Monroe: Gooden Hopes Spurs Are Long-Term Fit

[Spursfan092120]

Here's another one

Aww..don't bag on "What you talking bout" Willis.

[TheSpursFNRule]

yeah this could work out great he's saying all the right things. I feel that if he works out and proves to be the player a number 4 draft pick should be he could stick around. I guess a Spurs fan dream at this point is to have Gooden work out and than pick up a solid small foward this summer.

[bigdog]

You guys forgot someone.....even though he is still here waiting to breakout.

[tomtom]

If Gooden sticks do you think they'll keep Oberto and Kurt or try to make room for Ian? or to a lesser extent Pops haha

[Ditty]

Aww..don't bag on "What you talking bout" Willis.

aww i rember that game

i was there the best crowd ever

drew gooden long term wouldnt be bad

but the first big man off the bench

if our future starting bigs will be splitter and mihimmi i wouldnt mind gooden giving us that veterian experience off the bench

[bigdog]

If Gooden sticks do you think they'll keep Oberto and Kurt or try to make room for Ian? or to a lesser extent Pops haha

I still think Pop and RC will give Ian a chance to prove he will fit in here, when he is healthy. I think his surgery in January should have fixed his ankle problem. At least good enough to let us see him maybe late this season in garbage time, if not, then definitely in the Summer and preseason.

If anyone goes, it will be Oberto.

[Man In Black]

Gooden gave up roughly $1.8 million, plus this summer’s Larry Bird free-agent rights, to secure his freedom, but said making up that lost money won’t be as important as winning.

“Opportunity is worth that ($1.8 million),” he said. “The opportunity to make that up is not what it is. It’s more than the money right now for me. It’s about playing and winning and helping this team.”

When they say, it isn't about the money, that normally means the opposite.
But I'm hoping that he truly means it. If he's willing to play for the San Antonio discount, then he, like us, can start counting rings.

And it would make me happy that LAL doesn't win a le again in the Duncan era.

[satown68]

I hope he can be the athletic big man that we have needed.

[TheSpursFNRule]

If they ended up starting him would he play PF or C?

[Mr Bones]

It's nice how good a free throw shooting team the Spurs have become with the additions of Gooden and Mason, and the steady improvement of Parker.

Mason, 89%
Ginobili, 88%
Gooden, 86.9%
Thomas, 84.4%
Finley, 81.4%
Parker, 81.2%
Hill, 78.3%
Duncan, 69.9%

[Manufan909]

If they ended up starting him would he play PF or C?

C, Tim Duncan never plays center.

But seriously, Gooden better use the last 20 or so games and the POs to not only earn the starting job, but blow Matts contributions out of the water(I want him off the bench with about the same # of touches, but to defend the other teams 3rd best big), and make Fab a waste of space(BBIQ off the charts, but sadly he doesn't have the tools).

Gooden sounds like a smart dude, I just hope that can translate to the court. Hope he does fantastic if he plays tomo, but I won't be able to catch the game either way. He better play against the Suns and Lakers, I want to see him against Shaq/Gasol. He might be only slightly more effective than Bonner on D, but when he scores 3 pts, he wil also be getting opposing bigs in foul trouble. With the greatest PF of all time next to him, he should score more per 36/draw more fouls than ever before.

I believe in The Big Drizzle!!!

[GervinGirl]

Side question, will he be the first Spur to don number 90?

According to the basketball-reference.com site; yes, he will be the first Spur to don #90
http://www.basketball-reference.com/...S/numbers.html

[Mr Bones]

In his 1/6/09 game, Gooden was 10-12 from the free throw line. On 12/2/08, he was 9-10 from the line. For the season, he is 86-99. By comparison, Matt Bonner has taken 15 free throws this entire season, and has made 10.

[SenorSpur]

I think Dallas actually had more to offer. Not sure about LA, but I think Dallas had more than SA.

Dallas had nothing to offer, as they blew their wad and MLE on resigning backup center Desegana Diop.

[timtonymanu]

like someone mentioned, TD is the best PF of all time. He gave all of those guys excluding Pops a ring when most of them suck. Someone add Glenn Robinson there too.

