[Hou Chron] Barrett oozes confidence

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2933697

Rookie guard brings New York state of mind to the Rockets

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

COMING UP
Tuesday:
vs. New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.
TV/Radio:
Ch. 51, KILT (610 AM)


Andre Barrett knew what he was not. Listed at 5-foot-ahem-10, he was not tall. He wasn't drafted, wasn't signed after the draft. Until the Rockets called a few days before the start of the season, he was unemployed.


But he was a New York point guard, and that required he be certain things — confident, fearless, willing to stand up to that legacy, or Allen Iverson, in the last minutes of a close game.

"This is what you live for," Barrett said after he played down the stretch of the Rockets' skid-busting win over the 76ers on Saturday. "Last year, I was watching these guys on television. I was in college last year — not even last year, a couple months ago.

"To be able to come out here and compete against guys like Iverson, an All-Star, to get an opportunity to play against Dirk Nowitzki, Mike Bibby my first game ... but they had to do that when they were rookies, too."

With that, Barrett seemed to reveal much of his attitude. He might be an undrafted rookie free agent still astonished to find himself lined up against the guys in the video games, but a breath later, he sounds certain he belongs.

That quality could be his most vital and most ingrained. That "New York point guard" thing, from every street baller to Stephon Marbury, demands fearlessness. As with a Dominican shortstop or Kenyan distance runner, there are expectations of any player who plays the point in the New York area and a seeming demand that he be described by where he's from.

"That's one thing you have to have in New York: confidence," said Barrett, who grew up in the Bronx and played at Seton Hall. "You'd get run right out of New York if you don't have that confidence. It doesn't matter what height you are."

There are, of course, other job requirements. For the Rockets, Barrett's quickness and ability to inject tempo into an often-sluggish offense have been particularly welcome.

"He's playing with a lot of heart, a lot of energy," Tracy McGrady said. "He's fearless out there. He's a competitor, really a competitor. I also like playing with him because he's another guy that pushes the ball, and I can get up the court, and he finds me in transition. He's also a guy (who) when I push the ball finds open spots and knocks down shots."


Taking good with the bad
Barrett's corner 3 began the Rockets' 13-0 run to a fourth-quarter lead Saturday. But it might say as much about him that coach Jeff Van Gundy has been willing to play him down the stretch, whether matched up against Iverson or against Dallas on Thursday.

There are rookie mistakes to correct, such as a needless foul of Iverson with 1:45 left, and obvious shortcomings to address, such as when Barrett seemed overmatched by Denver's Andre Miller. But Barrett also brings qualities that have helped.

"I think it was just a matter of confidence," he said. "Preseason was like my first game in the NBA. I was in (training camp in) New York (with) Stephon Marbury, sitting behind a couple of guys. It was a learning experience.

"You get a few minutes and see what you can do. The more you get out there, the more you gain confidence. After I got waived from New York and Coach called me here, I already had that confidence. I felt I had played in some games. When I came here, I was very confident in what I can do. I had to see how I figured in this team and how I can help.

"I just try to come out and feel like I'm a player that can compete on this level. Every time I come out there, I think I show glimpses of how I can play, how I can help the team. I come in and try to get the team going. Coach had enough confidence to keep me in in the fourth quarter. I guess I proved him right. I came out and played pretty well and helped the team win."


Van Gundy impressed
With three other point guards already under contract, Barrett, who is signed to a minimum, non-guaranteed deal, is continually trying to stick with the team. But with two point guards (Charlie Ward and Tyronn Lue) on the injured list, he has been an important addition.

"Let's face it. If you have an undrafted, rookie free-agent point guard on the floor and he does a good thing, if he's at all helpful, that's a bonus you can't even hope to get," Van Gundy said. "He's done well. He came to us Oct. 28, and for the most part, he's played fairly effectively. We consider ourselves fairly fortunate.

"He was a good college player, wasn't a great college player. He was a great high school player, very highly recruited, pretty average first three years in college, and then his last year I thought he played well. We brought him into this little minicamp we had, and he was good there. I didn't think he was ready for the NBA. We had our problems as far as injuries. He's played better than you could have hoped."


Confidence helps
If that does not sound like a rave, there is one more thing that comes with the New York point guard thing.

"He has," Van Gundy said, "a little bit of that New York confidence with him, which helps."

It might not be everything, but it lets what Barrett is become more important than what he is not.

jonathan.feigen@chron.com


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Rockets Summary

Unselfish star
Tracy McGrady on Saturday came up 31 points shy of his scoring in the previous game, his 48-point outburst against Dallas. But he might have done some things he didn't do against the Mavericks. McGrady had nine rebounds against Dallas and seven against the Philadelphia 76ers, but he might have had a better passing game.

"He probably could have had 15 to 20 (assists), but we obviously didn't make many shots," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said after the Rockets shot .316 from the field.

"He's so tough to guard one-on-one, you've got to run two or three guys at him," Scott Padgett said. "I've never played with him before. Coming into this year, I would have thought a guy that is averaging 30 is probably selfish. You know what? If he gets a double team, he'll find the open man. It's nice to play with guys like that."


Doubling up
Yao Ming put together consecutive games with double-figure scoring and rebounding for the first time since Nov. 16 and 18, pairing 13 points with 14 rebounds against Dallas and 20 points with 13 rebounds against the 76ers.

He has not put together three straight double doubles this season and said he would reserve judgment before deciding he has begun a trend.

"Let's watch the next game, the next challenge," Yao said.

"We got a little bit lucky, but I have to say (Saturday) we were fighting very well. In the first quarter, when they got a 10-point lead, we kept fighting, like we did last game in Dallas."


An 'A' for effort
Whatever the Rockets' 77-76 win against the 76ers lacked artistically, it might have made up for it with the sort of energy that had been missing in previous home games.

That energy came from some unexpected sources.

" Ryan (Bowen), Reece Gaines and Andre (Barrett), they're going to try real hard," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "It's interesting. One (Bowen) was on the injured list all last year, one (Barrett) was at Seton Hall, and one (Gaines) couldn't get off the bench for Orlando. It just shows you if you put your heart into it, good things can happen."

Of his 300th career victory, Van Gundy said: "It feels good to win."

JONATHAN FEIGEN