José Juan Barea is more than seven thousand kilometers away from Dallas, but from Madrid he follows his eternal Mavericks very closely.
So close, that still in the middle of his preparation to make his debut this Wednesday in the ACB League, Spain, with Movistar Estudiantes, he has already made a few calls in the face of the bad streak of six defeats in the thread that leads his team the regular season of the NBA.
“I’m following the Mavericks. This will be my team forever, so I’m following them,” Barea confessed to the spokesman hours before the Mavericks fell by one point, 109-108, against the Phoenix Suns on Monday.
The stellar Mayagüezano owner acknowledged that “things are bad right now” in the Texan team and spoke with some members of the team, including the star of the franchise, the Slovenian Luka Doncic.
“I talked to a couple of players and gave them my advice from here. With Luka he’s the one I’ve talked to the most. I gave him a couple of tips and several things to keep him positive. I also talked to one of the trainers and with one of the coaches “, detailed Barea.
“They’re in a bad stage right now. But they’re things that happen. I’ve been here before and they have to find a way to stay together and get out of this bad streak,” the 36-year-old partridge added.
The Mavericks haven’t won since Jan. 22 when they beat the San Antonio Spurs 122-117, with a 36-point, 11-point double from Doncic.
Since then, they have lost to Houston, Denver, Utah (doubles) and Phoenix (twice). Their record is 8-13 and they are fourth in the Southwest Division and 13th in the Conference.
Doncic has publicly expressed his frustration alluding that the team no longer cares to lose. On Monday, Doncic missed the horn shot on the horn against the Suns and his anger was monumental. This Wednesday they visit the Atlanta Hawks.
In Barea’s opinion, what his Mavericks lack is rhythm and chemistry.
“Last year we came at a time when we had a good pace, so they have to look for that. If not, it will be a very long season. They don’t have the pace and chemistry that we had last year, that everything flowed and everything “It was easier for us. This year, when they are playing, I see that it is becoming difficult for them. And I think they have not found that rhythm yet,” he said.
The Mavericks left Barea’s services before the start of the 2020-2021 season, but secured him the more than two million contract he previously signed.
Barea played 14 seasons in the NBA, 11 of them with Dallas-three with Minnesota.
This Wednesday, he will debut in Spain, where he hopes to show his best level to try to get a new contract in the NBA even if it is far from Dallas.