A lot of people, including myself, scoffed at the four-year, $16 million contract J.J. Barea signed with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason. I like him, just thought they overpaid a bit.
And I still do, but if he plays at anywhere close to the level he’s played for the Puerto Rican national team in the FIBA Americas tournament Barea might actually deserve a raise.
The Puerto Ricans, coached by Rick Pitino, haven’t fared all that well in the tournament so far but don’t blame it on Barea. The 31-year old has averaged 21.