Spurs officially ink Gooden

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they signed forward/center Drew Gooden for the remainder of the season. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Gooden, 6-10, 250 pounds, was waived by the Sacramento Kings on March 1 after being acquired from the Chicago Bulls in a trade on Feb. 18. This season he has appeared in 32 games, averaging 13.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 29.5 minutes while shooting .460 (166-361) from the field and .869 (86-99) from the foul line. Gooden has posted 11 double-doubles and has scored in double figures in 22 games, including seven contests with 20 or more. In 31 games with Bulls, he averaged 13.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 29.6 minutes, and in his only game with the Kings he posted 12 points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes.

Originally selected out of the University of Kansas with the fourth overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, Gooden has played for five NBA teams (Memphis, Orlando, Cleveland, Chicago and Sacramento). For his career he has appeared in 491 games, averaging 12.1 points (.470 FG%, .730 FT%), 8.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 28.5 minutes. Gooden enjoyed his best season in 2004-05 with the Cavaliers when he averaged a career-high 14.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 30.8 minutes while appearing in all 82 games.

Gooden, 27, has made three trips to NBA playoffs, including the 2007 NBA Finals where the Spurs defeated the Cavaliers. In 40 career playoff games, he has averaged 10.8 points and 8.7 rebounds in 28.0 minutes.

Gooden enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at Kansas. In three seasons with the Jayhawks he averaged 15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.10 blocks and 1.10 steals in 98 games becoming just the second player in school history (Danny Manning) to record at least 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 steals. As a junior, Gooden helped lead Jayhawks to the 2002 NCAA Final Four. Along the way he was named First Team All-America in 2002 by the Associated Press, Sporting News and Basketball News. He also was named the 2002 Big 12 Player of the Year and a 2002 Wooden Award First-Team All-American.