J.J. Barea's Cancer...Sign Written by Ignatius Oyama

A Cancerian’s “potential weakness” is supposed to be “fear of the past repeating in the future.” Jose Juan Barea was not in the Dallas Mavericks lineup which ignominiously lost to the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals after winning the first two games and losing the next four games, but when it became clear that the Mavs were going to the Finals this past season, it may have crossed Barea’s and the other Mavs’ minds that the past could repeat itself. Well, they don’ have to worry anymore. The Mavs handled themselves with admirable composure and did not choke this time, while manhandling the Heat, embarrassing LeBron James and company who were favored to repeat over the Mavs.

Appropriately enough, a Cancerian’s biggest strength is supposedly the “ability to nurture others.” Barea being a point guard has the duty of nurturing his teammates, setting them up with passes for open looks at the basket or simply by playing so well that it rubs off on the rest of the team.

Also, it has been suggested that a good Cancer motto would be: "A good defense is the best offense." Cancer the Crab lives in a figurative cave and a retreat into the safety of the cave may actually be a ploy, baiting an opponent into its territory where it can attack with abandon. Barea was like a crab in certain parts of the NBA Finals, dribbling the ball in the perimeter and pulling back his defender with him. Then with a fake he would suddenly find an open lane for that attack to the basket daring to go where the trees are tallest and making a spectacular drive.

The description of the physical appearance of the Cancerian male when applied to Barea is uncanny: “A Cancerian male is mostly of medium height and possesses a fairly bony structure. Their teeth are noteworthy and in some way, unusual. Shoulders are wide, and overall they appear plumpy or broad, even if they are slim.” Barea is indeed of medium height, that is if you believe his claim of being 5-feet-10 (there are sources that put it at 5-6). His shoulders are indeed wide or broad.

Since Cancer is a water sign, it is only natural that Cancerians like water sports such as swimming, boating, surfing and fishing. Being from the island of Puerto Rico, Barea should love water sports…besides another sport that is not played on water –

basketball, that is.

Faux forecasts and irreverence on matters as varied as finance, sports, music, and many more at Y101 Always First.