On the Spurs with Drew Gooden

[spectator]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11824

[Doctor J]

Nice article. Thanks.

[Lebowski Brickowski]

Adjust font size:The San Antonio Spurs will be signing free agent forward Drew Gooden to bolster their playoff run. At 40-19, the Spurs are eight games behind the Los Angeles Lakers and just slightly ahead of the six or seven teams vying for playoff position.

Gooden was waived by the Sacramento Kings after a recent trade with the Chicago Bulls. Drew has battled through a groin injury but is said to be healthy enough to play.

Last year the Spurs were knocked out of the playoffs by the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. While San Antonio's defense was able to slow L.A.'s attack, the Spurs offense just wasn't potent enough to advance.

Before it was clear that Gooden was joining the Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers General Manager and Coach Mike Dunleavy said this of San Antonio: "The place that will be the story for them is the power forward spot with Bonner. Bonner is the top three-point shooter in the league [at 48.7%]. He gives you a dimension that makes it tough for people to guard."

Dunleavy noted that Bonner has some serious short-comings defensively.

"If you were to go at him, you can exploit him," said Dunleavy. "If you've got the personnel to exploit him, [the Spurs have] a problem there. You could actually almost try to take him out of the game with size."

On the prospect of landing Gooden, Dunleavy was impressed, "Now it gives them a bigger, better rebounder - a physical guy. Therefore they can mix and match based on who they're playing a little bit better."

Without discussing Gooden directly, Coach Gregg Popovich talked about adding in a new player some four months into the season.

"One would guess . . . that the later in the season that a team might add a player, the more difficult it could be," said Popovich. "But that depends on the player's intelligence and experience. As far as our team goes we've been really fortunate in being able to create an environment that makes it easy for players to understand what's going on."

In the Tim Duncan era, the Spurs have won four championships with continually evolving rosters.

"Every championship season, Tim has had basically a different team around him. It's never been the same team every year," continued Popovich. "He's a real objective, non-judgmental sort of player where he allows others to blend and make mistakes. He understands that a gentle touch in that situation is a lot better than an overly demanding touch and he's really the key to it."

Duncan is all for adding a player if it'll help the team win, even if it demands him to remain patient.

"Luckily enough we've had our core players here for awhile now that understand what we do. We're able to bring other players along," said Duncan. "If we can add somebody who helps us, then absolutely."

Dunleavy says the Spurs have a very thick playbook but when it comes down to it, Popovich can simplify the offense.

"The fact is they can go with the Tony Parker show," said Dunleavy. "OK, you set picks for Tony and then roll to the basket. If he finds you great, if not rebound."

Another side benefit in acquiring Gooden is simply in preventing other teams from snatching him up, specifically the Lakers.

"We can use a big guy," admitted Lakers Coach Phil Jackson recently, "but we anticipate Andrew [Bynum]'s going to be back and he'll give us some help in the last month of the season."

Dunleavy gave the edge to the Lakers before learning Gooden was joining up with the Spurs.

"I think the Lakers with Bynum become a tougher matchup because size becomes an issue for [the Spurs]. That's another shot blocker in the paint to patrol against Parker."

He likes San Antonio's chances a lot more with Gooden.

"What they'll do is gear themselves up for being healthy for the playoffs. They'll have home court for however many rounds of different series," continued Dunleavy. "Just bank on Duncan, Parker and [Manu] Ginobili's experience. They can upset somebody without home court."

Getting injury free is a big concern for the Spurs who are presently without Ginobili who has a stress reaction in his right ankle. Popovich blames last year's defeat to the Lakers on injuries that severely limited Ginobili.

Manu was hurt to start the year. Parker too was out for a stretch with an ankle sprain. Despite the adversity, the Spurs are the second-best team in the West.

"I think we should be happy. We're playing good basketball and moving in the right direction," said Parker. "We had some big wins before the All-Star Break before Manu got hurt. Now we're just going to try and maintain and play good until he comes back."

Ginobili was scheduled to be out for two to three weeks. This Thursday will be the two-week mark, but it's not clear yet how close he is to a return. The Spurs will need their wild card in Manu if they have serious championship aspirations.

