Per Sportando, J.J. Barea is set to become the head coach of Indios de Mayaguez:
Mavericks point guard JJ Barea will be the head coach of Indios de Mayaguez till the end of the Puerto Rican League pic.twitter.com/eFvriwVjfu
— Sportando (@Sportando) May 30, 2017
The team, which Barea played for during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, is currently in last place in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), the first-tier Puerto Rican professional league. Barea will replace outgoing coach Bobby Porrata for the duration of the season, which runs through August.
Although this may simply be a stunt by a team desperate to turn things around, it also represents an emerging trend among former (or in this case, current) NBA players looking for alternate paths to head coaching jobs. No longer content to slog through years of assistant coaching in the NBA, players like former Mav and reigning D-League Coach of the Year Jerry Stackhouse are seeking out head coaching jobs in other leagues to give them experience they hope will translate to the NBA.
Perhaps Barea is simply getting an early start.