Ime Udoka - Why In the World.....?

by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Nov 26, 2010 12:12 AM CST in Analysis

Udoka: I'm sorry, Tim. I'm still getting the order mixed up. Could you go over it one more time?

Duncan: No problem, Ime. First it's lather, then it's rinse, and then repeat. Got it now?

I got to thinking earlier. I was trying to figure out what exactly the Spurs were doing by picking up Ime Udoka, and then it hit me like an empty wine bottle to the head: To win.

Alright, I'm not going to fool you and act as if I was thrilled at the signing of Udoka at first. But as I previously mentioned, I thought about it for a while. Why did the Spurs make this move? Well, for one thing, take notice of how soon after the Spurs announced them waiving Danny Green on the afternoon of the 23rd (around 2:30 PM to be exact), and when they announced the signing of Ime Udoka around Noon of the 24th. It wasn't even 24 hours! So what does this mean? Was Green not good enough for the Spurs?

I don't think Green ever had potential to make the roster. Well, I take that back. He could have made the roster, but he would have had to been the next RJ2.0 or better. No offense to Danny, but he is no RJ2.0. A great shooter, but no RJ2.0. Anyhow, I believe sincerely that Green was nothing but a pawn in Pop/RC's masterful chess game that is the Spurs. I would say that the Spurs signed Green knowing very well that he would only be there to spell time and meet the NBA's roster requirement rule. I believe that the Spurs initially contacted Udoka around the time of signing Green (or even before) and asked him to start getting into shape.

The evidence of that is pretty clear. Udoka was signed to the team officially on a game night on the road, a thousand miles away from San Antonio, and he was in uniform ready to play that same night. Not only that but he got minutes! Tell me that this wasn't another incredible scheme by Pop and RC. But why? Well, Green doesn't know the system. You can pitch a fit all you want and say, "it can't be that hard to figure out what to do" but take a look at the 2nd year RJ, and look at what it did for Cubits. Udoka knows the system, he's a great role player and enforcer. It's almost too simple to figure out the logic on this one.

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I know Udoka has been in at least one situation that most people will thankfully never have to deal with, but I have never seen him be an enforcer on the court.

[ "Duncan, the Spurs' 34-year-old captain, was aghast when Splitter told him he used to watch him as a kid."]

"I didn't enjoy that at all," Duncan said

by alamobro on Nov 26, 2010 2:41 AM CST reply actions

enforcer off the court perhaps?

Yo, I’m 6-11, but I just want to dribble through my legs and shoot jumpshots like a guard. - Marc Blucas on Tim Duncan

by TDzilla! on Nov 26, 2010 3:10 AM CST up reply actions

Don’t necessairly need the enforcer, but his defense is stable. His offense is super inconsistent, but the Spurs have the offense. They need to have more defense. If anything, he can perhaps teach the younger guys a thing or two.

by grego21 on Nov 26, 2010 3:35 AM CST up reply actions

If I’m not mistaken, didn’t the Spurs have over a week to sign a 13th player back when they waived Gee? I may be wrong, but either way it doesn’t seem as though Green was needed just to fill a slot till Ime was ready to be signed. I can’t see any reason that they couldn’t have just signed Ime a week ago. Perhaps Ime was asking for more than the minimum and signing Green signaled Ime that the Spurs could get by without him if he wanted more than the minimum?

by Alamo on Nov 26, 2010 8:49 AM CST reply actions

I dont think he played a single minute this season until he played with us. He might have been out of shape

Biggest coach Pop/Tiago Splitter homer on the internet™

by Josh Guyer (completely deck) on Nov 26, 2010 9:48 AM CST up reply actions

Hmmmm…. So they may have needed someone in shape, like Green, to play the minutes that he did (9 min) rather than having to use an out-of-shape Ime? Possible I suppose. I can follow why they might prefer returning veteran Ime over inexperienced Green. It just seems that they quickly signed Green after releasing Gee, even though they had more time to meet the requirement of having a 13th player. They didn’t use Green at all his first game, why the rush to sign him, if they were planning to sign Ime soon thereafter?

by Alamo on Nov 26, 2010 11:05 AM CST up reply actions

I think Ime asking for more than the minimum is a plausible explanation. How else could you explain signing Green? Being out of shape does not make sense. How out of shape do you have to be to be unable to play 5 minutes?

"If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert"
- DBG

by LasEspuelas on Nov 26, 2010 12:58 PM CST up reply actions

I wasn’t thrilled at first either, but when it was pointed out that he was the 13th player on the roster, I saw the light. He’s not really the 13th player, as he’ll probably see more minutes than Quinn (especially when the Spurs need a man-on-man defender), but Ime’s certainly a solid pickup for the team, and should be able to eat backup SF minutes like candy until &erson returns.

In a sense, some of the same reasons I wanted the Spurs to get Fab as the sixth big apply. Veteran, knows the system, and Pop knows what he can and can not do.

Hey, if posting a sharp, insightful, yet non-sarcastic comment were that easy, even olf would do it.

Mike Monroe: ...the uninformed presume Parker is expendable.

by freshtunarightofftheboat on Nov 26, 2010 3:07 PM CST reply actions