Ime

by Dave on Aug 13, 2007 2:54 AM PDT in News

Looks like Ime's going to be a Spur very soon. The money they're mentioning isn't much by NBA standards but he should be able to retire OK. That's alright by me. It just would have been a bummer to see him completely out in the cold. We may have had to take up a collection...

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

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I hate to see him go.

But he is going to fit in really well with the Spurs. Cant help but wish him all the best in the world. I am just glad he is headding over now, and in three years when the Blazers start to come around, the Spurs should be an after thought. Get that ring while you can.

Who knows... I wouldnt be surprised if he came back to portland as an assistant coach or something.

by Blazer on Aug 13, 2007 3:37 AM PDT reply actions

listen up people

i'll say it again,ime udoka will win 2 rings with san antonio before the blazers win their next playoff series.he's a perfect fit with the perfect team.get your 2 rings buddy then when you come home in the summer of 09.he should go to the blazers practice facility and let the boys really know how it feels to be a winner.the scary thing is ime will be out of the league by the time the blazers reach the finals about 2014-2015 season.

by fatty on Aug 13, 2007 4:53 AM PDT reply actions

How can that happen?

How can he get two rings in the next two years when Houston is a lock to win this year? ;-)

by danielfarrell on Aug 13, 2007 5:26 AM PDT up reply actions

read the post carefully dude

i said when comes back in the summer of 09 dude. see ready to jump the gun.read carefully next time.

by fatty on Aug 13, 2007 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions

Now, I called you out on this before :-)

Pearls of wisdom from our friend fatty:

Houston will win this year, book it. (That's 2007-2008.)
Ime will win two rings with the Spurs, book it. (That means the first year Ime could win a ring is 2008-2009, right?)
The Spurs never repeat, book it. (That means that Ime's second ring with the Spurs won't be in 2009-2010, because that would be a repeat. So that means Ime's second ring, at the earliest, will be 2010-2011.)
Ime will be home the summer of 2009 with two rings, book it. Huh? Maybe a different kind of ring?

It's ok, fatty, I'm glad you're here, you add a lot to the site IMO. You can book on that for sure. :-)

by jscot on Aug 13, 2007 12:13 PM PDT up reply actions

Uh oh

I don't think Brandon Roy is happy...

Opening Night covered by Bruce Bowen... Bruce Bowen leaves the game....... and enters Ime Udoka....... better yet Ime will make our starting Sf look foolish and maybe will be better utilized in the Spurs System

Couldn't be happier for Ime

by Blazerhopeful on Aug 13, 2007 8:54 AM PDT reply actions

Too bad opening night isn't in PDX

Ime would get a lot of cheers entering the game. Yet another nice angle on the opening night game.

by shralpster on Aug 13, 2007 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions

i hate the spurs so much

but its a great fit for Ime. The poor man's Bruce Bowen will learn from Bruce Bowen. Hopefully Ime won't use the crotch grab move on Roy.

I guess the good thing is that Ime getting a ring will make the next Spurs title (and make no mistake, there will be at least 1 more Spurs title) a little less painful.

I understand the logic of choosing Travis over Ime, but if it were me I'd have kept both of them and not gone after Blake. Travis needs to prove he's not a ball hog and willing to play solid D on his man instead of just going for the huge block.

by jksnake99 on Aug 13, 2007 9:53 AM PDT reply actions

I'm glad

He seems like a natural fit there. And it's a reason to not hate the Spurs quite so much.

by jamon51 on Aug 13, 2007 10:14 AM PDT reply actions

Blake?

Steve is a point guard. Udoka is a SF. Pritch went for Jones, who replaces Ime. Pritch did this to get us Rudy next year.

Next year, we will have our core together. (Most talented young squad in the NBA?) Then in two more years -- when we are positioned to go deep into the playoffs -- Ime should be available for offers. I like his offense and defense. But we don't need him now. And we may be past needing him then.

