All about the bling bling
SAN ANTONIO – When Brent Barry reached a crossroads in his career last summer, he chose the road most likely to lead to championship – even if he had to sit in the back seat for the ride.
Barry, a sharp-shooting guard who spent the previous five years in Seattle with the SuperSonics, signed with the San Antonio Spurs even though he knew he would be in the shadow of rising star Manu Ginobili. Barry, a 10-year veteran with a string of mediocre teams on his resume, had never made it past the first round of the playoffs, and he was tired of waiting.
“There comes a point when you’ve got to realize what’s important to you,” Barry said Saturday as the Spurs prepared for Game 2 of the NBA Finals. “This was important to me. Winning and getting the chance for a ring, that’s what mattered. It was time to think about jewelry.”
Antonio McDyess can relate. He played in just 52 games over the previous three seasons because of three knee surgeries, and he was almost ready to retire at 29 until the Detroit Pistons approached him with a modest contract offer, a backup job – and the chance at a championship for a once-feared forward who had exactly four games of playoff experience.
During warmups before Game 1 on Thursday night, McDyess chatted with San Antonio’s Glenn Robinson about the unlikely twists that finally brought the two veterans to their first NBA Finals – along with Barry and Tony Massenburg, who made it with San Antonio after 13 NBA seasons with 12 teams.
None of the four is a big factor in his team’s success, but they don’t mind.
“There’s a lot of similarities,” McDyess said. “Coming from another team and trying to fit in, trying to finally get that ring, there’s a lot of guys in that situation right now.”
Barry began his career with the Clippers, and made playoff-free stops in Miami and Chicago before finally earning a regular spot with the SuperSonics. He reached the playoffs three times before this season, but played in just 13 games.
The Spurs signed Barry to be an offensive threat off their bench, but he averaged a career-low 7.4 points per game in the regular season, barely playing for long stretches.
He still never questioned his decision to take a supporting role on a winner.
“Just knowing the environment and knowing the character of this team, knowing that the ballclub would have the opportunity to win the championship, those are hard things to turn down,” Barry said.
“It was a point in my career where I just wanted a chance to win. I wish that I could contribute more, but my role has definitely changed. My role now is to do what I can to help bring what I thought last summer was a dream to reality.”
McDyess pondered the fickle nature of NBA fate during his off-season workouts in Houston with Robert Horry, who’s playing for his sixth ring with the Spurs.
McDyess, who won an Olympic gold medal in 2000, has been much more successful individually, but injuries and bad teams kept him from postseason glory.
“I’ve only been to the playoffs but one time with Phoenix, and we lost to San Antonio,” McDyess said. “This is all new for me. It’s more than I ever expected, being in the Finals. It’s a lot better. I’ve been smiling ear-to-ear since I got here. From what I’ve been through, to have the chance to play here instead of watching it every year, it’s just great.”
Massenburg had just six games of NBA playoff experience, including a 12-year drought between trips.
He was left off the Sacramento Kings’ playoff roster last season in a snub that still stings, but after a career spent mostly on terrible teams on two continents, he’s grateful for this break – even though he’s appeared in just six playoff games.
“The Spurs do everything the right way,” Massenburg said. “That’s just as much fun as getting to play for a championship. … I’m just grateful to get this chance with a team that cares about me.”
Thanks to the Milwaukee Bucks’ trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 2001, Robinson had slightly more playoff experience than the rest of this veteran bunch.
Still, he jumped at the chance to join San Antonio on April 4, after missing the entire season with injuries.
“After everything that went on this year, it would be nice to end the year with a nice ring,” Robinson said. “That’s what it’s all about. I hate that my year has been so tough to get to this point, but here I am, and I’ve got to keep moving.”