Everywhere he's gone, Drew Gooden's been far, far removed from the spotlight.
He spent the early years of his career playing behind Tracy McGrady in Orlando. McGrady earned scoring titles and shoe contracts, piling up the big bucks; Gooden was in the shadows, quietly chipping in his 10 points and six rebounds.
He played with LeBron James in Cleveland. He played with Tim Duncan in San Antonio. Recently, he played with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas. All in all, he's played for eight teams in as many years, and he's never been the leading scorer or the big earner. Always a starter, never a star.
Gooden will suit up next season with his ninth NBA team: the Milwaukee Bucks, who signed him on July 8 to a five-year, $32 million contract that will keep him happily employed and handsomely compensated until he's 33.
He won't be a superstar there, either. But that's because in Milwaukee, there's no such thing — Gooden will merely be one piece of an ensemble cast in the Badger State.
Perhaps Gooden thrived in the past, hiding behind the marquee guy. He went unnoticed, which is often a good thing when you play with the style Gooden plays with. Gooden has spent much of his career as the Nuke LaLoosh of the NBA — million-dollar body, five-cent head. He'd break plays, he'd take bad shots, he'd go minutes at a time looking inattentive and incapable of playing competent defense. But every deficiency he had was covered up by the stardom of a T-Mac, a LeBron, a Duncan.
No longer.
But perhaps that's OK. Gooden is entering a new phase of his career — he's older, wiser, more mature, and ready to put his brain where his athletically gifted body is. He's now 28 years old, set to turn 29 this summer, and he's about to become part of a Bucks team that's on the verge of breaking through in the Eastern Conference.
With Andrew Bogut blossoming into one of the league's best big men, and Brandon Jennings quickly becoming one of its most promising rookies, the Bucks had plenty of reason for optimism in 2009-10. Then they saw big strides forward from Carlos Delfino and Ersan Ilyasova, and they made a midseason trade for John Salmons to shake things up and give them an extra push for their playoff push. It worked — and the Bucks were one freak Bogut injury away from being a 50-win team and a No. 4 or 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They were forced to settle for 46 wins and the No. 6.
The Bucks aren't worried. They're not panicking. They're not feeling any pressure to rebuild. They're just going to keep adding talent, one piece at a time, until they make it over the top.
Gooden is part of that. So is Salmons, who agreed earlier this month to a new five-year, $40 million contract. So is Corey Maggette, who comes to Milwaukee via an offseason trade with Golden State.
The Bucks have put together a strong nucleus of veteran players with talent, wisdom and a hunger to win. Gooden will fit in well — he's a big, strong power forward that can score, rebound and generally make the Bucks a more efficient offensive team.
In the first chapter of his career, Gooden was a journeyman, hiding from the spotlight and shying away from the big moment. But this is the new Gooden — not just settled in, but older, wiser, and part of a promising future in Milwaukee.
