Barry Steps Into the Jordan Void

Brent Barry is no Michael Jordan, but he’ll have to do for now.

Barry, a free-agent guard, joined the Chicago Bulls Monday, signing a six-year, $27 million contract.

The former NBA slam dunk champion and son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry averaged 9.6 points a game in three seasons with the Clippers and Miami Heat.

“If he does play well in Chicago, then they think they’ve got the next Michael Jordan,” Miami Coach Pat Riley said.

Barry, 27, had several options as a free agent, including Golden State, which recently gave former Bull forward Jason Caffey a seven-year, $35 million deal.

Going back to Miami was another. But his short stay there last season after being traded from the Clippers was not pleasant. He struggled with both an ankle injury and the Heat’s system and was left off the playoff roster.

“[General Manager] Jerry Krause saw me play in college--he saw me more times than my dad did,” Barry said. “He knows my game, they wanted me on draft day three years ago, so I know I’m wanted here.”

Barry also doesn’t mind playing for the revamped Bulls.

“It’s no fun to be part of the cleanup crew, but hopefully that will only last a year or two and you get back to where the team was before,” he said of the Bulls.

Meanwhile, the Bulls also renounced the rights to forward Scott Burrell.

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Charles Barkley finally joined the Houston Rocket training camp after missing the first four practices while playing in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in La Quinta.

“It’s good to have him back. There’s a little more noise around here,” Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said.

Barkley, who averaged only 15.2 points last season, is returning after off-season elbow and hernia operations.

“Last year was a nightmare with two hernias,” said Barkley, who turns 36 next month. “I was disappointed the way I played because I never felt good physically. Now, I’ve got all my physical ailments out of the way and I’m going to have a great season.”

Tomjanovich didn’t complain about Barkley’s late arrival. Instead, he praised Barkley for signing at the $1 million minimum salary, freeing enough money to sign Scottie Pippen.

“I don’t know how many players would do what he’s done,” Tomjanovich said. “His plan was to explore his options, which is his right. When he found out he was the pivotal guy in us getting Scottie, he scrapped that whole plan. He made a sacrifice for this team.”

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The Phoenix Suns re-signed forward-center Clifford Robinson to a one-year contract, and guard Rex Chapman to a six-year agreement.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Robinson, 32, averaged 14.2 points and 5.1 rebounds last season. Chapman, 31, averaged a team-leading 15.9 points.

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Guard Steve Nash, 24, acquired in a draft-day trade from Phoenix, signed a six-year contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks reportedly worth $18 million. . . . Point guard Bobby Hurley, 27, who led Duke to consecutive NCAA titles in the early 1990s, was waived by the Vancouver Grizzlies. . . . The Portland Trail Blazers signed rookie guard Bonzi Wells to a three-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed.