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Udoka is not happy, not happy at all...
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Hairston will take Udoka's place next year. Actually, if anyone wants to take Udoka this year in exchange for a pick, I'd do it. Then just sign Hairston this year
Next year, Finley will be 36 years old and Bruce will be 38 years old. Even if Spurs can play with 3 guards, I doubt Spurs won't have another option at SF.
Spurs will have very limited financial resources to get another SF because they will be very close to the luxury tax and because of the 2010 plan.
As a consequence, Spurs will likely sign a cheap SF next summer.
Will this cheap SF be Udoka? It's way too soon to answer.
either sign him for the minimum or get hairston for him
i dont think ime has lived up to our expectations
Well on thing is for sure. While many young players in this league will continue to get better. Ime isnt. This is all Ime is gonna give us. He can play in this league as a backup. But he isnt no starter. And even as a backup you better have an all-star he is backing up, or your line-up wont be that good. He can make 3 point shots, but cant make a layup. That doesnt help anyone out.
I think he will be part of a package in a trade. I no longer see him as a successor of either Bruce or Fin and he will turn 32 next summer anyhow. (not that age was ever a problem with the Spurs but still mentioning. there isn't any upside left)
I also think that Pop is quite disappointed with his offensive efficiency. Ime constantly decreased from his decent year in Portland (your efficiency should go up, not down, when you join a better team, especially when it's constructed like the Spurs, where you get fewer, but better looks)
his defense also isn't that great. decent, when playing against 2nd or 3rd stringers, but this one you could get from many other players either.
Ime might make more sense on a young team, that is thin in the back court and can use some veteran leadership. more or less the role he had in Portland 2007. (Thunder?, Kings?)
I think either Hairston and Marcus Williams can replace him and both have much more upside and a better chance to once take over the role of Bruce or Fin.
No it isn't. He won't be back.
It must be a terrible lonely thing to be the dog in Pop's doghouse. If I'm Ime, I wouldn't come back, even if asked. I'd keep my chin up, be a good team mate, and use the rest of the season, when not getting yanked out of the game for one mistake and never put back in, as an audition for other teams.
I agree, exstatic. The prospects of Ime coming back next season don't look favorable. As MaNu4Tres and Lurker23 mentioned, George Hill and Roger Mason make Ime a deep bench guy now. Hill and Mace are both multi-position players who can bring the ball up, score and in Hill's case, play solid D.
Pop has used Parker and Hill on the floor at the same time, including during winning time versus the T-Wolves. Ime has been used at the 2, 3 and 4 (small lineup) but all three positions are 2 or 3-deep. Face it, is Ime playing better than Bruce, Fin, Mace, Manu, Bonner or Hill? Uh no. That makes Ime and Jacque last off the bench or injury insurance.
Ime probably moves on next season.
Ime had his chance to stay on early in the season and played some pathetic basketball.
He built the doghouse his ownself.
Agree. When TP and Manu were out Ime had a chance and played terrible, especially on D
I'm beginning to doubt that he'll make it through the trade deadline.
Like many others, I had high hopes that Ime would be a solid contributor and eventually replace Bruce at SF. Unfortunately, he's fallen short. Now, he's in the doghouse. The good news is, it's a long season and there's still time for him to atone for his earlier poor play. His contributions during the playoff series versus the Hornets still gives me some hope.
As for next season, I believe the Spurs will look into at some available options at SF via free agency first, before deciding on whether to retain Ime. Personally, I'd like to see to Spurs go after Trevor Ariza , who will be an UFA this summer. If he's available and in the Spurs price range, I'd let Udoka walk and wouldn't think twice. However, something tells me Ariza's market value will exceed the Spurs budget. Also, Malik Hairston could figure into the plans at the SF position for next season. If so, I believe Ime is gone.
If there are no other better, cheaper SF options available at SF, I could see the Spurs retaining Ime, provided the roster spots dictate. He's still a younger, cheaper and a better long-term, SF option than say, Finley or Bowen, who both should be back again next season. At some point, the Spurs need to start going the other way, in terms of upgrading the overall age, length, and athleticism at the SF position.
