Did Gooden do enough?

[raspsa]

Do you think Gooden did enough in the limited games he played to convince the FO to throw some serious money at him?

[draft87]

how much money are we talking about?

he showed much needed offensive skills-points/rebounding

was lost during the playoffs, but can't really fault him. he joined way late in the season and saw a few different rotation adjustments with the ginobili/mason/hill situations and then a huge adjustment to dallas. the spurs systems are complicated enough that i wouldn't hold it against him for being worthless from game 2 out.

if the FO has a nice sit down where he buys in to the system i think he's a keeper for 3 yrs 8 million? am i totally making up numbers here? what's the guideline for a player of his experience? he might be too young for a 'veteran's minimum' but i guess what i'm saying is so far he's proven to be offense only. maybe give him a 1 year deal saying, "play some monster d, prove you can guard Dirk, LA, Pau, West, A Jeff, KG, Griffin?, and then we'll talk about long term" unless this summer comes up empty and we definitely need a big that can provide 8-15pts and 5-10 rebounds per game.

[xellos88330]

I agree with giving him another year. If he works out, great! If not, trade material.

I think he came close to earning his money. If he had been able to play for a whole season I could have a better idea whether or not he has bought into the system or not.

[Obstructed_View]

It usually takes players, especially bigs, a year to figure out the defense. Gooden had a few games and everyone started talking about what an idiot he was. The fact that he managed to get on the floor so quickly should be a plus not a minus.

[TJastal]

They need to put his ass on the stairmaster, every time they showed a close up of him running his bottom lip and jaw were jiggling and he made running up and down the court look like hard work

[exstatic]

His agent is the one that represented Stephen Jackson. He turned down like a 3yrs/$9M contract and then signed in ATL for 1yr/$1M. They won't be offering the Spurs a discount. If the Spurs don't come across with the money they want (likely, the entire MLE), he'll just leave, possibly to sign with someone else for less again.

Anyone who bought a Gooden Spurs jersey has an excellent chance of owning a collector's item. I have a hard time envisioning a scenario where he comes back.

[Stump]

He wasn't quite as effective in the playoffs, but that's understandable given his short time with the team and his injury.

He should remain an option, but I certainly wouldn't consider him a primary one. There are a handful of trade opportunities and other free agents that would be more appealing than Gooden, especially since the Spurs will likely have to use part of the MLE to keep him.

[Extra Stout]

Gooden came in with a reputation as a player with good offensive talent, who could rebound, but was kind of clueless on how to play within a team system. He also was known as a knucklehead.

While he behaved himself as a Spur, his play was that of a player with good offensive talent, who rebounded, but was clueless on how to play within a team system. He was a black hole when he got the ball, and had zero concept of team defense. I don't think this was because he was unwilling; he really seemed to want to fit in, but it just doesn't seem like he's smart enough to "get it."

When the Spurs signed Gooden, to several observers around the country it looked like a sign of desperation from a team totally depleted in talent around its big 3. Based upon the result of the season, I would say those observers were correct. It goes to show just what a steaming pile of dog the roster was that 1) Gooden looked like a real improvement, 2) Spurs fans' perception of talent has been recalibrated so that he seems like he could be a major contributor going forward.

In sum, Gooden has a place in an NBA rotation as a journeyman big man, but not as a guy who gets lots of money thrown at him. That he even has a place in an NBA rotation is more than can be said for the likes of Matt Bonner or Fabricio Oberto at this point.

P.S. R.C. Buford sucks at his job and should be fired.

[urunobili]

not more than 12 mill for a couple of years... same money Gortat should get...

[Avitus1]

No.

[sam1617]

No, Gooden should go get a chunk of money from some crap team, and be a more crazy, less violent Zach Randolph type player, putting up decent to good numbers for a terrible team.

Gooden is an idiot when it comes to playing within his teams gameplan, unless that said plan involves him shooting whenever he gets the ball and standing around the rest of the time. And I would rather have Fabby's dessicated corpse out there on defense than Gooden.

[benefactor]

The Gooden situation is an interesting one. We really only had a small sample but from what we saw we know that he is solid offensively all around and can rebound...though his rebounding seemed to regress a bit towards the end of his stint. He was without a doubt a black hole, even to the point that he could not pass out of double teams. On defense he was serviceable, but that is pretty much all we hoped for when we got him.

He basically had a crash course in the system, so one cannot definitively say that he is incapable of learning it...but from what we have seen in the past with previous teams it makes one wonder. Overall, I think there are just too many questions to commit significant money/contract length to him. If he would agree to a one year MLE deal that might be the best case scenario if we wanted to give him a shot at a full season with us. But honestly, he will probably be looking for more than that...and if that is the case then he should look elsewhere.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

When the Spurs signed Gooden, to several observers around the country it looked like a sign of desperation from a team totally depleted in talent around its big 3. Based upon the result of the season, I would say those observers were correct. It goes to show just what a steaming pile of dog the roster was that 1) Gooden looked like a real improvement, 2) Spurs fans' perception of talent has been recalibrated so that he seems like he could be a major contributor going forward.