"The one thing I always say is if we're healthy, we have a chance," said Duncan. "Obviously we've dealt with some injuries throughout the year. Luckily enough, if you look around the league it's been minor compared to some other people. We're playing through it and we can't wait to get Manu back and everybody on the floor and make a run."

Popovich has always worked to pace the regular season so his team is sound for the postseason.

"No matter what our record is - Manu, Tim and Tony are always going to play basically the same minutes they play every year. We always try to protect them by what kind of practices we run and the kind of minutes they get in games," said Popovich. "They rarely are going to have a 42-minute game or something like that. We play them the same minutes almost every single year within a minute or two"

The logic is pretty simple.

"If you're not healthy you have no shot," said Popovich. "If you don't have the highest seed that you had wanted, you still have a shot to get it done because you still have your players."

As important as X's and O's, in game coaching and the like are, managing minutes properly is crucial.

"If all your players are healthy, hopefully as a coaching staff we did a good job watching minutes . . . [limiting] practices and giving rest where appropriate. Of course some of it has to do with good fortune. Without a doubt, some of it is players taking care of themselves and making sure they're sleeping and eating well, doing their rehab work doing and what they need to do," said Popovich.

Before adding Gooden, the Spurs were a serious playoff threat. If they can field a healthy roster, quickly integrate Drew and sharpen their team defense . . . the Spurs could very well win another title.

[iilluzioN]

wow....

hoopsworld with a great artical? thats........ rare

[FvckMavs]

I hope this is true:
"Drew has battled through a groin injury but is said to be healthy enough to play."

[MoSpur]

Thanks for the find.

[45 bank shot]

I'm getting a bit impatient here. when is gooden gonna sign with us?

[Agloco]

Today or tomorrow I believe.

[SpursWench21]

Nice article. It was apparent from yesterdays game that we need someone bigger and more physical (no offense to bonner) to help Timmy in the front line. I hope Gooden will do just that. Go Spurs!

[45 bank shot]

Today or tomorrow I believe.

u got source bro?

[Please_dont_ban_me]

Good shit.

[duncan228]

A Monroe tidbit from last night.

Mike Monroe: Holding Pattern at DFW (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/)
By Mike Monroe

If you were one of the Spurs fans expecting to see Drew Gooden in uniform for Wednesday's game against the Mavericks, be patient. As of 6 p.m., Gooden had not yet signed with the Spurs.

Don't worry, he'll be a Spur soon enough. There's a roster spot for him now that Pops Mensah-Bonsu has been released. It will be a surprise if he is not in silver and black for Thursday's game at AT&T Center against the Wizards.

I chatted up former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy a few minutes ago and asked him what Gooden can do for the Spurs. He calls him an upgrade on the front line, a physical guy who can rebound and score out to 17 feet and somebody the Spurs must have felt they needed to match up against the Lakers in a playoff series.

[Agloco]

u got source bro?


A Monroe tidbit from last night.

Mike Monroe: Holding Pattern at DFW (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/)
By Mike Monroe

If you were one of the Spurs fans expecting to see Drew Gooden in uniform for Wednesday's game against the Mavericks, be patient. As of 6 p.m., Gooden had not yet signed with the Spurs.

Don't worry, he'll be a Spur soon enough. There's a roster spot for him now that Pops Mensah-Bonsu has been released. It will be a surprise if he is not in silver and black for Thursday's game at AT&T Center against the Wizards.

I chatted up former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy a few minutes ago and asked him what Gooden can do for the Spurs. He calls him an upgrade on the front line, a physical guy who can rebound and score out to 17 feet and somebody the Spurs must have felt they needed to match up against the Lakers in a playoff series.

That and
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3949639

He's cleared waivers and announced his intent. That's as close to "in stone" as you're gonna get without an actual signing.

[SenorSpur]

Good article. Not what I've come to expect from Hoopsworld

[ElNono]

A Monroe tidbit from last night.

Don't worry, he'll be a Spur soon enough. There's a roster spot for him now that Pops Mensah-Bonsu has been released. It will be a surprise if he is not in silver and black for Thursday's game at AT&T Center against the Wizards.


He means Friday...