2011 roster:

PG Roy (Blake)
SG Fernandez (Martell?)
SF Outlaw (If his head catches up wth his talent, and if we don't hit another lottery!)
PF Aldridge (Frye)
C Oden (Pryzbilla)

Wow!

'77

by LaoTzu on Aug 13, 2007 10:20 AM PDT reply actions

happy and sad

happy that Ime got a contract with a good team.
Sad that he went to the hated Spurs (flopping,dirty, get special treatment from refs).

Would've much rather seen him go to the Celtics, who need him more, and who I find much more likable than the Spurs.
oh well.

by jm @ Blazer's Edge on Aug 13, 2007 10:28 AM PDT reply actions

totally agree

Boston really needed a guy like Ime. They've been filling out their bench with guys like Pollard and Eddie House when a perimeter defender like Ime could really help them.

The Spurs have a number of glue guys and didn't really need him although he is younger at 30 than some of their wing players.

Boston should have beat SA's offer. I agree that Ime should fire his agent.

by jksnake99 on Aug 13, 2007 11:35 AM PDT up reply actions

Who Cares

Ime a spur? Wow, great. He will get as much PT as Beno did last year. The guy is obviously a cool person, and a local, so that's neat I guess, but are we really expected to be so bent out of shape about IME UDOKA? Is he one of those "glue guys?" The guy who doesn't do anything but supposedly helps the team in all the intangible ways? The rest of the league understood what he was, that's why no one wants him except the Spurs who probably just need to fill a roster spot. Sorry, but I would take Outlaw, Miles, Webster, anyone else on the roster, even Dontonio Wingfield over him.

Kevin Thomas http://thethomasfile.blogspot.com

by proseballer on Aug 13, 2007 11:03 AM PDT reply actions

Worst. Agent. Ever.

Are you kidding me? $1 million/year is barely above the league minimum ($750,000). That is a terrible contract, and there could not be a worse situation for him than going to a team that already has a player, Bruce Bowen, with his exact skill set, i.e., defensive menace and stand-still 3 point shooter. Ime will never play!

He gets to sit on the bench for a title-contending team, cheering for inferior players (Brent Barry, I'm talking to you) with contracts 10 times bigger than his. Hooray. Does anyone really think that Travis Outlaw (3 years/$12 million) is worth 6 times as much as Ime?

Hopefully Ime will tear it up for the Spurs and sign another contract. Next time find a better agent.

by benschon on Aug 13, 2007 11:18 AM PDT reply actions

no joke

Actual quote from the agent, emphasis mine: "They were very respectful to us during the process and allowed us to go out and seek more money. But the well dried up." Are you serious? Whose fault do you think that is?

by abdelnaby on Aug 13, 2007 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions

Yep

Yeah the Blazers were his team but it is the agents job to get the most money for the player. Why did he wait so long to get "water from the well?"

Aaron Brooks the 2007 ROY.

by tominhawaii on Aug 13, 2007 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions

case in point

Notable line from the followup article on the Blazer Beat Blog:

"Udoka and his agent, Erin Cowan, have said all along that the small forward wished to return to Portland, the franchise that allowed him to blossom from a D-Leaguer to NBA starter last season. But when Cowan told the Blazers early in free agency that one Western Conference team had offered a three-year deal for $12 million, the Blazers scoffed.

"That deal -- and those dollars -- never materialized."

No wonder this guy is ranked 92 out of 99 (by my count) agents at Hoopshype. What a mess. Ime's lucky to get paid at all, let alone to be playing for a contender next year. If Ime's second year really is a player option, he can hopefully play himself into a worthwhile contract--assuming his agent can actually get him one next year, which doesn't seem likely.

by abdelnaby on Aug 13, 2007 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions

3 pt stats

Incidentally, Ime shot 41 percent on threes last season. That is better than:

Outlaw
Webster
Bowen
Horry
Parker
Ginobili

(B. Barry shot 44%, but is a defensive liability)

by benschon on Aug 13, 2007 11:29 AM PDT reply actions

Great point

Unless James Jones proves a real surprise, Ime WILL be missed this season. Yes, he wore down a bit last year, but I don't believe that was due to his age but rather because he played so hard for so many minutes from training camp on trying to prove he belonged in the league.

