If we had bruce bowen

[PhoenixSpursFan]

We would be favorites over the dubs...

[apalisoc_9]

If the spurs had bowen that means Green wont be playing...that also means the spurs is a lesser team.

[lilbthebasedgod]

Green this year is probably slightly worse than prime Bowen. Overall Green has a higher ceiling and isn't much worse.

[midnightpulp]

I love Bruce, but he's even more offensively limited than Green. Their defense is about equal. Danny is better against SGs and PGs, while Bruce was better against SFs.

[apalisoc_9]

I love Bruce, but he's even more offensively limited than Green. Their defense is about equal. Danny is better against SGs and PGs, while Bruce was better against SFs.

The only reason Id want him on the team over Green is if he promises me that hed break currys ankle tbh

[rasuo214]

If we had Bowen people on here would want to play Simmons over him.

[TrainOfThought5]

Having Bowen to step under Curry so he lands on his foot in a playoff game would be clutch. It would probably ensure us a championship.

[Chinook]

I mean, Bowen on Draymond, Kawhi on Klay and Danny on Steph sounds awfully good.

[coachmac87]

I mean, Bowen on Draymond, Kawhi on Klay and Danny on Steph sounds awfully good.

Kawhi on Draymond. Green on Klay. Bowen on Steph

[FromWayDowntown]

You could have Bruce Bowen, but dude's 44 at this point and hasn't played in the league in like 7 years. [/literal]

[Chinook]

Kawhi on Draymond. Green on Klay. Bowen on Steph

The goal is to beat the Warriors, not break Bowen's spirit when Steph drops 50 on him.

[Chinook]

You could have Bruce Bowen, but dude's 44 at this point and hasn't played in the league in like 7 years. [/literal]

Real-talk, I actually thought he was older than that. But I guess it really hasn't been THAT long in the grand scheme of things.

[FromWayDowntown]

Real-talk, I actually thought he was older than that. But I guess it really hasn't been THAT long in the grand scheme of things.

I was more surprised to see that it has been 7 years than I was to find out he was only in his mid-40's, tbh imho.

[Chinook]

I was more surprised to see that it has been 7 years than I was to find out he was only in his mid-40's, tbh imho.

2008 was the first year I became a serious basketball fan. I watched all the playoff games and stuff before that, but I couldn't tell you more than five or six guys on the roster back then. So in my mind, Bruce has been gone forever. Like, my memories of David Robinson are about as fresh as those about Bowen.

[K...]

Why not call up the centerpiece? Isn't he fresher?

Udoka is probably in shape too, and he definitely knows the system.

[coachmac87]

The goal is to beat the Warriors, not break Bowen's spirit when Steph drops 50 on him.

Curry will land on Bowens foot.

Spurs in 5

[Sean Cagney]

I love Bruce, but he's even more offensively limited than Green. Their defense is about equal. Danny is better against SGs and PGs, while Bruce was better against SFs.
Man that is true but remember him rotating on to Billups in 05 was a huge key in games 5-7. He also would D Nash in the Suns series they played and frustrate him. He also D'ed Kobe pretty well in 03 run. He could guard 1/2 Gs very well.

[Dre_7]

People are forgeting how damn good Bowen was as a defender. I love Green but he isn't a better defender than Bowen was.

[Chinook]

Again, I just don't think people have adjusted to the increase in quality for defense. Bowen did not have the same expectations for what his D was supposed to accomplish. Bruce was supposed to "make things difficult" for his guys. Kawhi, Green and Tiago when he was in SA straight shut their guys down. Bruce has a similar series against Kobe in 2003, but what Wing Stop did in 2014 to OKC would be better than any other performance that Bruce ever had statistically.

Lopping Nash and Dirk into discussions of Bowen's greatness just underscores that. He did an admirable job and had some memorable plays to be sure. But he was overmatched, which isn't a reason to detract from him.

[coachmac87]

Again, I just don't think people have adjusted to the increase in quality for defense. Bowen did not have the same expectations for what his D was supposed to accomplish. Bruce was supposed to "make things difficult" for his guys. Kawhi, Green and Tiago when he was in SA straight shut their guys down. Bruce has a similar series against Kobe in 2003, but what Wing Stop did in 2014 to OKC would be better than any other performance that Bruce ever had statistically.

Lopping Nash and Dirk into discussions of Bowen's greatness just underscores that. He did an admirable job and had some memorable plays to be sure. But he was overmatched, which isn't a reason to detract from him.


