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rasheed & gooden would be a mutually exclusive proposition most likely. there won't be the money for both of them.
Well, perhaps I am a bit pessimistic. I don't think Gooden will be bad. I think, in fact, he will have some impact on this years playoffs with his skills. But ultimately I don't think it will be enough against the Lakers. They have skilled bigs in Bynum, Odom, and Gasol. We have Tim Duncan. The rest is plaster to patch up our missing link. Tim Duncan is of course the best of the bunch but he is aging and not up to the task to fight them all by himself...
If I were to predict a best case scenario I would say Kurt Thomas plays extremely well (as he has been playing the last couple of games) and Gooden goes beyond expectations in muscling the Lakers bigs. Don't misunderstand me, I think the Spurs 'can' win a 7-game series against the Lakers, even in 6 games, but if I would have to predict such a series, I would say the Lakers have a clear advantage. The Spurs need a serious piece to win it all, and it isn't happening this year.
rasheed & gooden would be a mutually exclusive proposition most likely. there won't be the money for both of them.
I would prefer Rasheed over Gooden, most certainly. Experienced and proven Vet over a Journeyman who has been everywhere. The only exception is if Gooden proves to be far more valuable during the end of this season then I have predicted.
Maybe not the Gasol stopper, but still a big upgrade
I think you are missing that Gooden can rebound and play in the post. If he's healthy....his 10-12 min of production will be huge for the Spurs especially in the 2nd unit with Manu.
I think that is where you are missing it. Or he could play a little beside TD and help with Gasol or Bynum.
Remember, Bynum for all his physical skills, he is still a young player and mentally he will be dealing with 2 injuries in 2 years. Also, there is veteran court-savvy from KT and DG.
If you are expecting DG to score 20 and 10...that's unrealistic. But if he can change a game in series by scoring 12 and 9 and that can get you a win on the road. That would be worth 1.5 mil right there and end a series quicker than you need.
So, the Spurs don't have a significantly better back court than the Lakers?
Fish is good, and Kobe is great. They have two good subs in Ariza and Farmar. But I think our backcourt of parker/manu/mason/hill is superior. Plus the kobe-stopper of bowen.
call me crazy, but I think we have a chance if we are healthier than they are during the playoffs.
+ 247000
It can be Gooden or Mahinmi , depending on the way Gooden game playout in SA. Both men offer the same piece on the table - athleticism and youth. Gooden has the upper hand in showing his goods this year - Ian on the other hand has been with the team for a few years and hasn't shown that consistency that Pop is looking for.
If Gooden blows his chance, Ian might stay just because Pop has no assurance he can get another athletic forward for SA.
That would be a joke.
Well, as for the backcourt, Kobe is pretty amazing while Fisher is underwhelming. Parker needs to dominate Fisher as he is clearly superior and Manu will be able to hold his own against Kobe. But take a look at the frontcourt. Duncan and (Bonner, Kurt Thomas, Drew Gooden, Oberto) versus Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum. Those three players of the Lakers are all fantastic while we only have 1.
To be honest, the only way I see us winning this series is through Tony Parker. If that happens, it will be a changing of the guard, a passing of the torch; from Duncan to Parker. Parker is our greatest advantage in this matchup and we need to use it. If we do and we will then it will be a day in Spurs history. It will be Tony Parker's team from there on out (and I hope it will as TP is my favorite NBA player). But being realistic, this will be a very difficult task to accomplish; but certainly not impossible (I would say 60:40 in Lakers favor).
In regards to Gooden. Yes, his greatest strength is his rebounding. Furthermore he can score in the post a bit and can hit a mid range jumper. But do you realy think he can accommodate completely to the Spurs system in his limited time? I really like players like Udoka and Vaughn just because they have had so much experience with the spurs system and they understand what is expected of them. It's going to be difficult for Gooden to adapt so quickly.
Yeah but Gooden played for Brown, who comes from the Pop school ( " Pop school " , that sounds funny)
Cavs run a few systems similar to Spurs'.
He'll be fine
I really don't want to pencil in Gooden as the X factor on this team, because I don't think he is. If the Big 3 are healthy by the time playoffs roll around, we have enough to get to the WCF against the Lakers (if they don't get bumped off first).
I think the X-factor is the bench play and how many productive quality minutes our reserves give us. Gooden's responsibility isn't going to be nearly the amount that it would be for KT, Oberto, & Bonner.
I don't see Gooden being put in during crunch time situations, unless he is in a rhythm offensively or he is having a really good defensive game. Pop will likely go with KT, or even Oberto down the stretch because of their knowledge of the system.
The playoffs are a completely different animal altogether. Bynum has yet to experience any meaningful playoff fury while Odom (good in his own right) is known to disappear in big games.
Ofcourse, that leaves Gasol. Doesn't really strike fear if you ask me.
The Lakers frontline, albeit very good, is often very over hyped.
Really?
Like last year when Bowen "stopped" Kobe?
Bowen can stop Kobe to 30+ points on a good night and if Kobe is having an off night.
Wait, when did Odom become fantastic??? And Bynum will prob be half ready so that's Tim to Gasol and a half. I like those odds.
And it'll be TPs Spurs til TD gets rid of the tendonosis, then he'll take that torch back.
Wel, you might like those odds but I don't. Tim Duncan (+ Kurt Thomas and scrubs) against Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum...
You might disparage Odom but personally I think he is one of the most important players on the Lakers roster. He excellent on second chance points and rebounds in general. On occasion he can be a lazy bum but if he is really playing I fear him more then both Gasol and Bynum.
Duncan is just not as good as he used to be. No doubt he can manage, and beat a single other oponent like Gasol but he's not just facing him. He facing a potent frontcourt here with multiplr talented bigs. A couple of years ago I might consider such a much up but he just can't do that anymore, he needs help up there.
The bottom line; He needs serious help, not just a bandage, and I don't think he's got it this season. That's not to say the Spurs can't win this season; they can. But it will clearly be an uphill battle, unlike many of their previous les where they may have been considered underdogs, but they shouldn't have been.
Nonetheless, if any team can pull of such a spectacle, it's the spurs.
gist will be coming back to the NBA next year. mahinimi also. spurs will have a logjam at PF/C even if they don't resign gooden because bonner, thomas, and oberto will all still be under contract. i can see gist replacing bonner because he can hit j's and is developing his 3 pt shooting. but the spurs still have to find someway to dump bonner. oberto will probably retire or get waived. thomas will remain as insurance and hopefully the spurs will get wallace just to stop another contender from acquiring a duncan stopper.
Oberto is a gonner, and so is Bonner.
If we win the ring, it won't mean a thing.
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