During the nearly four-month hiatus while the NBA was suspended by the coronavirus pandemic, fathers like Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea were afforded more time to spend with their kids. Those moments obviously were precious, since the fast-pace life of an NBA player often keeps them away from their family for long periods of time.
But with the restart of the season, eating breakfast, lunch or dinner with his kids – and playing with them — has all changed for Barea. So too are those memorable bedtime stories.
Barea and the Mavs left Dallas and flew to Orlando last Wednesday. They will be in Central Florida until at least as late August, or as late as Oct. 13 if they reach Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
So, what’s a father to do?
“It’s tough,” Barea said following Saturday’s practice session. “It was hard saying bye, but it’s part of your job. You want your kids to understand that in life you’ve got to sometimes separate from your family sometimes for the better of everybody.
“It’s just sometimes you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to sacrifice some stuff, but hopefully it’ll all go by pretty quick and you get back to your family.”
Barea has three kids – 8-year old Sebastian, 4-year old Paulina, and a son named Jose Juan who turns 1 on July 26. The 14-year veteran knows when kids are that young and impressionable, having their father away from home for an extended length of time can be exasperating.
“My eight-year old son, he understands exactly what’s going on,” Barea said. “He understands my job, what are we doing, why are we here so we can play basketball.
“And then my daughter, she wonders why I’m not home. I told her I’m playing basketball, and that’s the best I can do to explain it to her.”
Speaking of explanations, Barea had to learn how to walk, run and utilize his basketball skills all over again after he ruptured his right Achilles tendon on Jan. 11, 2019, during a 119-115 win at Minnesota. In that game, Barea came off the bench to produce 16 points, four rebounds and seven assists in only 22 minutes.
Barea underwent surgery three days later and admitted when he returned to the active roster this season it was challenging to play in only 26 games when he felt his body was up to the challenge of playing more minutes.
“First of all I just wanted to come back from the injury and prove to everybody that I could still play,” Barea said. “And yeah, of course I want to be out there every game, but that’s coach’s decision.
“Sometimes it was tough, sometimes it was good. So I’ve just got to do my job and be ready for whenever they need me and just go out there and just do my best.”
Coach Rick Carlisle knows how valuable Barea is to the Mavs. He’s seen him use his skills and wisdom to turn a potential loss into a win.
“J.J.’s had a great couple of months leading up to the trip down here,” Carlisle said. “If you look at his last year-plus, really he’s in a situation right now where he’s had the time to come back.
“He played some substantial minutes in stretches (this season), he’s had a good layoff with the two or two-and-a-half months before they got back doing individual work. And since then it just appears like he looks even healthier.”
The oldest player with the Mavs, the 36-year old Barea has played in more playoff games (49) than any of his teammates (Courtney Lee has been in 50 playoff games, but is injured and will not play the rest of this season). Barea’s knowledge will come in handy when he has discussions with the team’s cornerstones — 21-year old Luka Doncic and 24-year old Kristaps Porzingis – while helping them adapt to the rugged terrain of the NBA playoffs.
“I’ll tell them this is going to be the real deal,” Barea said of the postseason. “The teams, when we start playing in the playoff games, their level is going to go up, their physical play is going to go up.
“There’s going to be more attention, especially on them two — from everywhere, from the TV, to all the players on the other team. So I just try to get their mindset ready for another level of basketball. A better level, a harder level.”
That “harder level” is something Barea is very accustomed to. After all, when the Mavs trailed Miami 2-1 in the 2011 NBA Finals, a seismic shift occurred when Carlisle inserted Barea into the starting lineup for Game 4.
The Mavs wound up winning Games 4, 5 and 6 – and the series — with Barea in the starting lineup. For the Mavs, those memories will never fade as Barea becomes even more important since backup point guard Jalen Brunson is sidelined after undergoing right shoulder surgery on March 14.
“The strength is there, his bounce is evolving and getting better and better, and his rhythm is really good,” Carlisle said of Barea. “He had a really good practice today too, so no question he’s going to be very important for us on the floor, and also he’s our most veteran guy.
“He’s one of the last vestiges of the 2011 championship, and his leadership in the locker room and on the floor is going to be extremely important as well.”
As far as Barea’s kids are concerned, for now, talking to them on the phone or via FaceTime is the next best thing to actually being home.
“(Paulina) asked me every time on FaceTime, ‘When you coming home, daddy?,’ “ Barea said. “So I’ve got to explain like almost every day: ‘Hey, daddy’s working and he’s playing basketball with his friends.’
“She’s getting it a little bit every day. But that’s something that’s part of our life and they’ve got to learn.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
Share and comment