When you said you've only started truly following basketball since 08' you can't really speak on Bowen.

[coachmac87]

People are forgeting how damn good Bowen was as a defender. I love Green but he isn't a better defender than Bowen was.

This.

[Dex]

I'd rather have Prime Tim and SuperManu, as long as we are pipe dreaming here.

And Michael Jordan.

[Chinook]

When you said you've only started truly following basketball since 08' you can't really speak on Bowen.

I can speak to his playoff series. And unlike most people, I have copies of almost all the games I reference, so I'm usually not going off some decade-old memory that laced with nostalgia.

But Green makes $10 Million a year Bruce never made more than $4.125 in any year of his career. That should tell you all you need to know.

[coachmac87]

I can speak to his playoff series. And unlike most people, I have copies of almost all the games I reference, so I'm usually not going off some decade-old memory that laced with nostalgia.

But Green makes $10 Million a year Bruce never made more than $4.125 in any year of his career. That should tell you all you need to know.


Lmao oh you're never going to let down the contract statement huh?

Bottom line is Bowen made All-NBA Defensive teams..and Danny is fortunate to be a defensive side kick to Kawhi.

[Chinook]

Lmao oh you're never going to let down the contract statement huh?

Bottom line is Bowen made All-NBA Defensive teams..and Danny is fortunate to be a defensive side kick to Kawhi.

Those awards didn't translate into a bigger contract, did they?

[Benoit]

LMAO

Bruce Bowen would be a scrub today

He was only a good defender because he was allowed to hack his opponents without calls and his offense wouldnt work today

[coachmac87]

Those awards didn't translate into a bigger contract, did they?

Do you really want to get into this?

[coachmac87]

LMAO

Bruce Bowen would be a scrub today

He was only a good defender because he was allowed to hack his opponents without calls and his offense wouldnt work today


Please elaborate with details why this is the case?

[Benoit]

Look up how other NBA forums feel about Bruce Bowen

Most fans think he was a limited scrub that was allowed to get away with murder

[Benoit]

Please elaborate with details why this is the case?

He couldnt do anything on offense but shoot from the corners in an era where teams hadnt figured out to cut off corner 3s yet

[lefty]

Bowen would be a better PG option than Parker

[Benoit]

Spur fans obsessed with thinking Bruce Bowen could stop Steph :rollin

Ive never heard anybody even mention Bruce Bowen outside of this forum

[Chinook]

Do you really want to get into this?

Not if you admit that was poor reasoning on your original take.

[coachmac87]

Look up how other NBA forums feel about Bruce Bowen

Most fans think he was a limited scrub that was allowed to get away with murder


Sorry man I don't live on the Internet trolling forum to forum..

[coachmac87]

Not if you admit that was poor reasoning on your original take.

Which is what again? Are you discrediting All-NBA selections?

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Yeah, Bruce definitely couldn't guard Steph. Rather have Bruce on Thompson, Danny on Steph and Kawhi playing strong safety.

[Dre_7]

Look up how other NBA forums feel about Bruce Bowen

Most fans think he was a limited scrub that was allowed to get away with murder

Because internet forums are where all the experts are?! :lmao

Bowen could legit guard 1-5. He had to guard guys like Rip Hamilton, D. Wade, and Kobe. He also had to guard bigger guys like LeBron and Melo and even 7 footers Dirk. AND he could also guard PGs like AI, Nash, and Billups. Bowen was the man, no matter what the big bad internet forums have to say about it.

[coachmac87]

Because internet forums are where all the experts are?! :lmao

Bowen could legit guard 1-5. He had to guard guys like Rip Hamilton, D. Wade, and Kobe. He also had to guard bigger guys like LeBron and Melo and even 7 footers Dirk. AND he could also guard PGs like AI, Nash, and Billups. Bowen was the man, no matter what the big bad internet forums have to say about it.

Yeah shit like that gets you All-NBA 5x First team 3x Second team

[Leetonidas]

bruce has become criminally underrated here by the youngins

[Chinook]

Which is what again? Are you discrediting All-NBA selections?

You wanted to assert that contract size was an indicator of a player's skill level. Admit it was a poor argument, and I'll never bring it up again.

[coachmac87]

You wanted to assert that contract size was an indicator of a player's skill level. Admit it was a poor argument, and I'll never bring it up again.

When it comes to a minimum contract that says a lot about your skill level in this day and age of the NBA.

