McDonald: Gooden Likely To Test Free-Agent Waters (And Other Clean-Out Day News)

[duncan228]

Gooden likely to test free-agent waters (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/04/gooden-likely-t.html)
By Jeff McDonald

Drew Gooden arrived in San Antonio last March hoping to make it his home. He had bounced around the NBA for six-plus seasons in a nomad's career. He was finally ready to settle down.

Speaking to reporters at the Spurs practice facility this afternoon, Gooden reiterated his desire to remain with the Spurs after he becomes a free-agent on July 1, but intimated that he will test the market first.

"I had a great time here," Gooden said. "It was a great experience. Whatever happens, this will be a couple of pages in my book that will be memorable. I'd love to be a part of this organization, but we'll see this summer."

If Tuesday's Game 5 loss to Dallas was his last in a Spurs uniform, Gooden said he has no hard feelings with how it ended. He took a DNP-CD, as coach Gregg Popovich shortened his big-man rotation to use players most familiar with his system.

"We played a small lineup, small rotation, with the guys who have been here," Gooden said. "Some playoff games are going to be like that. If I've got to sacrifice playing to get a win, I'll do that."

In other clean-out day news ...

* Bruce Bowen said he hopes to finish out his contract in San Antonio. He is on the books next season for $4 million, only half of which is guaranteed. He doesn't want to go elsewhere.

"It would be a shock to me and my family, because this is home to us," Bowen said. "But if that's the case, we understand it's a business. Sometimes in business, there are tough decisions that need to be made."

* Michael Finley said he hadn't yet decided whether to opt into the final year of his contract with the Spurs. Finley is due $2.5 million, at his option.

"I haven't really thought about next year, to be quite honest," Finley said. "I'm going to sit back with my family now, enjoy this extended period of time off, and when the time comes that I have to make a decision about my future, that's when I'll make it."

That $2.5 million is free money to Finley, and he isn't likely to attract a better deal elsewhere. If Finley does return for a 15th season, it will probably be in a Spurs uniform.

[xtremesteven33]

Bowen :tu
Finley :td
Gooden :tu :td

[The Truth #6]

If Finley retired then that would help indicate the direction the team should head.

[TDMVPDPOY]

2.5m for finley, forgot to write in he still checks in cubans checks whatever they agreed upon.....

he lives in chicago, i say we make a deal with the bulls, they get an expiring contract, we can absorb something from them, clears cap for them to make a better offer at gordan...

[crc21209]

Bowen- ONE more year.
Finley- Goodbye.
Gooden- Yes, re-sign him. With a full training-camp under the Spurs I think he will be a good piece for us going into next year. Yes his defense needs work, but YOUNG post players with moves like him, a scorer, a rebounder...do not come around very often, especially for the Spurs.

[tp2021]

The MLE should be used on

1. Sheed, and if not
2. Dice, and if not
3. Gooden.

[Bukefal]

Gooden should definitely stay, he is a great player, he did better than ive expected, even in such a short time he has been with us. So i want to see him here next season, when he is fully adjusted to the team, i think we can have a great future with him

[Duncan2177]

The MLE should be used on

1. Sheed, and if not
2. Dice, and if not
3. Gooden.

:tu

[Mel_13]

Gooden likely to test free-agent waters (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/04/gooden-likely-t.html)
By Jeff McDonald



That $2.5 million is free money to Finley, and he isn't likely to attract a better deal elsewhere.

McDonald is a tool. What kind of crack is that? Its like he's saying if Finley comes back next year, he is some kind of welfare queen, cashing checks that he doesn't work for. Back when we had Ludden, you could try to read FO tea leaves in his articles. With this guy you just get recycled info and garbage like this.

[SouthTexasRancher]

2.5m for finley, forgot to write in he still checks in cubans checks whatever they agreed upon.....

he lives in chicago, i say we make a deal with the bulls, they get an expiring contract, we can absorb something from them, clears cap for them to make a better offer at gordan...


