Dallas Mavericks' Barea growing into his role

[JapanAir21]

5-11 guard has made big strides to earn more trust, playing time

"That's where we're trying to get him, where he can be a rotation guy," coach Avery Johnson said Thursday. "Not [to put him in] when we're up by 30 or down big, and we throw him in the game and the fans go crazy. We need him to have a significant role now.

"We're trying to get him to the point where, 'Hey, you're the guy.' No added amount of pressure, you don't have to go out and necessarily win the game for us. But if he plays similarly to the way he played [Wednesday night], then he can help us."

Barea had 13 points, four assists and no turnovers in 20 minutes against Milwaukee. He helped the Mavericks jump to a 20-12 lead before he was lifted for Jason Terry.

For Barea, these are heady times. He is getting a chance to earn the faith of not only teammates and his coach, but the entire league.

Look no further than Brandon Bass to realize that other teams are always watching players near the end of the bench who show signs of becoming full-time contributors.

"I thought I could do what I'm doing," Barea said. "With a team like this and a coach like this, it makes it a lot easier.

"I'm always looking for the best. I want to be a starter. But I'm realistic, too. I could be a great backup for a couple years. If I keep doing what I'm doing

[JapanAir21]

I hope he doesn't get too comfortable.

[Rand10]

I hope we're smart and re-sign JJ this offseason. He's proving that he can be a solid backup point guard. I'd like to see that a little more of that role be taken away from Terry who doesn't run the team as well as either Harris or Barea.

[dirkforpres]

Hes played very well in Harris's absence, I hope he keeps it up... He deserves to be re-signed.