[snickles]

Bowen could legit guard 1-5.

respectfully disagree. maybe i'm just remembering one or 2 games, bu dirk destroyed bowen when pop would move bowen onto him late in games. i remember screaming at the TV for pop to quit crossmatching.

[K...]

Look up how other NBA forums feel about Bruce Bowen

Most fans think he was a limited scrub that was allowed to get away with murder

So basically an ideal golden state warrior.

[Chinook]

When it comes to a minimum contract that says a lot about your skill level in this day and age of the NBA.

Nope.

[coachmac87]

Nope.

Yeah it does. Especially when you're not ring chasing like Rasual Butler

[Brazil]

bruce has become criminally underrated here by the youngins

and the youngins would say the old chaps are overrating him a lot...

Truth is probably in the midle... old chaps like me absolutely loved the ugly, slow paced Spurs BB (does not mean that old chaps don't like the high paced team), winning rings by shutting down elite offensive teams like 00's suns was priceless tbh... in this system Bruce was absolutely key to do the dirty work, to harass opponent best players, to get under opponent's skins.

The youngins do love the advanced stats, metrics and let's be honest those metrics are not doing Bruce a favor and totally underrate him as a defender, some of the metrics rely quite significantly on rebound rate for instance or number of shots missed with defender near 4 feet or steals... Bruce job was not to rebound the ball but was to stay on his guy, he was chasing around PGs, SGs, SFs to funnel them into bigs on defense, at one point Pop hated players gambling passing lanes to get steals... so yeah any metrics using a bit of that will underrate Bruce.

Now I can tell you that when Bruce was off the floor in close games against Suns, Lakers and some others we were all shitting our pants and yelling at Pop to put Bruce back... that's how good Bruce was... With this 00s team, Bruce offense was just fine... dat corner 3 was more than enough.

TLDR: Bruce would be pretty much useless in today's games but was a beast in Spurs 00s BB.

[Chinook]

Bowen could legit guard 1-5.

See? This is why it's hard to rely on the "Well if you were old enough, you'd know." Pop put Bowen on those guys, but they literally had their average numbers and efficiency against him. Is it impressive that Bowen held a much bigger player to his average? By itself yes. Then you recall that Stephen Jackson pretty much erased Dirk the very next post-season, and you start to see why people's memories are fuzzy.

Bowen should get credit for being a great defender at a time when the team really needed one to compliment the Big Three. But his objective rating is inflated. There were other guys who could do what he did on defender. If you took away all of Kawhi's offensive skill except for a three-pointer and replace him with Bowen, and the Spurs are even better.

[Chinook]

Yeah it does. Especially when you're not ring chasing like Rasual Butler

Also nope.

[Kidd K]

I mean, Bowen on Draymond, Kawhi on Klay and Danny on Steph sounds awfully good.

Bowen would be put on Klay and he would be completely shut down. I don't think he could shut down Green or Curry. He would probably slow them down but not totally contain. Klay would be fucked though imo.

[Brazil]

See? This is why it's hard to rely on the "Well if you were old enough, you'd know." Pop put Bowen on those guys, but they literally had their average numbers and efficiency against him. Is it impressive that Bowen held a much bigger player to his average? By itself yes. Then you recall that Stephen Jackson pretty much erased Dirk the very next post-season, and you start to see why people's memories are fuzzy.

Bowen should get credit for being a great defender at a time when the team really needed one to compliment the Big Three. But his objective rating is inflated. There were other guys who could do what he did on defender. If you took away all of Kawhi's offensive skill except for a three-pointer and replace him with Bowen, and the Spurs are even better.

so much to say about this post... some of it being on my previous post...

Not sure what "they literally had their average numbers and efficiency against him" mean for a start... their shooting is about the same when defended one on one by Bruce vs. career ? probably but then again Bruce was asked mostly to funnel those dudes to Duncan and chase them around so that offense don't get comfortable setting their plays... you won't see this in the stats tho.

Steph Jax when dialed was a tough defender with same kind of poisonous defense than Bruce tbh... there is nothing bad to be compared on S Jax best defensive stretch except Bruce was doing it not only during 5/6 games but all season long.

Objective rating is inflated ? what rating ? metrics ? Bruce metrics are shit tbh... never averaged a PER above 10 I thinks, in 5 seasons Kawhi has more ws, dws, drating, vorp than Bruce in his whole career. Does that mean Kawhi is a superior defender ? yes. Does that reflect the magnitude of the gap ? no

In the 00s what other guys ? o_O you make it sound there were a lot of players capable to do what Bruce was doing which is puzzling...