I had said pretty much the same thing last week in another thread so I agree with you. Finley could be the type of guy Vinny could use to help stabilize all his young players. Help them understand what the playoffs are really like to go all the way...not that he is an expert. And Fin would probably go for it knowing his days here are over with and the fact that he is from that area. It shouldn't be that hard to work some kind of a trade to satisfy all.

[Bruno]

Finley has earned $125M in his career (only in salaries).
I doubt that $2.5M is a that big deal for him.

[Creation88]

finley- fuck no
bowen- yes
gooden- yes

[timvp]

Finley has earned $125M in his career (only in salaries).
I doubt that $2.5M is a that big deal for him.

It's a damn shame Finley earned more money playing basketball than David Robinson. He'll also probably end up earning twice as much as Manu :td

[rayray2k8]

It's a damn shame Finley earned more money playing basketball than David Robinson. He'll also probably end up earning twice as much as Manu :td

Yo Timvp, you've been really dogging on Finley lately, do you really hate him that much??
You hate finley almost as much as I hate bonner. :lol

[Steve-O-Matic]

Gooden is worth bringing back at the right price. Finley and Bowen aren't worth bringing back at ANY price. They are beyond done. Ditto for Thomas and Oberto, and fortunately both Vaughn and Udoka's contacts have expired. This roster needs an enema in the worst way.

[batman2883]

Keep gooden, and bowen, let finley retire.........we need fresh legs, if possible bring in another big through some sign and trades or actually go hard after sheed..........

[Crookshanks]

We should keep Bruce for one more year and let him retire as a Spur. He showed he can still defend and he'd be a huge asset in mentoring the younger players.

I still think Gooden can contribute - I say keep him and let him go thru a full training camp and let him learn the system - and then see how much more he can contribute. Pop wanted him for quite some time and he must've seen something in him that he likes.

[SenorSpur]

Bowen - Yes
Finley - No
Gooden - Yes. This was an unexpected gift that the Spurs were fortunate enough to land. I just believe at his age and with his skills, this team would greatly benefit from having him, with a solid training camp under his belt. He already established himself as the 3rd best scorer on the team (after Manu was injured of course). I'd love to see what he could do in a supporting role, off the bench. Furthermore, he'd be valuable insurance in case they cannot land Splitter. Resign him to a reasonable contract. Give him some solid minutes. If it turns out he doesn't fit, use him as an asset and trade him away.

[spursfaninla]

I'm wondering if Gooden feels slighted, or thinks the Spurs are not going as far as he hoped, and now getting less $ to be competitive with us seems not worth it.

this is his last chance to get a big paycheck, probably. If he signs for 3-4 years, his next contract will be past his prime.

I'm curious to see if he gets an offer at or above the MLE...my gut says teams will pay for his post play, even though Dallas MOSTLY punked him, no?

[Russ]

Gooden likely to test free-agent waters (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/04/gooden-likely-t.html)
By Jeff McDonald

"We played a small lineup, small rotation, with the guys who have been here," Gooden said. "Some playoff games are going to be like that. If I've got to sacrifice playing to get a win, I'll do that."

Smallball again. :vomit:

TimVP was right -- Dallas was a terrible matchup for the Spurs.

But that just makes me even more thankful for '07 -- the Spurs got very lucky avoiding the Mavs that year.

I'l trade a 1st round loss (with no chance at a ring anyway) for a semi-lucky path to the title any day. :flag:

[MarCowMar]

Players like Sheed and Gooden will not command the MLE.

If anything, we'll start seeing teams pull the same stunt the Nuggets did when they dumped Camby for a second round pick. Teams will be dropping salary--not taking it on.

[SenorSpur]

I'm wondering if Gooden feels slighted, or thinks the Spurs are not going as far as he hoped, and now getting less $ to be competitive with us seems not worth it.

this is his last chance to get a big paycheck, probably. If he signs for 3-4 years, his next contract will be past his prime.

I'm curious to see if he gets an offer at or above the MLE...my gut says teams will pay for his post play, even though Dallas MOSTLY punked him, no?

