Steve Bulpett Interview With Dana Barros

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

              Barros airs concern                
              about lost season
              by Steve Bulpett
              Boston Herald
              11/25/98

              A child is yelling in
              the background, and
              there are things
              around the house that
              need doing. Dana
              Barros, professional
              basketball player sans
              league, is still a
              very busy man.

              "Real life stuff," he
              was saying the other
              day.

              Barros is being
              prevented by the NBA
              lockout from being a
              point guard, but that
              just gives him more
              time to pour into his
              other two jobs --
              husband and father.
              Still, he is aware of
              the time going by.

              "I don't even want to
              get into all the
              issues with collective
              bargaining," he said.

              "It's crazy, but I
              guess sometimes things
              have to be done. But
              I'm like everybody
              else. I want it to get
              settled.

              "I just look at it
              that you only get to
              play basketball for so
              long, and to waste a
              year is ridiculous,
              never mind the money
              and all that. You're
              only in this for so
              long.

              "A year may seem like
              nothing to some
              people, but a year is
              a big part of an NBA
              career. It's
              frustrating to work so
              hard and make it to
              the NBA and then maybe
              have a year taken
              away."

              Barros understands the
              issues between the
              owners and the players
              union, but he's also
              fan enough to see the
              bigger picture.

              "No one gains from
              this the longer it
              goes," he said. "It
              may seem so at the
              time, but it's going
              to be a while before
              we know what the
              ramifications are
              going to be. You can't
              judge that now. You
              can't look at polls or
              anything like that.

              "When it's all said
              and done, the fans are
              going to make the
              decision. We can do
              all we want with the
              money and figuring out
              where it goes, but if
              the fans decide they
              don't care as much as
              they used to and
              they're not going to
              come to the games,
              then we're all going
              to lose.

              "And not just the
              players and the owners
              -- the game, too. The
              game of basketball
              will lose if everyone
              involved in this
              doesn't do everything
              they can to protect
              what we have and what
              we've gotten because
              of basketball."

              Barros is very much a
              fan of another short
              fellow (under 6 feet)
              from Boston College.
              Doug Flutie and Barros
              were both recruited to
              play football at The
              Heights by
              then-assistant coach
              Barry Gallup.

              "Doug's my man,"
              Barros said. "See, all
              people need to do is
              give us little guys a
              chance."

                   --------------

              Rick Fox was standing
              in New York at the
              time, but his eyes
              were looking toward
              Boston when he raised
              the honesty flag
              during negotiations.

              Fox, a free agent now
              after a season with
              the Lakers, still
              feels the sting of the
              broken deal with the
              Celtics in the summer
              of 1997. He left his
              house one morning
              after agreeing to a
              new contract with the
              club only to find out
              later that day he had
              been renounced so the
              Celts could sign free
              agent Travis Knight.

              "I definitely think
              there's a trust issue
              that has to be dealt
              with," he said of the
              gulf that still exists
              between the league and
              the players union.
              "All I can say is that
              I've had dealings with
              management that have
              given me a reason not
              to trust. And I think
              enough players have
              had incidents or
              concerns with teams
              that have given them a
              reason to question
              what they're being
              told by the owners."

              As for the backlash,
              Fox said, "What people
              should remember is
              that we do want to
              work. We're being
              locked out."