It's true. I even got drawn into thinking he was good for us, and I used to constantly say how bad this guy sucked ever since he was drafted.

What this team needs is a draft pick of at least a George Hill surprise level, but a big man. Oh wait, no first round pick.

[Twisted_Dawg]

I wonder if he already fell into the Black Hole known as Pop's Doghouse?

Without a doubt, I am sure Pop has received Mike Brown's opinion of Gooden, and based on Brown's opinion, Gooden's short Spur experieince (on the court & in the locker room), the Spur's will make a decision on offering him a contract.

Early Money: Don't count on it.

[ploto]

Does he even want to come back is more the question after riding the pine in the playoffs and being out in the first round?

[wildbill2u]

Hard to judge Gooden based on his play here. He was in a short term situation with a FA year coming up. Since many people, including knuckleheaded players, think the bottom line is scoring (and a little rebounding doesn't hurt), the incentive was there for him to shoot every time to make a better deal this summer, if not with the Spurs then with some other team.

I'd imagine Mike Brown gave Pop all his info BEFORE the Spurs picked Gooden up. They talk all the time. So Pop probably knew what he was buying into--and he still pulled the trigger.

My guess is that he will want more than he's worth to the Spurs and will go off somewhere chasing the buck a la Stephen Jackson. Some think players are fools for chasing the bucks instead of a championship, but for most people, the buck is where it stops. Especially for a run of the mill big who is never going to be a superstar.

[Extra Stout]

Hey Extra Stout, how many rings does RC have? Another angry pesudo-fan that hates the FO when they aren't doing their best but kiss their ass when they are winning. The Spurs can't win it all every year, buddy.

R.C. Buford has four rings. His poor performance over the past several years ensures he has a negligible chance at a fifth. He was ahead of the curve five to ten years ago with regard to international scouting, but the rest of the league has long since caught up and surpassed the Spurs.

[sananspursfan21]

i've heard mixed things about him even wanting to stay. i don't know if the spurs fo want him back, but gooden originally said he wanted to be a spur for the rest of his career but then later i heard some rumor about him wanting to leave. i don't know though, i can't garuantee anything that i just typed was true

[SenorSpur]

The Gooden situation IS indeed an interesting one.

On one hand, I believe we saw flashes of what he could be and how he could help the Spurs. Though he's not the greatest low-post defender in the world, he can create his own shot and is big and phsyical. I don't get too caught up in the whole "black hole" thing because I trust that Pop could "coach" that part out of his game. The bottom line is he definitely adds value, especially from a low-post scoring and rebounding perspective. The mere fact that the Spurs do not have another viable option, like him, on the roster makes it worth looking at him again. The Spurs would be foolish to simply let him walk without so much as a possible negotiation discussion. As such, I wouldn't mind seeing him back at a reasonable, short-term deal.

On the other hand, if the Spurs are able to nab a guy like Marcin Gortat (Orlando), via free agency, then that acquisition would make Gooden expendable.

[jacobdrj]

Keep Gooden. Not for more than 7 mill a year.

[Brutalis]

Gooden wants to be a Spur but at what cost is the question. Like some mentioned above anything over 5-7 mil is pushing it. We saw good flashes and Pop did have handcuffs on him a lot so yeah.

[rogcl1]

Keep Gooden. Not for more than 7 mill a year.

If Drew Gooden gets 7 million or more, then the NBA deserves to go the way of GM(Government Motors)

[rayray2k8]

He did enough to want to keep him, but he'll ask for too much.
Expect the spurs to let him walk.

[ploto]

Some think players are fools for chasing the bucks instead of a championship, but for most people, the buck is where it stops.

People used to be able to talk about taking a pay cut to play for the Spurs for a chance to win a championship, but can you even claim it to be true anymore? Do the Spurs have that ammunition left ahead of a bunch of other teams where players may think they have a better chance to win a le.

[BackHome]

The league is so competative that no longer is it up to two teams on who will win a ring. So decent players can get good contracts for playing for teams that have a legit chance in winning a ring.

As far as Gooden sometimes I liked him and sometimes he sucked. He kinda reminds me of a friend of mine who has been divorced four times. When we go out all the guys are like "Wow she is cool" and I just laugh and say wait till you get to know her..Ok she is bi-polar but she is still cool to hang out with. My point is that he has been in the league something like 7 years and has been traded six times. I think you got to see the warning signs before you propose.