Interesting thought. With every team looking to dump salary and clear cap space for the much-heralded FA summer of 2010, this will make for an interesting landscape for free agents. Probably even a bear market for available cash.

[holcs50]

would rather keep gooden than go after a old ass sheed and dice but i think gooden is going to try for a pretty big contract and i don't think we'll be able to keep him. So we offer sheed a low ass contract just to give him a chance to play for a chip, then we make a trade with the nets for our expiring contracts (mason,kt,boner) for VC, and then we spend our MLE on a SF like ariza. That would be a dream, won't happen but can dream.

[Avitus1]

Keep Bowen, think about Gooden, opt out Finley

[Capt Bringdown]

Finley has earned $125M in his career (only in salaries).


Wow...and wow. Talk about lucky.

The acid test for me is if Finley is in a Spurs uniform next year. Of course I'll follow the Spurs and hope for the best, but a part of me will be saying, "Oh shit, it's over." Hard to imagine our recovery going anywhere with this turkey on the roster.
Give it up Mike, please. Go home and count your millions, you lucky bastard!

[SenorSpur]

If what Pop had to say in his press conference is really true, then that should mean that even he must put aside his Finley man-crush. There's no way they can bring him back.

[Russ]

Bowen :tu
Finley :td
Gooden :tu :td

Bowen :tu
Finley :tu
Gooden :tu
Bonner :td

[EricB]

Gooden :td:td :td

[angelbelow]

gooden will be at least the MLE.

[Ice009]

Gooden :td:td :td

So you still want the awesome Matt Bonner starting for the Spurs? ;)

[Spur|n|Austin]

Gooden could help us a lot during the next regular season..

I'm really interested to see what happens with the Splitter situation, and of course I'd like to actually see Mahinmi play..

[I Love Me Some Me]

Gooden :td:td :td

+100000000

Gooden is worthless. I'm not sure where the infatution comes from, but there is nothing that guy has shown in his career that should make anyone think he can be a reliable contributor on a serious contender.

[CharlieMac]

Bonner needs to make like a fetus....

[ploto]

I would not be shocked if Finley went back to Dallas.

[ploto]

"But if that's the case, we understand it's a business. Sometimes in business, there are tough decisions that need to be made."

All the times Bruce has said that about other players and now he has to say it about himself.

[Borosai]

I'm not convinced that Gooden fits in with the Spurs. I like that he attacks and finishes strong, but he kills ball movement. Maybe training camp and a full season would fix that, but if not, it won't work in my opinion.

[loveforthegame]

I would not be shocked if Finley went back to Dallas.

I would be. They treated him like shit when they were waiving him. They kept throwing out all these trade talks that had no chance of happening while waiting till the last possible minute to waive him. Cuban even told Finley he'd pay him in full if he chose a team in the east to sign with. They had all those articles about him being a cancer in the locker room and how he wouldn't accept a lesser role under AJ.

[Obstructed_View]

+100000000

Gooden is worthless. I'm not sure where the infatution comes from, but there is nothing that guy has shown in his career that should make anyone think he can be a reliable contributor on a serious contender.

Didn't he start in the finals?

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Of course, Tpark/Eric still wants us to start Bonner, so that says everything about his opinion on Gooden...

[Lebowski Brickowski]

At least Finley's contract isn't a team option. I wouldn't trust Pop to make the "tough" call.

There is a big possiblilty that next year Finley is still getting big minutes and Bruce is gone forever.

:( :( :(

[Sean Cagney]

At least Finley's contract isn't a team option. I wouldn't trust Pop to make the "tough" call.

There is a big possiblilty that next year Finley is still getting big minutes and Bruce is gone forever.

:( :( :(

I would take Bowen back in a lesser role again and for the playoffs and let Finley go, they can easily replace him IMO, with someone younger and more atlhetic. Finley is damn near done, DONE. Bowen can still D up and hit the three, Finley can still shoot but what else? He is off more often than not it seems as well, he has a hot game or two and 4 off. Spurs need changes, say no to all except Bruce IMO, and Gooden if he wants to come back at a decent price.