As benschon demonstrated, Ime is a reliable 3-point shooter. And night in, night out, he's shown he can do a respectable defensive job on the toughest covers in the league. Without him, the already porous Blazers' perimeter defense will become more so, and Oden, Aldrige, et al will pick up fouls trying to plug the leaks. Plus, Ime's a very smart player, always in the right place at the right time to pick up loose balls, etc.

You can argue that at Ime's age, he doesn't figure into the Blazers' long-term plan. But part of that plan is for the young Blazers to start acquiring playoff experience as soon as possible, and without Ime the Blazers' chances of making the playoffs this season diminish significantly--at least in my opinion.

Obviously, KP is a very bright basketball mind. So how could he allow such a valuable and affordable asset to get away? I suspect the culprit is the Mario Ellie Syndrome. Ellie was a CBA player who won a spot on the Warriors' roster back in the day. He had a very productive season for them--shooting 3's, playing tough D, etc. But when it came time to re-sign Ellie, Don Nelson balked at paying him anything, saying he'd "discovered" Ellie and that there were plenty of other players like him in the CBA. So Ellie signed with Houston and was a major contributor to a pair of championships for them (as I recall).

What I'm getting at is that teams have a tough time coughing up money for players they "discovered" rather than drafting or acquiring thru trade. You just don't value something that came to you for cheap in the first place. The Mario Ellie Syndrome cost the Warriors big-time, and I'm afraid it's going to bite the Blazers as well.

by hurryup09 on Aug 13, 2007 12:59 PM PDT up reply actions

interesting

but did it "cost the warriors big time?" No, I don't think so. Elie was not going to put the Warriors over the top. He was a very nice contributer for Houston but I don't think Warrior fans were saying, "If we'd just kept Mario..."

In the same way, if Udoka contributes to a Spur title (by the way it will be vary tough for him to crack the playoff rotation for a club that boast Horry, Ginobili, Elson and Barry off the bench though Bruce Bowen is getting up in years which could help) the Blazers will not be saying "If we just had kept Ime we could have gone all the way..."

We aren't a title contender for at least 3 years and probobly more like 5-7. By that time Ime will be 35-37 years old.

by jksnake99 on Aug 13, 2007 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions

I disagree

I was a Bay Area resident and Warriors fan back then, and we DID feel losing Ellie had cost the team big time. Nelson had egg all over his face on that one. That's not to say that Ellie would have led the Warriors to a title, but they were a significantly better team with him. Winning championships is the gold standard for NBA success, but only one team wins each year. The other teams that win games and playoff series and entertain their fans also have attained a measure of success. Watching Ellie contribute to a pair of championships in Houston, plus one in San Antonio (I'd forgotten about the latter), as the Warriors struggled, was a bitter pill for Warriors fans to swallow.

As for Ime Udoka, as I explained before, just because he'll be too old to contribute to the Blazers' actual championship run doesn't mean his loss won't be felt. Playoff experience is a vital component in building a winning franchise. Players and coaches always say that until you've experienced the heightened intensity of playoff basketball, you just aren't prepared for it. The sooner the young Blazers get their first taste of the playoffs the sooner they can become contenders.

So if the loss of Udoka significantly decreases the odds of the Blazers making the playoffs this year and the next--and I believe it does--that is an important loss. And watching Ime play deep into the playoffs with the Spurs will sting, regardless of how significant his contribution to that team is.

by hurryup09 on Aug 13, 2007 2:38 PM PDT up reply actions

You don't have to be a Warriors fan

to appreciate Mario Ellie. He was one of my favorite Blazers and I felt we made a mistake when we let him leave as a FA.

by timg56 on Aug 14, 2007 12:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Throw in Rashard Lewis as one with lower %

I'm not sure what the basis is for people who down played Ime's value and importance. The numbers clearly say otherwise. Granted I didn't get to see a lot of games on TV last season, but when I did, I didn't see anything about Ime that screamed this guy doesn't belong on the court. What I saw was the perfect piece to fit in at SF.

by timg56 on Aug 14, 2007 12:06 PM PDT up reply actions

there is a reason

You have to like his story and how hard he worked, but there is a reason why he was not picked up by a team until he was 30 and that no team was willing to give him a large extended contract.