[GSH]

It's nice how good a free throw shooting team the Spurs have become with the additions of Gooden and Mason, and the steady improvement of Parker.

Mason, 89%
Ginobili, 88%
Gooden, 86.9%
Thomas, 84.4%
Finley, 81.4%
Parker, 81.2%
Hill, 78.3%
Duncan, 69.9%

Gooden doesn't normally shoot FT's like that. I'm too tired to go look it up, but I think his normal FT% is in the mid-70's. I know it's way up this year, anyway. But that will change now that he is a Spur.

[SenorSpur]

He chose the Spurs as the place to continue his career, he said, because he believes San Antonio could be the basketball home he has been trying to find since he was the fourth overall pick of the 2002 draft after a standout career at the University of Kansas. The Spurs will be the sixth team for which he has played in six-plus seasons, an odyssey he compared to being a player in a fantasy league.

“I’m ready to find a home,” he said.

Spurs general manager R.C. Buford was the first basketball executive to contact Gooden when the Kings negotiated a buyout of what remained of his contract, which was to pay him $7.151 million this season.

“R. C. kind of made this thing happen,” Gooden said. “When he learned about me having a possible buyout from Sacramento, he was the first one on it. That kind of lets you know there is a need for you, rather than having a luxury.

“A lot of teams were calling as soon as they found out I was bought out, but San Antonio was the best fit for me, and not only for the rest of the year. I think there might be a future here for me.”

Buford, too, believes Gooden could wind up being more than a short-term Spur if he fits as well with the team’s way of playing as he believes he can.

“He brings some youth and athleticism to the program,” Buford said. “We need to get him healthy and see how he fits. You never now until you get people how he fits.”

“It was knowing there is want for me here,” Gooden said of his talks with his new head coach. “Not just ‘We’re glad you’re here.’ It was more like, ‘We need you here, and not just for this season.’

“Hearing that was something I was looking for. It wasn’t just ‘Help us try to win a championship this year and then we’ll see what happens in the summer.’”

All this speculation about a possible, future role for Gooden bodes well for both sides. As much as Gooden has traversed through the NBA landscape on his current journey, the Spurs have similarly ran through all manner of temporary, stop-gap solutions, and journeymen at the 4-5 spot, ever since Robinson retired. As much as Gooden wants to settle down and find an NBA home, the Spurs too, desparately need to settle into finding a permanent, long-term running mate for Tim Duncan. We'll soon find out if Gooden can be that player. The tools and skills that he has make for some intriguing possibilities.

[Brutalis]

I hope he contributes well because he seems to be about helping this squad and showing what he has to offer. My main concern is although Bonner is fun and all, he does open up the paint for Tim. And if Drew can't hit his shots or do that he is not a starter.

So show me what ya got Drew.

[bigdog]

like someone mentioned, TD is the best PF of all time. He gave all of those guys excluding Pops a ring when most of them suck. Someone add Glenn Robinson there too.

Ummm, Glenn Robinson is not a big. That list was for the bigs that tried to replace Robinson after he retired.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Ironically enough, if Gooden can be Kurt Thomas +, and Kurt Thomas can go back to that Kevin Willis + role, our frontcourt will be good to go.

[Manufan909]

Ironically enough, if Gooden can be Kurt Thomas +, and Kurt Thomas can go back to that Kevin Willis + role, our frontcourt will be good to go.

I hope so, I think Gooden can meet that reasonable expectation.

Hope he doesn't make us look like fools for getting up hope, screwing up majorly in his first few games, then dissapears to the Negative Zone.

[traitoravery]

How would we fit him in salary wise and still be under the cap next year?

[Manufan909]

How would we fit him in salary wise and still be under the cap next year?

Dunno, hope the salary whizzes can work something out. But I doubt anyone has a clue what his next contract might be.

[bdictjames]

Here's us hoping he's like Mason impact-wise to this team.

[bigdog]

Here's us hoping he's like Mason impact-wise to this team.

If you're talking about everything Mason does EXCEPT turn the ball over, then cheers