[objective]

Just say no to Gooden. 20% of the league has had him and didn't want to keep him, and he wasn't some guy toiling to make a name, he entered the league as a high profile high draft pick.

He doesn't make the Spurs better, full training camp or not.

[I Love Me Some Me]

Didn't he start in the finals?

Where his teamn got swept, in large part because of his inability to defend the paint. Where he was so bad that his team traded him the following season and they immediately became better.

[kace]

i want to see the big 4 again next year: Tim, tony, manu and bruce.

Hill is a lock too. Mahinmi should stay to see what he can bring.

every others can go if that bring us back some more useful players.

[Mal]

It's a damn shame Finley earned more money playing basketball than David Robinson. He'll also probably end up earning twice as much as Manu :td

It`s Cuban`s money, so better Fin have it than Stern :)

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Bill Simmons nailed the Drew Gooden experience pretty well I think:

"Know when I knew it was over for the Spurs? When they signed Drew Gooden. Good rebounder, decent inside scorer, total knucklehead. He grew a mini-beard on the back of his neck three years ago. He let down LeBron so many times that LeBron developed an actual "Drew Gooden disappointed me yet again and I might have to kill him soon" frown. When he went to Chicago, Cleveland immediately became a better team. The Bulls dumped him and they immediately became better. He's exactly the type of player the Spurs NEVER sign: someone who looks better on paper than he actually is. I just thought it seemed like a desperate move. And it was."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090429&sportCat=nba

Classic Simmons article BTW. :tu

He is not the young, athletic, defensive type we need next to Tim (see, Mahinmi, Ian, hopefully), and he's not a Spur-level defender, nor does he commit like Spurs players must for the system to work - the guy occasionally gives up on defensive plays!

No, he was a desperation move that didn't pay off, someone else will offer him the MLE for 4 years, and we will watch him walk. He is not the answer to our problems.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Yeah, bye bye Drew, you've got nice touch around the basket, a decent jumper, and sometimes go to the boards, but that ain't enough to make you a Spur if you want to be paid more than 2mil a season.

[EricB]

Of course, Tpark/Eric still wants us to start Bonner, so that says everything about his opinion on Gooden...


I don't, but again, way to assume without knowing jack shit.

[Borosai]

That's true. I've seen him give up on some plays, and seem uninterested if he wasn't holding the ball. That won't cut it.

[Danny.Zhu]

1. Re-sign Gooden.
i) I don't know if the entire MLE is enough for him.
ii) If it works, we can trade expiring big man contracts like Bonner, Oberto and possibly Thomas to Detroit which is under restructuring for McDyess or Sheed. (after Detroit signing one first)
iii) Then, Mahinmi can be the backup big man for Duncan, Gooden and Sheed.

2. Waive Finley and keep Bowen.
i) Waive Udoka as well.
ii) It means that we have Bowen, Mason and Manu left for the wings.
iii) We can have some extra space to sign a free agent.

[wildbill2u]

The way I read the Finley contract being his option, I doubt we have any sayso. If he wants to come back we're stuck with him since I can't think of a team who would want him in a trade.

[dbestpro]

The way I read the Finley contract being his option, I doubt we have any sayso. If he wants to come back we're stuck with him since I can't think of a team who would want him in a trade.

Everybody loves to trade for an expiring contract.

[Agloco]

Gooden :td:td :td

+1

Are we or aren't we going to stick with what got the Spurs 4 titles?

There seems to be a bit of schizophrenia going on around here when it comes to who should be on the roster next year.

Finley? Give him the 2.5 and an extra mil if he agrees to walk.

Bowen? Keep him as long as he's seeing some consistent minutes. They need not be starters minutes but he needs some minutes consistently so that he can maintain a rhythm. I think we asked far too much of him seeing as we had him shelved for much of the year.

