DALLAS – For guard J.J. Barea, this is as close to home as he's going to get during an NBA season.
Barea, a native of Puerto Rico, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dallas Mavericks, and he was a part of the Mavs' championship in 2011.
Signed by the Wolves as a free agent, he spent three seasons in Minnesota. A part of the team's roster when training camp started, the Wolves and Barea went separate ways when it became clear that the need to develop younger players would mean very limited playing time for Barea. It didn't take long for Barea to return to Dallas.
And while his minutes might not be what they were his first time with the team, Barea is carving out a role, averaging 6.3 points and 3.6 steals off the bench.
"It's similar," Barea said. "The owner and the staff is the same, the star of the team [Dirk Nowtitzki] is the same, and it's pretty much the same system. It's definitely the same atmosphere."
Barea said he left Minnesota with no regrets, and that he understood what the Wolves were trying to do. The Wolves and Barea agreed to a buyout that paid him a portion of the $4.5 million they owed him. Barea turned around and signed a deal with Dallas that paid him the veterans minimum.
"I think we finished on good terms," he said. "We communicated pretty good. They wanted to go another direction. We talked about it and came up with the decision and went from there."
At the time the Wolves appeared set in the backcourt, with Ricky Rubio, Mo Williams and rookie Zach LaVine all able to play the point.