tlongII
08-17-2007, 02:06 PM
http://blog.oregonlive.com/blazers/
Posted by Casey Holdahl August 17, 2007 10:55AM
It comes as no surprise, but now it's official: Ime Udoka is a Spur. On behalf of the blog, best of luck to Ime in San Antonio. That first game of the season just got a little more interesting. A Roy vs. Udoka match-up will be fun to watch, assuming Ime gets off the bench.
The Dime Smack Daily Blog had some nice things to say about Ime (can you really say anything not nice about Ime?):
We called it from the moment Portland chose Travis Outlaw over Ime Udoka: that Udoka was gonna end up on the Spurs. It might seem like a "so what?" signing, but Udoka is solid. He was a full-time starting small forward in the League last year, and is a great defender who works his butt off. Do you know how he made the Blazers last year? He was out of the League and, since he lived in Portland, was just working out at the facility every day. He was good enough to land a tryout, and as the season approached, guys like Jarrett Jack said they would protest if he didn't make the squad.
As you might expect, people in San Antonio are already drawing comparisons between Ime and Bruce Bowen due to their shared experiences as undrafted free agents, defensive specialists and solid three-point shooters:
Udoka said he knew well the story of Bowen's path to the NBA, one that took him to Europe and the Continental Basketball Association before he caught on with an NBA team. In fact, he said he has tried to emulate Bowen's game.
"Definitely, in a lot of ways (I have)," Udoka said. "He keeps the game simple and is known as one of best perimeter defenders. That's what I am: a hard worker who takes challenges against the top scorers. That's what I did every night in Portland."
The opportunity to be Bowen's "understudy" was part of the appeal in coming to San Antonio, Udoka said.
"I just want to come in and work hard and learn from great teammates like Bruce," Udoka said. "I understand defense is a team thing, and they're one of top defensive teams in the league. It has been an honor to be compared with great defenders like Bruce and Mario Elie. I definitely don't try to be something I'm not."
Posted by Casey Holdahl August 17, 2007 10:55AM
It comes as no surprise, but now it's official: Ime Udoka is a Spur. On behalf of the blog, best of luck to Ime in San Antonio. That first game of the season just got a little more interesting. A Roy vs. Udoka match-up will be fun to watch, assuming Ime gets off the bench.
The Dime Smack Daily Blog had some nice things to say about Ime (can you really say anything not nice about Ime?):
We called it from the moment Portland chose Travis Outlaw over Ime Udoka: that Udoka was gonna end up on the Spurs. It might seem like a "so what?" signing, but Udoka is solid. He was a full-time starting small forward in the League last year, and is a great defender who works his butt off. Do you know how he made the Blazers last year? He was out of the League and, since he lived in Portland, was just working out at the facility every day. He was good enough to land a tryout, and as the season approached, guys like Jarrett Jack said they would protest if he didn't make the squad.
As you might expect, people in San Antonio are already drawing comparisons between Ime and Bruce Bowen due to their shared experiences as undrafted free agents, defensive specialists and solid three-point shooters:
Udoka said he knew well the story of Bowen's path to the NBA, one that took him to Europe and the Continental Basketball Association before he caught on with an NBA team. In fact, he said he has tried to emulate Bowen's game.
"Definitely, in a lot of ways (I have)," Udoka said. "He keeps the game simple and is known as one of best perimeter defenders. That's what I am: a hard worker who takes challenges against the top scorers. That's what I did every night in Portland."
The opportunity to be Bowen's "understudy" was part of the appeal in coming to San Antonio, Udoka said.
"I just want to come in and work hard and learn from great teammates like Bruce," Udoka said. "I understand defense is a team thing, and they're one of top defensive teams in the league. It has been an honor to be compared with great defenders like Bruce and Mario Elie. I definitely don't try to be something I'm not."