Barros attempts to rebound from failed business venture

``It was a big mess from the time I opened it," said Barros, who made his way out of Mattapan to play 14 years in the NBA with the SuperSonics, 76ers, Celtics, and Pistons. ``It wasn't what I thought it was going to be."

Nearly all that remains of Barros's connection to the 80,000-square-foot complex is his name on the sign, his signature on the lease, and the debt that dogs him. He is entangled in two lawsuits in Bristol County Superior Court in which construction companies are seeking nearly $800,000 in unpaid bills.

``Dana has suffered immeasurably from this," said Celtics assistant executive director of basketball operations Leo Papile, who once coached Barros and last month tried to help him by donating Nike sneakers and apparel to outfit youth teams Barros sponsored through the sports complex.

Barros, 39, who earned an estimated $26 million in the NBA, has spent part of the last year trying to protect the balance of his personal wealth from creditors. He said his plan for the business went awry in part because construction costs rapidly swelled to about $2 million from a projected $1.1 million.

``I wanted to be a businessman," Barros said in a telephone interview. ``Then I learned I didn't want to be that kind of businessman."

A Celtics television analyst for Fox Sports New England, Barros also stars in his own show -- ``In The House" -- on the network. The sports complex marked his first major business venture since he ended his NBA career with the Celtics in 2004, and he pursued a highly ambitious plan. In addition to the parquet basketball venue, he installed a fitness center, turf soccer field, batting cages, and a restaurant. He also hosted a night of boxing.

But Barros tried to accomplish too much too fast, he said, particularly because in hindsight he relied on some bad business advice.

``I should have gone a little smaller," he said, ``and not tried to do so much."