Gooden? See above

[anonoftheinternets]

Gooden :td:td :td

+1 unless its for MLE, but it wont, 28, new contract, like hell hes gonna sign for a pittance ....

[EricB]

+1

Are we or aren't we going to stick with what got the Spurs 4 titles?

There seems to be a bit of schizophrenia going on around here when it comes to who should be on the roster next year.

Finley? Give him the 2.5 and an extra mil if he agrees to walk.

Bowen? Keep him as long as he's seeing some consistent minutes. They need not be starters minutes but he needs some minutes consistently so that he can maintain a rhythm. I think we asked far too much of him seeing as we had him shelved for much of the year.

Gooden? See above


Great post :tu

[superbigtime]

Spurs would be lucky to sign Gooden for MLE the way he was mismanaged and underutilized in favor of loser Bonner by Pop. Spurs will find NO ONE on the market who can play in the low post and rebound like Gooden can. The dude is 27 years old! Dice would be an upgrade over Thomas, but I think Dice, Thomas and especially Sheed are all over the hill. I would rather have Gooden. He can shoot free throws well also.

Finley at 2.5 mill ... I think yes. But Pop needs to learn to stop overplaying him.

Bowen ... of course he's coming back. He will be a valuable trade asset with his expiring contract.

[Allanon]

It seems I'm the only one that thinks the Spurs should get as far away from Gooden as possible.

He was a good bandage, but with a full season, I think the Spurs can do better with that money. If there's nothing possibly better, then ok, re-sign but as the last option.

Very erratic player...one night an all-star, the next night a scrub. And his D still keeps him out of games.

[Manufan909]

If what Pop had to say in his press conference is really true, then that should mean that even he must put aside his Finley man-crush. There's no way they can bring him back.

What did he say exactly?

[mingus]

Spurs would be lucky to sign Gooden for MLE the way he was mismanaged and underutilized in favor of loser Bonner by Pop. Spurs will find NO ONE on the market who can play in the low post and rebound like Gooden can. The dude is 27 years old! Dice would be an upgrade over Thomas, but I think Dice, Thomas and especially Sheed are all over the hill. I would rather have Gooden. He can shoot free throws well also.

Finley at 2.5 mill ... I think yes. But Pop needs to learn to stop overplaying him.

Bowen ... of course he's coming back. He will be a valuable trade asset with his expiring contract.

i'm sorry but you can't fix someone who's unmotivated and lacks the intelligence/focus to make a simple defensive rotation . he showed he couldn't do that on the Spurs and that's what they've always built their team around ... i'd give him the benefit of the doubt , but it's why he's been with so many teams over the course of his career ... so obviously he hasn't changed in that respect .

[Rogue]

i'm sorry but you can't fix someone who's unmotivated and lacks the intelligence/focus to make a simple defensive rotation . he showed he couldn't do that on the Spurs and that's what they've always built their team around ... i'd give him the benefit of the doubt , but it's why he's been with so many teams over the course of his career ... so obviously he hasn't changed in that respect .
In that aspect he has changed a lot, not improvement but decrease. I think that's precisely why he got waived earlier in the regular season. with the dream of winning a champion ring, Gooden joined the spurs before the postseason began but his playoff trip with the spurs turned out to be a first round exit. Surely the disappointed Gooden will join any other team but the spurs, probably his next destination will be the title contenders like cavs and mavs.

[texasqb2]

Why in the world wouldn't you want to have Finley back at 2.5 mil? Who in the world are you going to get better for our team for that money?

I don't usually post on here, but come on guys. Finley may not be the greatest player in the world, but he can still be a great shooter for us and is an excellent locker room guy. He is not our problem.

Our problem this year lied in MANU. He's my favorite player but him and his salary/injuries were what was wrong with this team not Finley. Finley is a great player to have off our bench.

[superbigtime]

i'm sorry but you can't fix someone who's unmotivated and lacks the intelligence/focus to make a simple defensive rotation . he showed he couldn't do that on the Spurs and that's what they've always built their team around ... i'd give him the benefit of the doubt , but it's why he's been with so many teams over the course of his career ... so obviously he hasn't changed in that respect .

