Barea thrilled to be with Mavs and winning again

DALLAS (NBA) - After three difficult seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Juan José Barea finds himself with another opportunity to show his talent and play for a competitive team.

After being waived at the end of October by the T-Wolves, the veteran guard rejoined the Dallas Mavericks, the side he helped capture an NBA title in 2011.

Barea, a lynchpin in the Puerto Rico national squad, is backing up the recently-acquired Rajon Rondo.

Averaging seven points and 3.2 assists per game, Barea's contributions have been important for a team that has 27 wins and 13 losses and is in the thick of the hunt for the play-offs.

After this season, the national team will be calling.

The Mayagüez native has always answered the call from Puerto Rican basketball in the recent years and only last year was the Boricuas' best player at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, averaging 22ppg.

Barea has spoken to FIBA.com.

FIBA: How does it feel to be back with the Mavericks?
Barea: I am very happy to be back in Dallas. It will always be a special feeling to play for the Mavericks, in this fantastic franchise that gave me the opportunity to make it in the NBA nine years ago. I am proud to be part of the team and to be with great players such as Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler and coach Rick Carlisle again. In Dallas, I feel like I am home.

FIBA: You have had some interesting performances coming out of the bench. What do you think about your season so far?
Barea: I think that I have been playing well since the beginning of the season. I am in good shape and it didn’t take me a long time to get used to the team’s way of playing. I am trying to bring energy on the court and help the team with my experience. I feel very comfortable playing with this team and having so many talented teammates.

FIBA: The Dallas Mavericks are fifth in the Western Conference.
Barea: The team has been playing well and we have a good record so far. But we know that we can do better and that we have to be more solid on the defensive end. We have a very good roster and every player wants to help the Mavericks have a very good season. The Western conference is a very competitive one and we have the potential to go very far in the playoffs.

FIBA: You were part of Puerto Rico’s team that got eliminated in the first round of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Was it one of the biggest disappointments of your international career so far?
Barea: Yes. We had a good preparation for this competition but we had a very disappointing tournament. I tried my best to help the team but our group was very tough. We expected to do better than what we did but now we need to look forward. We are going to learn from that campaign in order to do better in the next competitions. We have a good group of players and I am confident for the future.

FIBA: We are a couple of month away from the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship.
Barea: It is going to be a very important tournament. I am not thinking too much about it yet, but I want to help the national team try to reach a spot for the next Olympic games. I am dreaming about participating at the 2016 Olympics.

FIBA