Today's release of J.J. Barea by the Mavericks truly signifies the end of an era. The last remaining player from the 2011 championship team, J.J. spent 11 unforgettable seasons in a Mavs uniform and went from an undrafted afterthought to a a key contributor on a championship team and a franchise icon. So let us look back at one of the longest and most memorable careers in franchise history.
Barea's signing as a undrafted free agent from Northeastern via Puerto Rico barely caused a ripple on a team coming off its first Finals appearance. At just 5-10 (although he was laughably listed at 6 feet most of his career) the odds of a long career were slim especially for a player coming from a non-power conference. Therefore nobody was surprised when J.J.'s rookie season resulted in him playing just 5.8 minutes per game in 33 appearances. However one thing stood out from that rookie season and it was nothing he did in a Mavs uniform. Barea averaged 27.3 PPG in 8 games for the Mavs then D League affiliate, the Fort Worth Flyers, including back-to-back 40 point games, perhaps giving the franchise and its fans a glimpse of hope that J.J. could possibly play in this league.
Year two brought gradually more playing time for Barea as he played in 44 games, averaging 4.3 in 10.5 minutes. The highlight of the year came when J.J. scored 25 points in the season's third game in a win against Sacramento.
J.J.'s third season would bring upon a major upward swing as Rick Carlisle took over as Mavs coach and took an instant liking to the young Puerto Rican. For the first time Barea became a regular rotation member, averaging 20.3 MPG and scoring 7.8 PPG. J.J. even started 4 games in the playoffs helping the Mavs beat their archrival Spurs in 5 games in the first round. The 2009-10 season would bring more of the same for Barea as his numbers held steady from his breakout third season. Through 4 seasons Jose Juan Barea has clearly established himself as an NBA contributor but no one knew what heights would await him in year 5.
The 2010-11 season did not start off well for J.J. at least when it came to shooting the three. Through December he was a frigid 10-63 from deep but once the calendar hit 2011 things turned and there they would stay. Barea would finish the season hitting 56-125 from long range but the playoffs was when he would truly make his mark on franchise history.
J.J. started the postseason slow recording 7 points or less in every game of the Mavs first round series win over Portland but things changed in the second round as the Mavs swept away the two time defending champion Lakers. Barea would ice game 2 with an 8 point 4th quarter so frustrating the artist then known as Ron Artest that he would take a cheap shot at J.J. resulting him getting suspended for game 3. It would not be the last cheap play by a Laker on Barea in the series of course. In Game 4 also known as the Mother's Day Massacre, J.J. would score 22 points and dish out 8 assists in a 36 point Mavs blowout win. The Lakers frustration with their inability to curtail Barea would culminate with Andrew Bynum's vicious clothesline on a Barea drive in the fourth quarter and by the way J.J. still of course made the shot. J.J. would continue his strong play in the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder, scoring 21 points in a game 1 win and 14 in the game 5 series clincher.
On to the Finals it was for the Mavs and Barea and it just so happened the opponent was Miami, where J.J. had attended high school. In the first 3 games his impact was limited as he totaled only 15 combined points as the Mavs fell behind 2-1. It was then that Carlisle decided to switch his starting lineup inserting J.J. in place of DeShawn Stevenson for some more offensive punch. The rest was history. After scoring 8 points in the Mavs game 4 win, Barea would truly leave his mark on the series with a 17 point game 5 that included making 4-5 from three and then a 15 point, 5 assist game in the championship clincher, shooting 7-12 from the field. The Mavs had finally become champions and 5-10 J.J. Barea from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico was a huge reason why.
J.J. became a free agent after the title and the Mavs decided to go star hunting in free agency, meaning Barea would have to leave the only NBA home he knew. He signed a 4 year-19 million dollar deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves where things would just not be the same. The team was bad and J.J. did not share the same chemistry he had with teammates in Dallas, especially Dirk Nowitzki who he formed such a dynamic partnership in the pick-and-roll.
After 3 forgettable seasons up north, Barea was waived by Minnesota and quickly returned to the place he knew success would be all but guaranteed. Now more beloved by the Mavs fanbase thanks to the title run, Barea slid right back into his old role and flourished. In the 2015 playoffs against Houston, after Rajon Rondo quit on the team, J.J. took this place in the starting lineup and scored 17 points to go along with 13 assists in the Mavs game 4 win.
Barea would continue to shine off the bench in the years to come even as the team's fortunes went downhill. His wily veteran play and chemistry with Dirk and another longtime Mav, Devin Harris made him one of the league's best backup point guards well into his 30's. When the Mavs drafted Luka Doncic in 2018, J.J. became a mentor to the young Slovenian sensation helping ease his transition to the NBA. J.J. also made a huge impact off-the-court as he won the league's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2018 for his efforts in helping his native Puerto Rico recover from a devastating earthquake.
Unfortunately catastrophe struck for J.J. when he tore his Achilles in game in Minnesota on January 11, 2019. But rather than sulk Barea rehabbed like crazy and would be ready in time for the start of the 19-20 season. His role would now be different, instead of regular rotation member, he was now mainly used as an option when Carlisle felt the team needed an offensive spark like in his season debut when he scored 11 second quarter points to help turnaround a game against Orlando. But most of all the Mavs valued J.J. for both the leadership he provided and his dedication to the franchise he had laid it all on the line for all these years.
And now after signing a 2.6 million thank you present, the Mavs and J.J. have decided to go their separate ways for now as Barea looks to find another team where he can contribute. But of course we know J.J.'s time in the Mavs organization isn't truly over as a likely coaching job awaits him in Dallas whenever he decides to hang it up as a player. But for now let's appreciate a Mavs career truly like no other that took and undersized and undrafted player with no expectations to a place in Mavs history few can much.
Gracias for everything you've given this franchise J.J. We all know that banner would not be possible without you. Thanks for always representing yourself and the Mavericks organization with nothing but class.
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