<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Barry to rev up Rockets' motor At age 36 with 14 years in the NBA, Jon Barry hardly fits the profile of a scrappy, high-energy player. But that's what the Rockets are hoping Barry provides when he returns from a calf injury that has sidelined him for all but four games since Nov. 26. Barry's injury appears to have healed. Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said Barry could have played Friday, but the coach didn't want to make a choice on which of three non-starting forwards to make inactive to clear a spot for Barry. There's a chance Barry will be activated for today's game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. If so, it won't be a day too soon for Barry, who has noticed a decline in feistiness among the Rockets in the last few weeks. "What I've tried to do throughout my career is play with great energy and passion and try to change the tempo of a game," Barry said. "It's why I've been able to stay in this league. It's something that this team is lacking." The Rockets have a winning streak of two games for only the fourth time this season after beating Milwaukee and Seattle at Toyota Center. They have a two-game trip to New York and Philadelphia, opponents who would appear to provide a chance for the Rockets to build a winning streak. Since Yao Ming returned from his toe injury three games ago, the Rockets are 2-1. When both Yao and Tracy McGrady are in the lineup, the Rockets are 11-6. When one or both is out, they are 6-23. Clearly, the Rockets took a dive after injuries to Yao and McGrady. But a case can be made that they also missed Barry's outside shooting and ability to light a fire under his teammates by scrapping and clawing. Because Barry has been out for such a long time, Van Gundy doesn't know how much the guard will be able to contribute in his first few games. He does know what Barry will bring. "There is no question that he will be competitive and high energy," Van Gundy said. "But how effective he would be, really, I don't have any idea. We'll have to see." A string of injuries After Barry came to the Rockets from Atlanta in a trade for Tyronn Lue on Dec. 23, 2004, he averaged 7.0 points and made 45.1 percent of his 3-point shots. In the playoff series against Dallas, Barry averaged 8.6 points and made 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) from 3-point range. This season, he was expected to provide offense and energy off the bench. He had 24 points to lead the team in the season-opening victory over Sacramento and was averaging 5.6 points when he missed three games due a bruised left foot from Nov. 26 through Dec. 3. In his first game back, he was on the court for only 1 minute, 58 seconds when he injured his right calf. He sat out 12 games before returning Jan. 5. After three games, he reinjured his calf and has missed 14 games. "Being injured is the worst possible thing you can go through," Barry said. "If your team is going great, you want to be part of it. If you're going bad, it's frustrating to watch your teammates out there when things are not going well. "Rehab is no fun. You feel like you're not part of what's going on. You feel bad. You feel like you're not there for them." The Rockets could use some help in perimeter shooting. For his career, Barry has made 38.2 percent from 3-point range. This year, the Rockets are hitting 33.2 percent, which ranks 26th of 30 NBA teams. Before he was injured, Barry was 11-of-30 (36.7 percent) from beyond the arc. "Obviously, our shooting is not good," Van Gundy said. "It's been a season-long thing where we haven't shot the ball well from (long) range, and that's set us back. It's one of the things we did well last year." Packs emotional punch If Barry can hit 3s well after he returns, one more piece of the Rockets' puzzle might fall into place. Beyond that, Barry is mindful that he'll need to play with the sort of desperation that's necessary for a team that is buried deep in the Western Conference standings. "A lot of what I bring is emotional," Barry said. "It's something I try to do and something that (injured guard) Bob Sura brought to us ? a toughness, regardless of skill, that you can use to change the way a game is going. "I have to play with great emotion in order to be effective. I don't think I was doing that this year nearly to the level I did last year, for whatever reason. So you live and learn. When I come back, I'll try to do the best I can."</div> (Source: Hou Chron) What do yall think if barry plays because jalen rose will also play, can we beat the knicks?
Who's the odd man out? I'm thinking Lonny Baxter. And when Anderson comes back, another guy is going to have to go on the inactive list. It would probably be Moochie, Luther, Mutombo, or Hayes. Barry could also sit down, if he's not playing well.