Last sentence is fine but then again, Bruce was never asked to do anything else that this corner 3, why would he ? Manu, TP and Tim on their prime... For the record and because youngins don't know everything, Bruce was a solid offensive player overseas, it's not like he was uncapable to do more than what Spurs wanted him to do.

[Dre_7]

See? This is why it's hard to rely on the "Well if you were old enough, you'd know." Pop put Bowen on those guys, but they literally had their average numbers and efficiency against him. Is it impressive that Bowen held a much bigger player to his average? By itself yes. Then you recall that Stephen Jackson pretty much erased Dirk the very next post-season, and you start to see why people's memories are fuzzy.

Bowen should get credit for being a great defender at a time when the team really needed one to compliment the Big Three. But his objective rating is inflated. There were other guys who could do what he did on defender. If you took away all of Kawhi's offensive skill except for a three-pointer and replace him with Bowen, and the Spurs are even better.

Ummm....


2008 was the first year I became a serious basketball fan. I watched all the playoff games and stuff before that, but I couldn't tell you more than five or six guys on the roster back then. So in my mind, Bruce has been gone forever. Like, my memories of David Robinson are about as fresh as those about Bowen.

If you couldnt tell us more than five or six guys on the roster back then and if Bruce has been gone forever and your memories of him are about about as Fresh as they are of DRob how can you claim to know so much about what he did?

[Chinook]

Bowen would be put on Klay and he would be completely shut down. I don't think he could shut down Green or Curry. He would probably slow them down but not totally contain. Klay would be fucked though imo.

The issue is that Kawhi is needed for offense, so him banging with Draymond on the other end will tire him out. I think Bowen would do a good job, since Green is a perimeter player first. And Bruce should still have enough to hit his corner three if need be.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

People are forgeting how damn good Bowen was as a defender. I love Green but he isn't a better defender than Bowen was.

Yeah Danny is more a bulldog to Bowens big cat. I love Danny and in the playoffs where they let him play more physical, he is money but he will just try to blow up screens like bull rushing through a block. Bowen was more like the finesse rusher dipping around and ripping past the block using his hands.

[Chinook]

If you couldnt tell us more than five or six guys on the roster back then and if Bruce has been gone forever and your memories of him are about about as Fresh as they are of DRob how can you claim to know so much about what he did?

One, because Bowen was one of those guys along with the Big Three, Kerr/Finley/Nazr and Horry.

Again, though. I am talking statistically. I know people want to argue that Bowen was beyond his stats, and that's true in terms of steals, rebounds and blocks, and even true of advanced stats. But if you make a claim that Bowen checked Dirk, and the stats show Dirk was still a superstar in that series, the claim becomes questionable. It becomes even more so when the next year, a wing actually DID shut him down.

[daslicer]

Bowen was a great defender. I would say one thing Bowen had the ability to do which very few great defenders can do is get underneath guys skin. Guys literally hated Bowen and would complain about him 24/7. You had guys like Vince,Ray Allen, who wanted to fight with Bowen.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

See? This is why it's hard to rely on the "Well if you were old enough, you'd know." Pop put Bowen on those guys, but they literally had their average numbers and efficiency against him. Is it impressive that Bowen held a much bigger player to his average? By itself yes. Then you recall that Stephen Jackson pretty much erased Dirk the very next post-season, and you start to see why people's memories are fuzzy.

Bowen should get credit for being a great defender at a time when the team really needed one to compliment the Big Three. But his objective rating is inflated. There were other guys who could do what he did on defender. If you took away all of Kawhi's offensive skill except for a three-pointer and replace him with Bowen, and the Spurs are even better.

Danny is great but his supporting defensive cast is better. Bowen played with Manu/Finley/Barry and Elton/Nazr/Oberto. Tiago was right up there with Bosh as best space defending big men in the NBA. Neither of Bowen's centers were near his nor LMA's defensive level. Prime Manu was a great defender but he is no Kawhi and Barry as well as the corpse of Findog are nowhere near that level.

I notice in this conversation you again fail to talk about how basketball is actually played on the court. You talk of fuzzy memories but all you have are referenced, cherry picked stats without context. In general defensive stats are nonspecific even if labeled as such. You aren't even posting them to actually make the argument but instead expecting us to assume you're right. Typical.