Just because he's bounced around the league some doesn't mean that he can't have a meaningful role with a team. I see a different player than alot of people here I guess. He doesn't seem unmotivated or lazy to me and he says the right things. Dude can't have much of an impact when he's getting less than 10 minutes. I'll admit that he may be inattentive sometimes but I don't think he's the only one like that. I'm concerned the coaching staff (including Pop) isn't reaching all of the players, but I think that could be fixed by getting a young assistant coach who is a former player, sort of like a Mario Elie. A player's advocate. Just imagine Sean Elliott as a Spurs assistant.

[superbigtime]

In that aspect he has changed a lot, not improvement but decrease. I think that's precisely why he got waived earlier in the regular season. with the dream of winning a champion ring, Gooden joined the spurs before the postseason began but his playoff trip with the spurs turned out to be a first round exit. Surely the disappointed Gooden will join any other team but the spurs, probably his next destination will be the title contenders like cavs and mavs.

Mavs are not a serious contender and neither were the Spurs this year.

[Mr Bones]

Gooden has shortcomings, but those shortcomings can't begin to compare to those of Bonner, whose one strength is hitting open threes when he has the confidence to shoot, but whose shortcomings include interior & perimeter defense, driving the lane, drawing fouls, playing in pressure situations, scoring on the inside, ball-handling, passing...well, in a nutshell, everything other than shooting wide open threes.

[cheney212]

i want gooden back i think if we tried to help get him better on defense he could help us hell he cant do any worse then bonner

[spursncowboys]

Bowen- ONE more year.
Finley- Goodbye.
Gooden- Yes, re-sign him. With a full training-camp under the Spurs I think he will be a good piece for us going into next year. Yes his defense needs work, but YOUNG post players with moves like him, a scorer, a rebounder...do not come around very often, especially for the Spurs.
:toast
I think Gooden defense will come to light once he realizes the Spurs schemes. If Gooden was with the team all season, I think we would have done alot better with teams like Den, and LA.
Bowen, in a wheelchair, will play better d than 80 % of the players in the league!
:flag:

[Cant_Be_Faded]

It's a damn shame Finley earned more money playing basketball than David Robinson. He'll also probably end up earning twice as much as Manu :td

Thank oh glorious Cuban.

[rogcl1]

Why in the world wouldn't you want to have Finley back at 2.5 mil? Who in the world are you going to get better for our team for that money?

I don't usually post on here, but come on guys. Finley may not be the greatest player in the world, but he can still be a great shooter for us and is an excellent locker room guy. He is not our problem.

Our problem this year lied in MANU. He's my favorite player but him and his salary/injuries were what was wrong with this team not Finley. Finley is a great player to have off our bench.

One of the spurs problems was that Finley ended up guarding opposing teams scorers that Bowen used to guard. That is a huge problem. And don't tell me how much improved his defense is.Watch some game film. Finley at anything other than limited minutes is a huge problem.

[baseline bum]

Best-case scenario is Finley's expiring deal is used to get someone who can contribute from a team needing cap relief. Gooden is not my option #1 with the MLE, but he's worth keeping if Dice and Sheed don't come.

[SenorSpur]

One of the spurs problems was that Finley ended up guarding opposing teams scorers that Bowen used to guard. That is a huge problem. And don't tell me how much improved his defense is.Watch some game film. Finley at anything other than limited minutes is a huge problem.

+1

Finley is an inconsistent liability on both sides of the ball. His occasional good streaks of shooting are not enough to make for his declining skills ore enough to justify him occupying a roster spot for another season. Besides all that, we all know how Pop incessantly tends to overplay him - no matter who is healthy. I say again, there is no team in the NBA where the Spurs win the matchup at the SF position with Finley in the starting lineup. All of which is why Finley, at 2.5 mil, cannot be welcomed back.