I would just like to say that I think it's really cool that Chinese newspapers are actually reporting on deals involving the little ol' Houston Rockets.
The newspaper mentioned the requirements of PG by JVG 1. Not neccessarily an all star. 2. Unselfish. 3. Defense. 4. 3 pts shooting. Both Fisher and Barry are perfect fits for JVG. They chose Barry becuase of his height and better 3 pts shooting %.
There's an implied or imaginary quote from Yao here. That changes everything.... Do you think Yao will warm to T-Mac the way that Francis/Mobely warmed to Yao.... once Lamar Odom was out of the picture?
dude: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2001972079_kell05.html Monday, July 05, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M. Steve Kelley / Times staff columnist Barry surfing easily the waves of free agency This summer Brent Barry sits with his pals on the deck of his home on the water in Hermosa Beach, Calif., looks deep into the Pacific Ocean and talks seriously about free agency. Barry is one of the prime prospects on a thin list of free agents this summer. And his friends are full of suggestions. "Dude, you gotta go to San Antonio," one friend will say. (Did I mention these friends are surfers?) "You go there and you get five, maybe six more shots a game, guaranteed. Dude, if you go there I'll pick you on my fantasy league team. Make you one of my first nine picks. I swear." Every year, in every sport, a free agent is signed and a news conference is held at which the free agent, who just made a deal for maybe $30 million, tells the assembled reporters, "This has been the most difficult time of my life. And my family and I are just happy the process is over." Yeah, it's tough sitting at home worrying whether you're going to earn $30 million or $35 million. But Barry, 32, a Sonics guard for the past five seasons, is the anti-free agent. He isn't overwhelmed by the media sibilance. He's enjoying the process. He understands his great good fortune. These are the best of times, not the worst of times. His life is elaborately placid. "It's kind of flattering to have teams call you," Barry said. "Maybe it's some team that's kicked your ass in the past, or maybe you kicked their ass and now they're talking to you about playing for them and you're wondering how you could fit in." Barry's mentor in all things basketball is Chris Mullin, recently appointed executive vice president of basketball operations for the Golden State Warriors. A long time ago, Mullin gave him advice on free agency. "Mully told me that being a free agent isn't about the money, it's about getting a chance to play where you feel like you fit in," Barry said. "The decision should be made on how you fit in, the style of play, the teammates that you'll be around. "He told me it's not about chasing the money. He said it should be about basketball and where you want to be. You don't have many opportunities in your career to have the chance to make that decision." The last time Barry was a free agent was disastrous. It was 1999, the year of the lockout, and when the lockout ended players were scrambling to find teams. Barry signed with Chicago at the beginning of the post-Michael Jordan era. It was the wrong place at the wrong time. Now Barry's cellphone is turned on and ringing. He expects to make a decision sometime this week. "I'm not going to parade around the country, meet with other teams, go out for a steak dinner and make a decision," Barry said. "Teams know what I have to bring to the table. I don't have to sell myself." My advice to the Sonics would be to sign Barry now. Give him a fourth year if he wants it. This young, rebuilding team needs his veteran leadership. And it needs his presence in the community. My advice to Barry is similar to his surfer friend's: Get out. Sign with San Antonio or Denver, Indiana or the Lakers. Go with a team that can win. Sign someplace where you can be the missing link to a championship — the shooter the Spurs need or the playmaker the Pacers are missing. The Sonics are playing a waiting game. Seeing what another team is willing to offer Barry. If they don't match that offer, it will be a clear sign to Barry that it's time to go. "I think the (Sonics) organization is at a crossroads and my career is at a crossroads," Barry said. "The buzz around the Sonics has been that they're in a rebuilding situation, and maybe the time has come to do more if they are fully committed to that. Get younger." The Sonics are the devil that Barry knows. The other teams interested in him are part of the great unknown. "There's a comfort level in Seattle," Barry said. "There's prior knowledge. I like my teammates. But I have concerns about every situation I'm looking at. The city, style of play, environment, past history, direction, all of that. But right now I think I have to wait and see how some of the other dominoes fall in free agency. Where the other guys go." Guys like the Lakers' Kobe Bryant. When it becomes clear that Bryant is staying in Los Angeles, other teams looking for a shooting guard will become more aggressive with Barry. In the meantime, Barry doesn't sweat the decision. He surfs. Last month he spent a couple of weeks in Costa Rica. "You're either a surfer, or you just surf," he said. "I just surf. I just go out there and have a good time. Living on the beach for the last five years and seeing those guys out there every morning, it seemed like a lot of fun. And, at the end of every season, I like to pick a spot somewhere that is far removed from basketball and the NBA. "Costa Rica is not like Philadelphia or Boston in December. It's the perfect place to do something completely different and get away from the game for a while. When you're out in the water, all you're thinking about is the next wave. Nothing else is on your mind." And for the guy who surfs, but isn't a surfer, the waves are rideable. And the experience is cathartic. And the days are rejuvenating. Too many free agents talk about their experience as if it's akin to the pain of unemployment. Brent Barry knows the truth about his job and his situation. At this stage of Barry's career, life's a beach. Steve Kelley: 206-464-2176 or skelley@seattletimes.com Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company
Hey Xiki, nice find, thanks. After reading that article somehow makes me feel more inclined towards Barry now. If he is as level headed as it sounds in the article, he should be a great fit in Houston. Now about Yangyi. I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion about this guy. But please respect the hard work put in by some of the posters here translating the articles. Like the articles or not, at least they provide some nice alternative read aside from the usual ESPN or other US media.
