Jeff McDonald: Big news for Ime

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Jeff McDonald: Big news for Ime
Let the record show that when Brent Barry went down with a sprained ankle in the second half of the Spurs' victory over Miami on Wednesday night, Ime Udoka did not smile. Not even a little bit.

Even though it was probably the best thing that's happened to Udoka since he arrived in San Antonio two months ago.

Udoka was the semi-prized pick-up of the Spurs' offseason, after he started 75 games in Portland last year. He's had trouble even getting off the bench for the Spurs, mostly because of the conga line of quality 2s and 3s on the roster. Udoka has been the odd man out in the rotation so far, not even playing in three of the Spurs' first five games.

That could be set to change for as long as Barry is out. X-rays were negative on Barry's ankle, and he is listed as day-to-day. For the time being, Udoka will slide one spot over on the bench, meaning he ought to stand a better chance of seeing the floor in the days to come.

All along, coach Gregg Popovich has maintained that all Udoka needed was a chance to work himself into the rotation. Barry's injury gives him that chance, at least temporarily. Let's see what he makes of it.

Probably the only way to get into the rotation though the injury to Barry is unfortunate. Hope he makes the best of it and when Barry comes back we'll have a more cohesive bench.

I bet Barry is faking the severity of his injury, just so Ime could see some court time....What a swell guy. :downspin:

Barry was doing well for us. I'm gonna go ahead and say that Ime will take a spot in the rotation. Finley's that is.

I really think the Spurs will need Udoka later in the season if they are going to win another championship.

I like where Barry is at this year, but it's about damn time Udoka can step in. I'm ready to see more of what this guy can do.

At this stage of his career, I don't think much of Barry and his declining abilities. Sure he can still stroke it from 3-ball range - but not much else. It's unfortunate that he got injured. However at this time, I'd rather see what value Udoka can bring. I especially wanted to see more of him versus Bonzi the other night. After all, no one else was able to slow his ass down.

If Udoka can similar provide offensive contributions along with his expected stellar defensive play, no one will miss Barry.

it just too bad that this happened again, Barry was playing well last year b4 the 2 head injury, this year he is looking good till this..... hope he will come back strong!

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Originally Posted by remingtonbo2001

I bet Barry is faking the severity of his injury, just so Ime could see some court time....

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Or not.

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Originally Posted by SenorSpur

At this stage of his career, I don't think much of Barry and his declining abilities. Sure he can still stroke it from 3-ball range - but not much else. It's unfortunate that he got injured. However at this time, I'd rather see what value Udoka can bring. I especially wanted to see more of him versus Bonzi the other night. After all, no one else was able to slow his ass down.

If Udoka can similar provide offensive contributions along with his expected stellar defensive play, no one will miss Barry.

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Barry and Udoka play totally different games. I think Udoka is a better replacement for Finley. Finley's offense hasn't been spectacular. If his shot isn't falling I think Udoka can do more things on the court. Though Barry is declining and can't rebound well, his presence creates a much more fluid offense than Finley.

Barry isn't really injured, but since it's the beginning of the season he might miss a few, but even after he went down Ime didn't play, Red Rocket did.

I guess he's bound to get a few minutes though...

Awwww. I'll miss Barry in the Spurs games. His release is one of the quickest in the league, and one of the most accurate too.

Good for Ime though. And Washington could probably get more minutes from this.

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Originally Posted by PM5K

Barry isn't really injured, but since it's the beginning of the season he might miss a few, but even after he went down Ime didn't play, Red Rocket did.

I guess he's bound to get a few minutes though...

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Or not.

i move udoka up the rotation ahead of finley/barry whoever else...

Lower Finley's minutes and give them to Ime. He needs to be immersed in the Spurs' system ASAP and with that move, it will also give Finley the hunger to play.

Finley is one of the few Spurs players that can shoot a jump shot off the dribble. Finley can do everything Udoka can and then some. I concede Udoka would have been a perfect guy to stick on Bonzi, though. Udoka rebounds well it seems, and Bonzi has always hurt the Spurs in that area. Udoka is a situational player, imo. Not a regular rotation guy. Especially when he doesn't know where the hell he needs to be on the floor.

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Originally Posted by pawe

Lower Finley's minutes and give them to Ime. He needs to be immersed in the Spurs' system ASAP and with that move, it will also give Finley the hunger to play.

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True dat. Pop NEEDS to get Ime some pt early so he can pay dividends later. I for one am perfectly happy to trade early season losses for late-season experience. The odd thing, it used to be Pop already knew this and did it automatically. Why is he so gung-ho to win the November title this year?

I'd rather Pop give some of Finley's time to Ime......or even Bowen's.

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Originally Posted by TheAuthority

Finley is one of the few Spurs players that can shoot a jump shot off the dribble. Finley can do everything Udoka can and then some. I concede Udoka would have been a perfect guy to stick on Bonzi, though. Udoka rebounds well it seems, and Bonzi has always hurt the Spurs in that area. Udoka is a situational player, imo. Not a regular rotation guy. Especially when he doesn't know where the hell he needs to be on the floor.

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You're seriously the biggest Udoka-hater I've ever seen. What did the guy ever do to you?

I'd rather Udoka start and Finley comes off the bench with Manu.

Good luck to Ime though, hope he fucks teams up soon :toast

Barry is an excellent ball player and I wish him the best on a speedy return. In the mean time, hopefully Udoka makes the most of this opportunity. I'd love to see him turn in to what most of us think he can be for this team.

