Audio By Carbonatix
Keep Dallas Observer Free
We’re aiming to raise $10,000 by April 26. Your support ensures Dallas Observer can continue watching out for you and our community. No paywall. Always accessible. Daily online and weekly in print.
And the consolation prize is … Drew Gooden.
To which I say, not bad. Not bad at all. He’s no Marcin Gortat or Carlos Boozer or Emeka Okafor, but the 6-foot-10, 250-pound 27-year old journeyman can be a nice fit on a nice team.
Gooden seemingly has the size and skills and athleticism to be difference-making big man in the paint. But there’s a reason – after agreeing to a one-year contract worth $4.5 million – that he’s now with his seventh team in eight NBA seasons.
The bad news: He’s moody. He meanders from the paint. He misses defensive rotations.
The good news: He’ll at times keep Erick Dampier off the court.
Gooden was the fourth overall pick in the ’02 draft, and he’s been a 10-point/8-rebound producer for most of his career. Last year he missed 31 games with injuries and was hardly noticable as a Spur in Dallas’ first-round playoff victory.
Don’t know what Dallas’ plans are now with backup big men Ryan Hollins and James Singleton, but I do the Mavericks are a better team with the addition of Gooden.
Right?