He may be 6' 6" but from all indications, he can't play the point in the NBA. That's why Nelson beat him out. This is typical CD, unable to evaluate potential NBA talent. The facts are these: He was drafted No.1 by a last place team and could not get any playing time AND that team left him exposed in the expansion draft where he was passed over by said expansion team. He was a bench clearing throwin on the T-Mac deal nothing more. If CD is STUPID enough to offer Barry that kind of contract, then both he and the rest of this organization deserve what is about to happen to them.
Where is this hate coming from? C'mon, man, think this through. You don't have to like, or respect, CD, or anyone else. But hateful vitriol is unnecessary and demeaning to you, and the reader.
lancet: C'mon. It doesn't matter if Yang Yi sleeps in a small box at the side of Yao's bed. The suggestion that Barry has accepted an offer from the Rockets is just plain wrong. Not only will Barry come to a "verbal agreement" when and if he accepts, but we will all hear about it. Most importantly, the guy that called him, assuming that call took place, is Dennis LINDSEY, not Lynch. I can understand the stuff about how many guards called and who they are looking at. But, it sounds an awful lot like Yi got PART of the story from Yao, read rumors on ESPN and put two and two together rather than actually reporting fact. Getting solid information from Yi is like getting solid information from E! Entertainment Television. It might be CLOSE to the truth, but it is often embelleshed and tends to be very gossipy.
We have heard nothing about any of this in the so-called 'main-stream' media, and I do believe we would. We also have heard nothing about any of the 1s or 2s and hot possibilities beyond a SnT for Crawford/Knicks.
The only thing better than Barry would be a trade with Chicago for Hinrich and Antonio Davis. Everybody says that ain't happening. So, let's just get Barry and move on to the big men. He's the best on the market.
As much as I recognize that Yang Yi seems to embellish and add his own opinion, using Yao as his credibility and claim to fame, I still value and appreciate his articles getting translated. I would like to say "thank-you" to those posters who go to the effort to translate them. It adds to our Rocket's experience, accurate or not. Its sortof like reading the National Enquirer. You know a lot of what is said there is innacurate and sensationalistic, but its fascinating to read sometimes anyway, and occaisionally they get it right. You don't assume what they say is true, but you do start to listen up for other sources of dependable information on the subject. It also encourages those who DO know the facts, to debate the issues, which is valuable interaction we can glean from. So, keep translating, guys, regardless of the flak you get.
The guy is a genius in terms of making up a 1000 word story from a 10 word conversation with Yao. Too bad there isnt a national enquire in China. He would make a darn good gossip writer.
Thanks for the information. One thing that I'm most curious about, is what they are using to sign Barry with. The part in that article about Snow & Watson not being FA's makes me think that the Rockets are offering the MLE to Barry. Otherwise, the TE & a draft pick could be used to acquire Snow. On the other hand, the MLE (~$4.7 million?) for 4 years comes to about $21,812,700. I could see reporters calling that $22 million, but not $24 million. So, the question remains, which exception are they using? This is an extremely important question. Because, by keeping the TE, we could trade it for a better quality big man on another team's roster, to use as our backup center. I guess I'll wait until Doc Rocket or Clutch make the announcement before I put this one in the win column.
Calm down. If your name is translated to Chines (or Russian, or any foriegn language), then translated back to English, well, it could be anything sounds close. For example, "vB Code" could become VP Koby.
It could start with ~$4.7 mil., and increased 12.5% (or 15%?) per year, that makes it close to $24 mil.
