duncan228
06-22-2009, 10:26 PM
Udoka waits for news on future with Spurs (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Udoka_waits_for_news_on_future_with_Spurs.html)
Mike Monroe
Spurs fans are eager to know what their team may, or may not, do between now and Thursday's NBA draft.
So, too, are the players who were on the roster when the team made its early exit from the playoffs, and if you are a player less than two weeks from free agency, anxiety is a daily companion.
Ime Udoka's path to the Spurs included stops in Spain, France, the NBA D-League, and minor-league teams in Fargo, N.D., and Glens Falls, N.Y. It is a career history that mitigates abject fear of the unknown, but Udoka will be watching the telecast of Thursday's draft to the bitter end, attuned to any news with a potential to affect his future in silver and black, with a touch of nervousness about what he may hear.
Udoka will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but his exit interview with Gregg Popovich in April offered little assurance that a new contract offer would be forthcoming.
“At my end-of-season meeting with Pop, he told me it depends on what they do in the offseason,” Udoka said from Charlottesville, Va., where he was one of a dozen NBA players involved in the National Basketball Players Association's annual Top 100 camp for some of the nation's best high school stars. “I'll listen to all my options and opportunities and make a decision in the next couple of weeks about what I'm going to do.”
Udoka lacks the athleticism and skill level of most NBA players but landed in the NBA through dedication to defense. He has a reputation as a tireless worker with a team-first approach, traits certain to secure a job on another NBA team if the Spurs don't want to keep him.
His first choice is to remain in San Antonio, the first NBA team that ever guaranteed him a paycheck for more than one season. He knows the team values his work ethic and toughness. But he also believes roster change is in the offing, and his history tells him to be prepared for anything.
“Getting knocked out in the first round is something nobody here is accustomed to, so I'm sure they might shake some things up,” he said. “I'm just anxious to see where I fall in that process.”
A team that already has three All-Stars doesn't need to blow up its core, but the additions the Spurs have made the past two summers, including the addition of Udoka, haven't kept pace with improvements made by some of their Western Conference rivals.
If the Spurs were to make a major deal in the days, or hours, before the draft, it would not be a shock. Udoka's expiring contract might even become a bargaining chip in such a deal.
Still, Udoka hopes he remains with a Spurs team that has a healthy Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. He was encouraged to hear that Ginobili had promised he would be 100 percent healthy for the start of training camp. He would love to be part of a playoff run with a completely healthy “Big Three.”
“Any time you've got that kind of nucleus,” he said, “you just need to do minor tinkering around it.”
Now 32, Udoka is preparing for a coaching career when his playing days end, which explains his presence at the NBPA Top 100 camp, which brings together most of the top 100 high school players to interact with NBA players participating in the union's coaching development program.
“Obviously, I want to play for quite a few more years,” Udoka said, “but all the coaches I've played for have mentioned to me that I might want to think about coaching someday. That includes Pop, and that got my attention.”
The NBA players work with the high schoolers on individual skills and coach them in competitive games. They also mentor them about what it is like being in the NBA.
Udoka told them about the value of persistence and patience.
Now, he hopes for a summer that won't require too much of either trait.
By late Thursday night, he should have a much better feel for his free-agent summer.
Mike Monroe
Spurs fans are eager to know what their team may, or may not, do between now and Thursday's NBA draft.
So, too, are the players who were on the roster when the team made its early exit from the playoffs, and if you are a player less than two weeks from free agency, anxiety is a daily companion.
Ime Udoka's path to the Spurs included stops in Spain, France, the NBA D-League, and minor-league teams in Fargo, N.D., and Glens Falls, N.Y. It is a career history that mitigates abject fear of the unknown, but Udoka will be watching the telecast of Thursday's draft to the bitter end, attuned to any news with a potential to affect his future in silver and black, with a touch of nervousness about what he may hear.
Udoka will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but his exit interview with Gregg Popovich in April offered little assurance that a new contract offer would be forthcoming.
“At my end-of-season meeting with Pop, he told me it depends on what they do in the offseason,” Udoka said from Charlottesville, Va., where he was one of a dozen NBA players involved in the National Basketball Players Association's annual Top 100 camp for some of the nation's best high school stars. “I'll listen to all my options and opportunities and make a decision in the next couple of weeks about what I'm going to do.”
Udoka lacks the athleticism and skill level of most NBA players but landed in the NBA through dedication to defense. He has a reputation as a tireless worker with a team-first approach, traits certain to secure a job on another NBA team if the Spurs don't want to keep him.
His first choice is to remain in San Antonio, the first NBA team that ever guaranteed him a paycheck for more than one season. He knows the team values his work ethic and toughness. But he also believes roster change is in the offing, and his history tells him to be prepared for anything.
“Getting knocked out in the first round is something nobody here is accustomed to, so I'm sure they might shake some things up,” he said. “I'm just anxious to see where I fall in that process.”
A team that already has three All-Stars doesn't need to blow up its core, but the additions the Spurs have made the past two summers, including the addition of Udoka, haven't kept pace with improvements made by some of their Western Conference rivals.
If the Spurs were to make a major deal in the days, or hours, before the draft, it would not be a shock. Udoka's expiring contract might even become a bargaining chip in such a deal.
Still, Udoka hopes he remains with a Spurs team that has a healthy Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. He was encouraged to hear that Ginobili had promised he would be 100 percent healthy for the start of training camp. He would love to be part of a playoff run with a completely healthy “Big Three.”
“Any time you've got that kind of nucleus,” he said, “you just need to do minor tinkering around it.”
Now 32, Udoka is preparing for a coaching career when his playing days end, which explains his presence at the NBPA Top 100 camp, which brings together most of the top 100 high school players to interact with NBA players participating in the union's coaching development program.
“Obviously, I want to play for quite a few more years,” Udoka said, “but all the coaches I've played for have mentioned to me that I might want to think about coaching someday. That includes Pop, and that got my attention.”
The NBA players work with the high schoolers on individual skills and coach them in competitive games. They also mentor them about what it is like being in the NBA.
Udoka told them about the value of persistence and patience.
Now, he hopes for a summer that won't require too much of either trait.
By late Thursday night, he should have a much better feel for his free-agent summer.