Barry’s Moment Has Arrived With the Revamped Clippers

LA JOLLA —  The fans began chanting for guard Brent Barry when the Clippers fell behind the Portland Trail Blazers by 27 points in a game at the Sports Arena last March.

But Coach Bill Fitch ignored the fans, walking past Barry to put another player into the game.

Eventually, though, Fitch relented and put in Barry. And Barry responded, scoring 13 of his season-high 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Clippers lost.

So now, as the Clippers open training camp today at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, the plan is for Barry, who didn’t start a game last season, to be Fitch’s starting shooting guard.

The Clippers, who had six guards last season, did not re-sign free agent Malik Sealy, who started 80 games at shooting guard last season, and renounced their rights to Terry Dehere, their No. 1 draft choice in 1993, planning to give Barry and reserve swingman Eric Piatkowski more time.

“We like Malik but letting him go was a move we had to make to free up time for Barry and Piatkowski,” Fitch said. “It’s time to see what they can do.”

Barry, in the third and final year of his rookie contract, could be the key to the Clippers’ season.

Although he was featured next to a photo of Michael Jordan in the Clippers’ marketing campaign this summer, and proved that he can fly like Jordan by winning the NBA slam dunk contest as a rookie, he has been inconsistent. He was the NBA’s most accurate three-point shooter as a rookie, at 41.6%, and averaged 10.1 points, 2.9 assists and shot 47.4% overall in 44 starts.

He bulked up before training camp last season, but never fully recovered after missing the first 14 games because of a thumb injury, averaging 7.5 points and 2.6 assists while shooting 40.9%, only 32.4% from the three-point line.

When he made a 22-foot jump shot to force overtime in a 122-121 victory over the Phoenix Suns last December, Phoenix Coach Danny Ainge, who played for Fitch on the Boston Celtics’ 1981 NBA championship team, advised patience, recalling that Fitch rode him in his first two seasons with the Celtics.

Fitch said he’s not at odds with Barry.

“Don’t start that,” said Fitch, who signed a $2-million, two-year contract extension last May. “I haven’t had any problems with Barry.”

The Clippers then underwent a make-over after finishing with their best record in four seasons, 36-46, and making the playoffs for the first time since 1992-93.