Drew Gooden

[lakersfanatic]

Sorry if it has already been created.. if it has - Mods please combine them.

The Los Angeles Lakers made a strong play for Drew Gooden before the forward signed with the Spurs.

“I got calls from (the Lakers) trying to get me,” said Gooden. "It was a game of chess probably. (The Lakers) probably knew San Antonio was the team they had to get past in the West."

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.”

Via San

Anyways, the article just came out we were going after him aggressively but i guess he opted for the Spurs. Imagine if he was on our team as well... That would mean we are pretty solid at both ends (Starters and Bench)....

Oh well, i guess it wasn't meant to be.

I know he already signed with the Spurs but What's your take on this.. ?
who else are out there that we may be interested in... I think we need another piece now that spurs and celtics as well as cavs have added more support.

[fareweatherfan]

I highly doubt we pursued him hard. Probably more like this:

Mitch: We want your client, Drew. Really, we do.
Agent: Do you really want him, to play? Or do you just want to keep him away from SA?
Mitch: Alright, you got me. We'll give you Kwame, too.
Agent: Huh?
Mitch: I dunno, it worked last time.

[garcia3]

yeah he's a great rebounder and all but i fail to see where he would've fit on this team. The role he would've been better suited for is already taken by Josh Powell, so I don't know if we really pursued him that hard at all. Great move for Drew by not signing with us

[Speedlot]

He doesn't do anything for us that Powell doesn't. The growth of Powell for us is very promising as is. I feel he's the Trevor Ariza of Big Man, sorta. Most notably his offensive rebounds!! Intangibles like that bolsters our offense so much.

[SashAlex]

Drew not GOOOen for us at this moment ! We beat the Spurs no problem with a healthy line-up.

[miggs]

He doesn't do anything for us that Powell doesn't. The growth of Powell for us is very promising as is. I feel he's the Trevor Ariza of Big Man, sorta. Most notably his offensive rebounds!! Intangibles like that bolsters our offense so much.

I agree. Powell has gotten better as his pt has increased. i'm happy with that pick up. Other than maybe experience, i don't see why Gooden would be a better addition over Powell on this team. Plus Phil even said it himself, he has confidence in Powell, that says a lot coming from Phil.

btw, nice job Powell!

[lakersfanatic]

ok.. mah bad.. probably not aggressively..

but SA having him may give us some problems in the low post... if we are to play them in the playoffs which is highly likely...

maybe by then Josh can man handle him hehe

[magic1fan]

he's nothing special to me. i agree with the other guys,he doesn't do anything powell doesn't do fir us. let the spurs have him,if we are healthy it won't make a difference anyway. this is our year and our time.

[CX44]

He would have been a nice big man to have to bring down Gasol's minutes and keep away from the Spurs. He makes the Spurs deeper which still may cause problems for the Lakers but without Manu the Spurs have little chance of beating the Lakers in a 7 game series.

[hermes]

I highly doubt we pursued him hard. Probably more like this:

Mitch: We want your client, Drew. Really, we do.
Agent: Do you really want him, to play? Or do you just want to keep him away from SA?
Mitch: Alright, you got me. We'll give you Kwame, too.
Agent: Huh?
Mitch: I dunno, it worked last time.

you win sir, take your prize

[Gus McCrae]

He would've been good for the sole fact that San Antonio wouldn't have him. Other than that he has no role on our roster. But he did make them much better upfront.

[DEEP3CL]

I'm glad the Spurs signed him, it shows the desperate levels the Spurs have sunk to. Gooden is an average player that's in the middle of a career going nowhere. The Spurs mantra is suppose to be about defense...........since when did Gooden fit this mode ?

There is a reason guys like him have gotten moved, yeah his money was part of the reason why he's been shopped but his skills don't fit what certain teams need. In Cleveland he wanted to score and get touches, that was good for Coach Silas but he was useless to Coach Brown because his defense is at the level of a high school kid. Chicago was just a stop over and lets not forget he was moved from Memphis as soon as Jerry West discovered he wasn't the player he thought he drafted.

Bottom line is this, just because these teams signed players for the playoff run doesn't mean they'll be a huge help or a major factor in games. Even if we did make a half hearted play for them so what that we didn't get them. I want the guys we already have to forefill the goal they left unfinished, we don't need anybody that didn't help all season to gravey train a ring.

[TonyMontana]

Watch how he's going to regret not signing with LA.
He's dumbarse agent didnt realize that THE SPURS were the one singing him so that The Lakers wouldnt get him, but ohh well.
There are some players that I wish and hope will never put on the P&G, we all know Sasha is one of them and Drew is the other.

[Dr Aki]

pretty sure SA needs him more than we do...

gooden's playing for a new contract as well you know

[lakersfanatic]

Is he going to be in uniform when we play the spurs? Or is he still injured... or some athelete hernia...right?

[Jase]

I was hoping Gooden would have been a Laker. Bring him off the bench and he's likely to be better than the other team's backup forward, or use him as injury insurance. It'd be great right now, he could back up Odom. And a bench frontcourt of Gooden, Odom (When Bynum came back) and Ariza is pathetically good.

[lakersfanatic]

that's very true.. i guess he doesn't want to be in a potentially championship team... hehe