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Armed with a style known as much for its rabbit trails and obscure rock references as its well-reasoned points, Kelly Dwyer is one of the NBA’s most inimitable writers. He’s also one of its best. It’s not just that he watches an ungodly amount of games. It’s that few writers are so consistently insightful. He is constantly introducing me to angles I hadn’t previously considered. So when Dwyer says Gooden can help the Spurs win another championship, I listen:

Gooden has all the tools to be the sort of player that could push this team over the top. And his low post abilities and rebounding give the Spurs an option that they’ve just never had around Duncan. Guys like Bonner (shooting) or Fabricio Oberto (high post passing, defense) or Rasho Nesterovic (underrated defense, passing) were fantastic in their role as “center,” but Gooden can bring something completely different.

Winning-different.

It’s up to Drew. He has the talent and the touch to be a missing piece, and he’s proven he can come through with the effort needed to stay on the court for 40 minutes. It’s up to him to keep his game consistent, and play like a Spur.

I suggest you read the entire piece. It is as good a breakdown of Gooden’s on-court style as I have seen (with more than a few comments about his off-court style thrown in as well). For our sake, let’s hope Kelly’s right.