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Has hard work given him an extra three inches in height?
http://www.oregonlive.com/nba/oregon...350.xml&coll=7
Hard work gives him that edge
Spurs forward and former Portland State star Ime Udoka wants to expand his game and "stay sharp"
Geoffrey C. Arrnold
The opening of the NBA training camp is almost eight weeks away, but Ime Udoka is busy preparing himself for the upcoming season.
"You have to stay sharp," Udoka said. "I'm not gonna change what got me here. I'm not gonna be complacent."
Udoka, entering his third full season, could be the second-most prominent NBA player from Oregon and southwest Washington next season. Only Kevin Love, a rookie with Minnesota, figures to get more playing time, barring injury.
The only other player from an area high school with a guaranteed contract is Thomas Gardner. The rest are hoping that hard work during the summer will result in securing a roster spot in the fall, a goal Udoka achieved two years ago with the Trail Blazers.
Udoka's role and playing time likely will increase as he begins his second season with the San Antonio Spurs. Udoka's minutes increased during the playoffs last season, when the Spurs lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals.
Personnel changes have thinned the Spurs' depth at the wing position, creating an opportunity for Udoka. Brent Barry is now with Phoenix and Michael Finley might not return to San Antonio. Bruce Bowen, 37 and entering his 13th season, Manu Ginobili and Udoka are the Spurs' remaining wing players. Udoka plans to arrive at training camp ready to start the season in coach Gregg Popovich's regular rotation.
Udoka, 31, a former Portland State star, has been working to expand his game beyond being the "heir apparent" to Bowen as a defensive specialist and three-point shooter.
"I don't want to limit myself to just being a spot-up shooter," Udoka said. "I'm going to try to get to the basket a little more and do a few more things like pass the ball."
Udoka doesn't know how to stop working, especially after having right ankle surgery in July that delayed his offseason workouts. His at ude is the result of playing for several seasons in the International Basketball League, National Basketball Development League and overseas before his breakthrough with the Blazers.
"It's a matter of improving myself," Udoka said. "I'm going to be watching a lot of tape and do a lot of the mental (preparation) this summer. I want to go into camp on top of things offensively and defensively."
A solid, injury-free season in 2008-09 could land Udoka a multiyear, multimillion-dollar contract next summer.
"They always say guys in San Antonio have a better second year than first year because you have a year under your belt and you're a lot more comfortable," Udoka said. "If I play well this year, I'll go into next summer with some options."
Has hard work given him an extra three inches in height?
I wanna see someone try to start a fight with him and see his Mortal Kombat that Gabe Muoneke was bragging about.
Brent Barry is not in Phoenix.
I am happy Ime is still a Spur. He doesn't lose composure even in the last minutes of a tight game.
And he's not afraid to try to shot if he gets the opportunity & when he has the better look at the basket.
really. udoka surprised me last year. im surprised so many people suggest he be put in a trade.
I am happy Ime is still a Spur. He doesn't lose composure even in the last minutes of a tight game.
And he's not afraid to try to shot if he gets the opportunity & when he has the better look at the basket.
he reminds of Artest but mellow.
Well, I'm willing to see if he gets better in his second yr in S.A. upgrade or bring back his 40% 3pt/9 ppg stats while he was still in Portland. Unless of course we have a better option. And cheap defensive player(like him), like Nocioni
six foot five unathletic bruce bowen replacement small forward, hurrahh, yeahhhhhhh dog, that's pure spurs basketball.
Love his tenacity and guile. I hated to see him get his shot blocked from behind on a breakaway.
Still he will be counted upon heavily this season. I'm expecting him to be more consistent than last season.
Ime Udoka $1,080,000
Matt Bonner $2,959,190
Find the error...
Ime at that price is a steal !!!
I like that guy and his work ethic.
Hopefully Udoka is doing a lot of agility drills this summer. His foot speed was lacking last season, especially compared to Bowen. Shedding a few pounds might be a good idea.
It could be Ime's chance this year.
Spurs need him to contribute more than last year.
beat me to it
Hard work gives him that edge.
Sounds like a ing commerical tagline.
When did he injure his ankle?
Did it affect him in anyway in the WCF, much like Manu's?
As timvp posted, hopefully, he'll be able to match up against quicker players this season.
I didn't realize Ime had ankle surgery in July. Hmmm.
Hopefully, Ime works on his decision-making on side-out-of-bounds plays. He gave up a few turnovers doing so last season.
I would also like to see Ime get up into his man a bit more on the perimeter and trust his teammates to support him, when he needs it on the baseline and off switches. That's the only way he can come close to Bruce Bowen defensively. His shooting has been above my expectations and does deserve more minutes this season.
and i might add with the addition of roger mason, less pressure on udoka will make him even better, i expect good things from udoka, he's not one player im concerned about
bingo, you hit it on the nail, the days of losing your man or like avery and sean used to say(angle the opponents towards david and tim) or over....last season i saw some real bad habits, spurs players looking at each other like, (hey thats your dude to cover, dont blame me for not being there on time) and shortly after pop screaming his head off and calling time out
I didn't know about his ankle. I thought he had knee issues before, which might be a part of his lack of lift.
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