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Barron hoping summer play helps his minutes
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Posted: July 11, 2006

Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A year ago, Earl Barron's strong play in summer league wound up netting him a championship ring with the Miami Heat.
This summer, he's looking for even more.

Sometime in the next two weeks, Miami will decide whether to pick up Barron's conditional contract for 2006-07 -- and Tuesday didn't hurt his case. The 7-footer from Memphis had 33 points and 15 rebounds, helping Miami beat New Jersey 91-85 in second-day action at the Summer Pro League in Orlando.

"If I'm not with the Heat, I'll be with somebody, because I'm one of those players willing to do whatever it takes to help a team win," Barron said. "We won a championship this year and I hope I stick around to win another one. I want to stay. I love Miami, love the organization and love my teammates."


Barron's role was an important one this past season, although fans never saw him perform his best work. He played in eight regular-season games, averaging 1.6 points and 1.3 rebounds, and didn't appear in any postseason games.

But he didn't exactly take May and June off -- his role in practice during Miami's final two series was to mimic Detroit's Rasheed Wallace and Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, big guys with both an inside game and ability to shoot 3-pointers.

And the Heat beat the Pistons and Mavericks, of course, both in six games.

"I didn't see too much of anything he can't do. ... He looked good," said Heat guard Dorell Wright, who's entering his third year with the franchise and -- like Barron -- is hoping this summer serves as a springboard for a spot in the regular rotation. "He was a tough cover. The thing about Earl, he's got that all-around game."

He says he's ready to start showing that on a regular basis, too.

Barron helped Memphis win the 2002 NIT title, then played in the NBA's Development League and overseas in Turkey and the Philippines before catching Miami's eye last summer -- after averaging 17.4 points on 65.2 percent shooting in seven July exhibitions against other rookies and young players.

Working constantly with assistant coaches like Erik Spoelstra -- who's leading the Heat summer-league team -- Barron spent the past season continuing to develop. He was 9-for-17 from the floor Tuesday, 15-for-17 from the line, and no other player in the game had more than eight rebounds.

"He's a smart guy. He knows all of our schemes. He's been in our system for the last year, so he's very sharp in terms of knowing our schemes and rotations," Spoelstra said. "And he's building up his body, so hopefully he'll become a little bit stronger in the post and be able to defend guys 1-on-1. Very active, smart player."

Barron laughed a bit when Heat assistant coach Keith Askins looked at the stat sheet after Tuesday's game and proclaimed him to be an All-Summer League player. Come regular-season time, the trick will be finding ways to get time in a Miami big-man rotation that already includes Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Doleac and -- assuming he returns to the Heat -- Alonzo Mourning.

"Last summer, this was a learning experience," Barron said. "I just went out there and tried to prove myself, and now I'm just trying to improve on last year, continuing to work hard."