the regular season, you can be sure of one thing:

The only reason Barry wouldn't drag himself onto the court would be because the back injury was so bad that he slipped and fell on his own spinal fluid.

Nothing against McGrady, of course. He deserved the break in the meaningless season-ender in preparation for the Mavericks playoff series.

Given that McGrady's back was a bit sore and just a couple days later he would have to carry the Rockets' hopes on it in Game 1, it worked out fine.

But Barry knows his place is on the floor. There are no breaks for role players. Barry wouldn't want any.

He produces paltry statistics but gaudy hustle points. He knows his place to start every game is on the bench.

He gives up size and quickness yet somehow scratches out significant minutes. He can't run like most players, but he is standing all alone when McGrady fires a cross-court pass to him, then sinks the huge 3-pointer in Saturday's Game 1 victory.

At 6-5, Barry can play shooting guard, small forward, a little point guard and, in recent weeks, a lot of power forward, which is about as out of character as coach Jeff Van Gundy looking at the bright side.

Barry plays none of those positions great, but all of them well. And more than anything, he brings an edge to the locker room, but not an uncomfortable one.

When the question was asked whether McGrady would be able to play against the Mavs — because of his, um, sore back — Barry offered to massage it.

When Barry makes a point to teammates, even those with more star power, they listen and learn. McGrady credits Barry for making him a better player, as much as for the way Barry handles himself in the locker room as on the floor.

Knows a good thing

At a team dinner the Rockets had at a local hotel before Saturday's win, every player was given a chance to speak and offer thoughts and words of encouragement to the group.

When Barry spoke, he said he didn't think this team could win. He knewit could.

He looked at every teammate with that dark, penetrating stare of his and said: "This is the most confident I've ever felt about a group of guys. This is the best team I've ever been on. Understand what we can do."

No one understands his place on this Rockets team more than Barry. He proudly uses the term that describes his 13-year career — role player. He says it with just the right amount of arrogance, as if no one does it better.

Barry considers it the best job in the world scrambling for loose balls, playing amateur psychologist in the locker room, waving his arms in the air exhorting teammates, and knocking down those open looks whenever McGrady or Yao Ming kicks the ball out.

"I think guys respect the way I play," Barry said. "I know I'm a role player. I know that for me to be good, I need to play on a team with great players. I think I can make them better. They make me better, but I have to hold up my part of the deal.

"Role players are the majority of the NBA. There are 400 players in the NBA. There's 20 or 30 stars. That means there's 370 role players. You have to do what you do and do everything you can to help."

If you watched the series opener, you saw Barry do almost everything that was asked, short of preventing the Mavs' Josh Howard from grabbing five offensive rebounds, which still bugged Barry on Sunday afternoon.

He's got that edge

Barry scored eight points and added four rebounds, an assist and two steals. But it was that meaningless game with the Sonics to end the season that might have said more about the every-moment-counts attitude of Barry.

Both teams either rested starters or limited minutes in that game. McGrady didn't play. Nor did Seattle starters Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen.

Meaningless?

In the third quarter, Barry showed why he is so valuable to these Rockets. He showed that edge.

Earlier, Rockets guard Bob Sura and the Sonics' Jerome James got tangled up and into a staredown. Barry didn't like the way his teammate was knocked to the ground. He got into an exchange with Sonics forward Reggie Evans and picked up a technical foul.

"Everybody gets a night off in the 82nd game but me," NBA official Steve Javie told scorers at the press-row table.

No, not everybody. Barry never does.

Earlier this season, not playing for a bad Atlanta team was killing him. Then came a trade to the Rockets and a telephone call from Van Gundy.

"Jeff said, 'Look, I need to know if this is still important to you,' " Barry said. "I told him I really didn't know. I was thinking maybe I would (retire). He kinda convinced me.

"When I came here, I started playing again, and I played with great energy, with passion and with an edge. I've been on some good teams with good people, but this team ... we have guys that understand what it takes. There are players who play to play, and then there are players who play to win."

Rest assured, the Rockets won't make a run deep into the playoffs because of Jon Barry. But neither will they get very far without him. He has been that important.


http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3151566

 

I started this thread because the comment above really hit me.

Jon Barry has been on the 1998 Lakers, which had Shaq, Kobe, Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, and Robert Horry.

He has also been on the 2001 Kings, which had Webber, Vlade, Peja, Christie, and Bobby Jackson (no Bibby yet though).

Then the 2003 Pistons, with Big Ben, Chauncy Billups, and Richard Hamilton.

The point is, Barry has been on some really, really good teams. And yet according to him, the Rockets are better than any of them. Whoa.

 

I did not see it posted previously, and I looked. Anyway, it's traditional to have one thread per article. Even if it weren't traditional, I thought Jon's comment was important enough to deserve a thread of its own. Do you think Barry is serious?

 

Oh I agree, Blatz. The chemistry on this team is extraordinary.

But still, Barry implies that we are better than Shaq and Kobe's 1998 Lakers! Can he be right?

 

By the way, a connection I have just made is giving me eerie feelings.

The 2003 playoffs are undoubtedly seared into T-Mac's memory, because his team (Orlando) went up on Detroit 3 games to 1 -- and lost the series.

Guess who was on the Pistons that year? Yep, Jon Barry.

 

True, true.

Connections abound. That year, the Lakers lost 4-0 to Utah in the conference finals. In the first round, Utah beat ... the Houston Rockets.