J.J. Barea is back with Mavericks; don’t get too excited

Tyson Chandler won’t be the only Dallas Maverick returning this season after bolting. The Dallas Mavericks have come to terms with 2011 mini spark plug J.J. Barea.

Many are excited to have the kindly listed 6’0″ shooting guard (Yes, shooting guard) back in Dallas and rightfully so. He was vital to the team’s championship success.

But being key for the 2011 team doesn’t mean he’ll be a big factor for this one.

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The 2011 team was built far differently than the Mavs’ squad we see today. Outside of Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and the injured Caron Butler, the team was filled with non-scorers; with some of them being able to knock down the long ball (Jason Kidd, DeShawn Stevenson, and Peja Stojakovic).

Barea’s ability to come off of Nowitzki and Chandler screens and get to the basket was something that no other Mav brought to the table. And with Nowitzki playing at a high level and the team raining bombs, Barea was free to run wild and get to the paint.

That was then, how about now?

He spent the last three seasons in Minnesota playing at a subpar level. While he did average 10.1 points during his time there, he would shoot an ugly 40.3% from the floor.

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The Mavs currently have Jameer Nelson, Devin Harris, and Raymond Felton at the point guard spot, and Monta Ellis and Chandler Parsons both offer playmaking abilities at their respective positions.

Parsons and Monta’s place in the lineup are planted. So the question is, does Barea offer more than his counterparts? The quick and obvious answer is NO.

Of the four, Barea doesn’t offer much that the other three do. Actually, what Barea does offer, the others are more suited to execute. Harris, Nelson, and Felton are all far better playmakers and have proven to be NBA starting caliber point guards. So why take the ball out of their hands and have them off the court?

Richard Jefferson, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Jae Crowder offer size and “some” shooting from the wings (Jefferson probably the only “true” shooter of the trio). While Barea is a pest on the defensive end, he won’t stop or slow down many of the the better guards in the league. So, why would sacrifice the minutes of the reserve wings to get Barea in the rotation?

Don’t get me wrong. Barea can help this team, but not at the extent some are expecting, and for sure not in the same role he had in 2011.

With Felton out and suspended, Barea could see some minutes in the rotation early on in the season. But for the Mavs to be at their best, Barea would be best suited in the role the Gal Mekel is leaving behind.

It’s simple. The Mavs have better passers, scorers, playmakers, defenders, and shooters. He’s the 12th/13th best player on this team and should be treated as so.

But the fact that Barea is that low on the totem pole shows how deep and talented this roster is.

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