All that said, I believe the decision as to whether to bring Ime back next season will hinge upon whether he can work himself back into the rotation as a contributing player this year and what other SF options may be available during the summer.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 12-13-2008 at 10:28 AM.
Don't sleep too much on Mason's D. I know he's had a few lapses this year, but his D was what kept him in the league before his offensive revolution, and what made the Spurs interested in him in the first place. I think once he understands the Spurs funneling system a little better, he will be asked to guard top-notch players for periods of time.
The thing about Ariza is, no matter how athletic he is, if he's only shooting the three-ball at 20-something percent, his man is going to park in Tim's lap. I think the minimum you can shoot as a wing in this offense and get 20+ minutes is 35-36% from downtown. I think Hairston is a much more likely option, both from a cost and a "fit" perspective.
The decision to retain Ime is the Spurs to make, but the decision to part ways could be made by either party. Ime is a UFA next summer and could easily just walk. I think he'd be a good fit in N.O., Utah, or maybe the re-tooling Suns as a Bell replacement. He's not an elite defender, but he's good one, an excellent rebounder for size, and shoots the long ball. He'll find a home in the NBA next year.
I think the expectations on malik hairston should be tempered a tad....
There's a lot of truth in that. Although even if he was playing like he did towards the end of last year - whose minutes in the rotation are you going to sacrifice for him?
Ultimately, he's been the one most hurt by the emergence of Mason & Hill. If it had just been one, he'd probably still get on the floor - but both of them have relegated him to the bench.
Agreed. As good as Bruce has been for this team - when he's not hitting that corner shot, he does as much harm as good.
When Manu could get to the rim almost at will, you could get away with that on occasion. But with his game evolving from slasher to shooter, you can't go 4 on 5 on offense anymore.
Now, most of the time, Bruce is hitting that shot well enough to keep the defense semi-honest.
But unless they feel that Chip could work wonders with Ariza, I'm not sure he's the best option.
Taking Udoka's spot isn't much of an expectation. Show up for practice on time, play garbage minutes as needed. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Udoka is just fine. .. he played well in the playoffs last year. One of the bright spots.
He has been sick and out of the rotation.
You guys are a bunch of s.
While I agree that, if nothing changes Udoka will likely be gone, you had to keep in mind that there is still 60 regular season games to play.
In 20, 30 or 40 games, he could be back in the rotation and be an important piece to this team like he was during some stretches last season.
He hasn't been sick in a week. The last two games: 20 seconds towards the end of the half, one turnover, yanked immediately with seconds left, and not re-inserted at garbage time, and 54 seconds at the end of the Minn game, a game where they played probably 15 minutes of small ball. He's done, Sequ. Recognize.
He's not taking Hill or Mason's minutes. The only possible place minutes could come from is Michael Finley, and Pop is in butt love with him. He could clank everything for a month, play turnstile defense, dribble the ball off his leg, and get ridden off the boards by Tyron Lue, and he wouldn't lose a minute. Udoka's ed.
Udoka hardly makes more than Hill. I don't think we can get a cheaper, veteran option.
It's funny that he was touted so much before he came here even though no one else made an offer on him. I think expectations were too high.
Either way I think he's fine as an end of the bench option. To his credit he wants to play more, and probably should occasionally when we want to go small ball and need to rebound the ball. Not to mention, it doesn't do the team any good to let his skills wither without occasional PT.
I'm not sure if his current status puts him in Pop's doghouse. The past doghouse residents all were players who actually deserved more minutes, like Malik or Brent.
If they can't find a replacement in the Summer, they'll probably make him wait as long as possible before they make a decision. But I don't see any team wanting to take him on with a trade.
Trade? Are you talking within this season, because he's a UFA this summer. There will be no trade required. I already named some team's where he'd probably be a good fit. I'm not sure he has to, or even would wait around for them to make a decision. See: Barry, Brent.
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