FISH: What is J.J. Barea’s greatest strength?

ABBOTT: I really only saw him play in summer league, and even then only a few games. But he's wicked fast, strong, can shoot, and clearly has the mentality to not just run a team but put his imprint on a game. He'll mow you down, you know? He's not here to see what you'll give him. He's taking stuff from people.’’
COOP: You just have to love a point guard who gives the impression that he is in control out there. You could see it a little bit last season, and I think you're seeing a lot more of it this summer, both with the Mavs and the Puerto Rico national team. He knows how to pass and take care of the ball.

VILLA: He wins. When the Puerto Rican native showed up at Miami Christian for his senior year of high school, no one thought much of him: a 5-11, bow-legged point guard. He went on to lead Miami Christian to a 38-2 record and a state championship. His name was not on the radar screen of most major colleges largely due to the fact that he arrived in the U.S. too late to compete in the AAU circuit. So he went to Northeastern and was named the National Player of the Year for mid-major-conference schools. He was top 10 in the nation in points and assists.

Then he was snubbed again, this time in the NBA Draft, where scouts could not see past his lack of ideal size. The Mavs grabbed him as a free agent, and he beat out a former first-round pick and three other players for the final roster spot. He just keeps winning.

D-LORD: His size is a challenge, and he isn't the fastest or the most athletic. But somehow, when he is on the floor he finds ways to make plays.

ABBOTT: One basketball insider told me that it was no good judging the talent playing against Barea because his speed essentially made everyone look incapable on defense.

FISH: What is his greatest weakness, or the hurdle he has to overcome?

ABBOTT: He's one of those guys who probably gets stopped by security going into arenas fairly often, because he really does not look like an NBA player. He's tiny, and doesn't even have long arms.

WHITT: Every time I see J.J. Barea on the court, I get reverse Shawn Bradley Syndrome Nausea – or SBSN. I long ago said that the 7-foot-6 Bradley was a complete waste of time, and that any elite team with legit thoughts of an NBA championship shouldn't, couldn't, give him quality minutes. Isn’t it the same for the 6-foot (or is it 5-11? Or 5-9?) Barea?

FISH: As scrappy as he may be, I don’t see how opposing offenses won’t simply post him up every time down the floor. Let’s pick an opponent – just to inflict some pain let’s pick the Warriors. Dallas vs. Golden State. Baron and Pietrus as the guards. And who does JJB stop?

COOP: Obviously, there are some defensive issues that will rear their ugly head.

FISH: Is this offseason stuff a true measure?

COOP: He isn't afraid to shoot, and I think it's encouraging that his shooting has been excellent this summer.

VILLA: Earlier this month, he made the Vegas Summer League All-Star team ahead of NBA lottery picks such as Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Jeff Green and others. That counts for something.

FISH: Does it? I think JJB would run through a brick wall to play basketball. That’s great. … but maybe Oden wasn’t spending his summer-league time running through brick walls, you know?

LORD: It’s worth noting that way too much has been made of the August 1 deadline. There is no "team option" for this year for the Mavs to exercise. He already has a contract here for this season, and it simply becomes guaranteed for the year now. It was a foregone conclusion that that day would come and go and nothing would happen. That says something about the faith Dallas has in him, regardless of what he’s accomplished recently.

FISH: Is J.J. Barea a true prospect for NBA playing time?

COOP: There's definitely something there with JJ. I'm just not sure just how high the upside is.

VILLA: He delivered in the Pan Am Games for a tiny island nation called Puerto Rico. The United States, by the way, had been long eliminated. Guess the US could have used Barea.

D-LORD: Can he play? Yes. How good can he be? Don't know yet. He's gotten to a point now that is farther than I thought he would get to, because obviously he has continued to work his butt off and develop his game. I have no reason to think he can't continue to improve but we do know he has a ceiling at some point and he will always have to compete against bigger more athletic opponents.

FISH: And let’s keep in mind that they’re ALL bigger and more athletic. I’m afraid that it’s too easy here to start comparing JJB to every “smallish’’ point guard who’s had success, or every non-black point guard who’s had success and say, ‘If they did it, why can’t he?’ Nothing wrong with being optimistic, but the JJB-to-Nash comparison, for instance. … Nash is considered “smallish’’ but he’s 6-3. JJB is – I swear, having positioned myself next to each of them a skillion times – shorter than Avery Johnson. I think being 5-11 max greatly cuts into a guy’s playing time.

FISH: OK, what is the upside? What NBA player could he be compared to?

COOP: You know, there are guys like Jacque Vaughn and Chucky Atkins who have stayed in the NBA for a decade or more. Not great players by any stretch, but. … Why couldn't JJ develop into something like that?

WHITT: Let’s keep comparing: Tyronne Lue? Monty Towe? Mike Izzolino? Let's just say I’m betting Barea's max potential – even his MAX potential -- isn't exactly scintillating

ABBOTT: I have no idea how all this translates to playing against NBA regulars, and I'm not a professional talent ????uator, but I'm certain he can't be merely written off because of his size.

D-LORD: I think he can definitely turn into a solid long-term NBA backup.

FISH: Can he ever be a starter?

D-LORD: Maybe. His physical limits would look like they should hold him back, but he keeps surprising me.

COOP: All in all, I think if he was given legit minutes he could be a solid NBA backup.

ABBOTT: And I'm also certain that whatever league he's in, it would be a crime to keep this guy on the bench all season. Someone needs to set that guy free.