Atlanta
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
Denver papers are reporting that free agent guard Jon Barry is close to signing with the Hawks. His family lives in Atlanta and this will be his second stint as a Hawk, following what turned out to be among his best years as a pro in the 1996-1997 season.
That year, he started 8 times and played an average of 16.6 minutes per game. En route he averaged 4.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists while shooting 38.7 percent from downtown. Last year, he set a new career high with 9 starts while playing an average of 19.3 minutes per game. He also averaged 6.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists while shooting 37.0 percent from downtown.
He is an excellent veteran bench guard who can bring bursts of energy onto the floor and who doesn't need to play long minutes to warm up his shooting touch. He is deadly on contact.
Barry is the epitome of a journeyman, having played on 7 teams in his 12 year career, but he brings with him a lot of experience and can be a bit of a mentor to all the young guards on the roster.
On one hand it's a questionable move because the one place the Hawks are set on seems to be the swing guard position. On the other hand, Jon Barry fits with the gone-local philosophy of the Hawks, and is still a decent player.
One of two things will probably happen: either another trade is looming to ship out some of the swingmen for a center or a quality point guard or some of these swingmen will find themselves playing point.
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Adam Thompson ofThe Denver Postwrites: The turnover on the Nuggets' bench will continue if veteran guard Jon Barry signs with Atlanta, which is how a source familiar with the negotiations said Barry was leaning Monday.
Aaron J. Lopez ofThe Rocky Mountain News writes: Jon Barry's string of eight consecutive playoff appearances began in Atlanta. It looks as though it might end there, too. After one season with the Denver Nuggets, the free-agent shooting guard is poised to sign a contract with the Atlanta Hawks, according to an NBA source close to the situation.Barry, who averaged 6.2 points for Denver last season, makes his home in Atlanta, and the move would allow him to stay close to his family.
Tim Povtak ofThe Orlando Sentinel writes: The Orlando connection last season with the Golden State Warriors -- Coach Musselman, assistant coach Tom Sterner and advance scout Stephen Giles -- dissolved this summer, but the trio is doing just fine. Musselman likely will start this season with ESPN, but he is sure to be considered when teams start firing and hiring new coaches again. Giles has landed on the staff of the Atlanta Hawks as their advance scout.And Sterner, after considering a head-coaching job in the NBA's Developmental League, has returned to his home in Orlando, waiting to see what else develops.