Earl Barron, the seven-foot center originally out of the University of Memphis, was called up to the New York Knicks from the D-League’s Iowa Energy late last season.
Barron only played in seven games for the Knicks, but he made them memorable; Barron scored in double-digits five times, grabbed 10+ rebounds four times, and put up a monster 17-point, 18-rebound game against the Boston Celtics.
Barron made a quick impression on the members of the otherwise manically depressed Knicks fan base, who at the time were counting down the days on their Official LeBron James Commemorative Calendars.
The summer didn’t quite turn out the way Knicks’ fans hoped it would, and apparently it’s not quite turning out the way Barron hoped it would, either. Despite averaging 11.7 points per game and 11.0 rebounds during his stint in New York, it seems unlikely that Barron will be a Knick next season. From Marc Berman of the New York Post:
The Knicks’ roster now has 14 players and they could fit center Earl Barron, who had a strong finish with the team. The Knicks had interest in Barron, but Knicks president Donnie Walsh, according to a source, has not heard recently from the Barron camp and isn’t sure what his future is. “I think we’re done,” a team source said.
Barron is not giving up on his NBA dream so easily, however. Offered a contract by Israeli power Maccabi Tel Aviv, he turned it down saying he expects an NBA offer soon, according to the New York Post. He keeps believing, which is noble. However, though he has a decent enough face-up game and is active on the boards, other NBA teams have never seemed all that interested in Barron. He may eventually need to take the overseas payday.