If I remember correctly, he had been signed to some 10 day contracts and never stuck with a team until last year. He filled a nitch on a young team that was not going to the play offs and now he will fill a nitch (probably a small one) on a team that is a play off and finals candidate. This makes him a nice nitch player that was not worth signing this year. There will be free agents just like him available every year, solid, but not spectacular. We can pick one up later if necessary.

by lonevoiceofreason on Aug 13, 2007 4:53 PM PDT reply actions

I disagree with this reasoning.

The margin between having a successful professional career and never getting much more than a cup of coffee in the bigs is fairly slim. It's slim enough that hard work, mental toughness and intelligence can make a difference.

Athletes usually have very small windows of opportunity to make an impression. Those from less hearalded schools have smaller windows still. I think that's one reason guys with "wow" factors, such as great leaping ability or incrediable dunking skills, tend to make such an impression. Who here can't come up with a good sized list of players getting contracts based on their athleticism, but who had little in the way of true basketball skills?

by timg56 on Aug 14, 2007 12:18 PM PDT up reply actions

ime

will be fine,he'll get 2 rings,get a lot of autograph deals with nba legends down the road. he'll be fine.he'll win his 1.st ring in 09 and the last 1 and ironicly the last year on duncan contract in 2011.and he'll call it a wonderful career 2 rings and autograph shows charging 100.00 a pop what life of a winner.and don't worry oden only lovers he'll get his in 2014-16 1 of those two years.but oden will get 1 or 2 before his career is done in portland.

by fatty on Aug 13, 2007 5:45 PM PDT reply actions

My perception is that much of this is happenstance

Had Sergio done badly on defense in summer league, Blake wouldn't be a Blazer. Instead he was terrifyingly bad, and we have a glut of underwhelming PGs.

Had Ime's agent suggested that Ime might be had for less than two mil a season on a two season contract, we wouldn't have one or more of Martell, Travis or Jones today.

I wish him the best in San Antonio, but he seems like a guy who would've passed on the ring shot for two or three more years helping develop a championship program in his hometown.

Sometimes little things, like stupid, posturing agents, mean a lot.

by ojala on Aug 13, 2007 9:56 PM PDT reply actions

Re/ happenstance

I agree with everything ojala says. Happenstance is a big part of why Ime won't be a Blazer this season. Also--and here I disagree with lonevoiceofreason--happenstance played a role in Udoka not having caught on with an NBA team earlier in his career.

As I recall, he was hurt coming out of college. That's all it takes to derail a career. From that point on, it's an uphill battle. For an unknown journeyman to beat out drafted players like Ime did last season, he has to be head & shoulders above them. Even at that, the political barriers are considerable. Remember? The Blazer players all had to lobby for Ime to make the squad; THEY knew how valuable he could be to the team.

Having said that, Ime going to the Spurs isn't really that bad an outcome for Ime or the Blazers. Ime is finally collecting some NBA paychecks and will possibly even win a couple rings with the Spurs. And as valuable as Ime would have been to the Blazers this season and the next, their future couldn't be brighter.

by hurryup09 on Aug 14, 2007 7:50 AM PDT up reply actions

I am sorry but...

We should have made a roster spot for Ime, we have the money for that tiny contract. He is worth more than 1 million a year. Just watch him turn into a Bruce Bowen and keep the spurs contending for a few extra years.

by myemic23 on Aug 14, 2007 10:43 AM PDT reply actions