Joe Smith signs with the Chicago Bulls/Ime Udoka to sign with San Antonio Spurs

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Took a while, but...


Udoka's next stop? Looks like the Spurs

Monday, August 13, 2007JOE FREEMAN The Oregonian Staff

Ime Udoka, whose rise from the NBA Development League to NBA starter made him a fan favorite with the Trail Blazers, is poised to sign a multiyear contract with the reigning-champion San Antonio Spurs.

Udoka's agent, Erin Cowan, told The Oregonian on Sunday that Udoka has made a commitment to the Spurs and hoped to have a deal finalized by Tuesday.

Cowan would not reveal contract specifics, but sources have indicated that Udoka will sign a two-year deal worth more than $2 million. The second year could be a player option.

"San Antonio was the first team to contact us and we've been in communication with each other ever since," Cowan said. "They were very respectful to us during the process and allowed us to go out and seek more money. But the well dried up. Ime's excited for this opportunity."

Udoka had hoped throughout free agency to re-sign with Portland, Cowan said. But after the Blazers traded for James Jones and signed free agents Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake, the team had committed to the maximum of 15 guaranteed contracts. So he shifted focus.

Boston, Miami, Memphis, Cleveland and Dallas expressed interest, according to Cowan, with the Celtics -- after trading for Kevin Garnett earlier this month -- being the most serious bidders.

But financial terms never could be agreed upon and in the end, San Antonio became the ideal fit.

"This is an opportunity for Ime to play on the grand stage with the defending champions," Cowan said. "Portland will always be in his heart, but this opportunity was too good to pass up. He's going to play around three all-stars and a Hall of Famer, and he gets the opportunity to play for a champion right now."

Udoka, who played at Jefferson High School and Portland State, will provide San Antonio with solid long-range shooting, superior perimeter defense and a tireless work ethic.

The Blazers invited him to their training camp last season as an afterthought, but he blossomed into an opening-day starter. He started 75 games at small forward, averaging 8.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, and shot 46.1 percent from the field, including 40.6 percent from three-point range.

Before the breakout season, Udoka was a journeyman, making professional stops in Europe, the NBA Development League and the NBA.

"He's excited to start the next phase of his career," Cowan said. "He wants to be a Spur for a long time."

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Udoka=Next Bowen

Posted by jfreeman August 13, 2007 12:47PM

In case you missed today's story in The Oregonian, Ime Udoka is on the verge of signing with the defending champs. I'm hearing the deal is worth a little more than $2 million over two years, and the second year probably will be a player option.

My first thought after hearing the particulars was, "Wait, couldn't the Blazers have afforded that?" 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.

Cowan told me on Sunday that a couple factors hurt his client, most notably concerns about his knees (he has torn his anterior cruciate ligament twice). But I imagine teams were hesitant to unload $12 million on a player who just turned 30 and has just one season of experience as an NBA starter.

Which leads me back to the Blazers.

I imagine Udoka will thrive with the Spurs. He's a tireless worker and team-first guy who also happens to mix great perimeter defense with an excellent three-point shot. He would have been a good fit for this young Blazers team.

Just a hunch, but even with the roster limitations -- the team already has 15 players under contract for next season -- I think General Manager Kevin Pritchard would have found a way to retain Udoka for $2 million.