The best thing about having such a deep team is that Pop has the ability to use whomever is the healthiest and playing well.

Barry and Finley both heated and cooled at different times last season, and now there is a third option to keep both of them honest throughout the season.

Having Ime as insurance this year is a big plus, though I don't know if he ends up being a regular part of the rotation just yet.

Here's hoping he makes the most of the opportunity...

Better start picking up the team defensive rotations and knowing where your help is really soon...

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Originally Posted by Darkwaters

You're seriously the biggest Udoka-hater I've ever seen. What did the guy ever do to you?

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He's just pointing out that Finley has some strengths that neither Udoka or Barry have.

Finley can knock down the mid-range jumper off the dribble, off a screen, and/or with a hand in his face. He also has the ability to hit a set jumper.

He's the only wing player outside of Manu that can do all of the above. The problem is that he's a hot/cold shooter and on some nights he may never find his rhythm.

And Barry is the best 3pt shooter on the team, who also still has the ability to find and deliver to the open man and to run the court (despite being older).

Again, to the point in my post above...Ime is good for the team because he'll challenge Finley or Barry if they aren't performing.

As of right now though, I'd give either the upperhand for minutes over Udoka given their familiarity with the system and obvious strengths.

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Originally Posted by PHAT TONY

He's just pointing out that Finley has some strengths that neither Udoka or Barry have.

Finley can knock down the mid-range jumper off the dribble, off a screen, and/or with a hand in his face. He also has the ability to hit a set jumper.

He's the only wing player outside of Manu that can do all of the above. The problem is that he's a hot/cold shooter and on some nights he may never find his rhythm.

And Barry is the best 3pt shooter on the team, who also still has the ability to find and deliver to the open man and to run the court (despite being older).

Again, to the point in my post above...Ime is good for the team because he'll challenge Finley or Barry if they aren't performing.

As of right now though, I'd give either the upperhand for minutes over Udoka given their familiarity with the system and obvious strengths.

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There are valid points to be made there, but that guy is a Udoka hater for apparently no reason. His other posts all show just that.

We all have a tendency to overrate newcomers. What is new is always more appealing than the old stuff you have.
Udoka could crack the rotation this year but he could too never be able to outplay Finley or Barry.

I reather play Ime tham Finley and Barry,He can play better D,tham both of them,while the Big 3 averages almost 80 PPg together.
With Bowen and Udoka Hiting a couple of 3s every now and them,and playing tough D,the team will benefit the most,reather tham playing Finley and Barry,who are good (when on fire)on the offensive end,but really poor on the Defensive end.

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Originally Posted by ArgSpursFan.

I reather play Ime tham Finley and Barry,He can play better D,tham both of them,while the Big 3 averages almost 80 PPg together.
With Bowen and Udoka Hiting a couple of 3s every now and them,and playing tough D,the team will benefit the most,reather tham playing Finley and Barry,who are good (when on fire)on the offensive end,but really poor on the Defensive end.

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Finley is not poor on the defensive end and Barry has improved dramatically...but you are correct with your assumption that Ime is better than both. Still, both Finley and Barry have spent more time in the system and understand the defensive rotations/general principles run by Pop.

It would also be incorrect to assume that Barry's three-point shooting and Finley's ability to knock down contested shots are not valuable to the Spurs on offense. In fact, the Spurs rely heavily on the ability to make the three-point shot, and while Udoka is by no means a poor shooter he's not in the class of either Barry or Finley. Despite the Big 3 averaging over 60 PPG, not 80, the Spurs rely on others to provide offense.

Again, I think Ime is a solid option should either Barry or Finley suffer an injury or extended cold streak...but I'm just not sure he's ready to overtake them permanently until he has more time in the system.

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Originally Posted by The Truth #6

Barry and Udoka play totally different games. I think Udoka is a better replacement for Finley. Finley's offense hasn't been spectacular. If his shot isn't falling I think Udoka can do more things on the court. Though Barry is declining and can't rebound well, his presence creates a much more fluid offense than Finley.

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Come to think of it, I don't think that much of Finley's declining abilities either, at this point.

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Originally Posted by PHAT TONY

Finley is not poor on the defensive end and Barry has improved dramatically...but you are correct with your assumption that Ime is better than both.

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And how do you equate this mediocre scrub being better than a former all-star and Barry... who obviously has a ton of offensive skill and versatility? What has he EVER done in his career? Average like 9 points a game on a shitty squad not even worth mentioning?

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Originally Posted by TheAuthority

And how do you equate this mediocre scrub being better than a former all-star and Barry... who obviously has a ton of offensive skill and versatility? What has he EVER done in his career? Average like 9 points a game on a shitty squad not even worth mentioning?

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When Bowen was Ime's age he didn't even have as large of a resume as Udoka has already compiled. But he worked out ok.

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Originally Posted by TheAuthority

And how do you equate this mediocre scrub being better than a former all-star and Barry... who obviously has a ton of offensive skill and versatility? What has he EVER done in his career? Average like 9 points a game on a shitty squad not even worth mentioning?

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If you would read the entire post maybe you wouldn't misunderstand me....

I was saying that Ime is better than both DEFENSIVELY!

He has better athleticism and effort than Finley at this point in his career and he has better fundamentals/awareness than Barry.

I don't think, however, that Ime has nearly as good an offensive game as those two....

And went on to say that both should be ahead of him in the rotation at this point....which you would have seen if you'd have read my entire posts on the subject.