[Chinook]

Not sure what "they literally had their average numbers and efficiency against him" mean for a start... their shooting is about the same when defended one on one by Bruce vs. career ? probably but then again Bruce was asked mostly to funnel those dudes to Duncan and chase them around so that offense don't get comfortable setting their plays... you won't see this in the stats tho.

And that's fine. But that is why I said expectations where different. Bowen did exactly what Pop wanted him to do. But nowadays, Pop doesn't just ask guys to make life hard. His guys will seriously shut people down. That's a much harder job, especially in today's NBA.


Steph Jax when dialed was a tough defender with same kind of poisonous defense than Bruce tbh... there is nothing bad to be compared on S Jax best defensive stretch except Bruce was doing it not only during 5/6 games but all season long.

Nothing wrong at all. But Jack was better against Dirk, even as an old man. I think Bruce essentially being the average PF defensively against Dirk is impressive. But he wasn't even the best Dirk-defending wing of his era.


Objective rating is inflated ? what rating ? metrics ? Bruce metrics are shit tbh... never averaged a PER above 10 I thinks, in 5 seasons Kawhi has more ws, dws, drating, vorp than Bruce in his whole career. Does that mean Kawhi is a superior defender ? yes. Does that reflect the magnitude of the gap ? no

I mean objective rating as in not just as far as his importance to the Spurs. He's hurt by stats in the same way Green is. Just as folks are accusing me of using stats to underrate Bowen in relation to Green, they underrate Green because of his lack of stats.


In the 00s what other guys ? o_O you make it sound there were a lot of players capable to do what Bruce was doing which is puzzling...

It doesn't have to be in the 00s. That's the point. People are arguing that he is that great all-time. Put a guy like Ariza on the team, and the Spurs might three-peat..


Last sentence is fine but then again, Bruce was never asked to do anything else that this corner 3, why would he ? Manu, TP and Tim on their prime... For the record and because youngins don't know everything, Bruce was a solid offensive player overseas, it's not like he was uncapable to do more than what Spurs wanted him to do.

And an athletic one, too. But people will selectively forget that.

[Chinook]

Bowen was a great defender. I would say one thing Bowen had the ability to do which very few great defenders can do is get underneath guys skin. Guys literally hated Bowen and would complain about him 24/7. You had guys like Vince,Ray Allen, who wanted to fight with Bowen.

This is true. But is that really better than not getting under their skin yet still shutting them down?

[Dre_7]

One, because Bowen was one of those guys along with the Big Three, Kerr/Finley/Nazr and Horry.

Again, though. I am talking statistically. I know people want to argue that Bowen was beyond his stats, and that's true in terms of steals, rebounds and blocks, and even true of advanced stats. But if you make a claim that Bowen checked Dirk, and the stats show Dirk was still a superstar in that series, the claim becomes questionable. It becomes even more so when the next year, a wing actually DID shut him down.

You are exactly right. Bowen's defense was beyong his stats. And he did check Dirk when it mattered. Got a block and jump ball against Dirk at the end of game 5.

You can't say he was a bad defender because of what Dirk averaged that series when Bowen was primarily on guys like J Howard and Jason Terry and only switched to Dirk in certain situations. That exacly is my arguement. Bowen could be counted on to guard anyone. He could guard only Kobe one series, then he could take on multiple guys like Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson, and Steve Nash in another series. Then he could take on Melo primaly but switch onto AI when needed. He could spend amost the entirety of a 7 game series checking Rip Hamilton and then switch onto Billups at the end of a game 7 and lock him down.

Point being, Bowen was the man and one of the greatest defenders of all time, regardless of Dirk's stats in a 2006 playoff series. And the Spurs do not have 5 rings if they did not have Bowen. There is a reason the Spurs retired the number of a guy that averaged 6 points and 3 rebounds. And the reason wasn't his shooting.

[timtonymanu]

Spurs fans would bitch at him the way they do at Green for not making a basket on 3 attempts.

[Dre_7]

This is true. But is that really better than not getting under their skin yet still shutting them down?

If it leads to three Championship rings and getting your number retired for the best organization in all of sports then yes it is.

[Brazil]

And that's fine. But that is why I said expectations where different. Bowen did exactly what Pop wanted him to do. But nowadays, Pop doesn't just ask guys to make life hard. His guys will seriously shut people down. That's a much harder job, especially in today's NBA.

agreed and I thing we also all agree Bruce skills set is not adapted to today's nba tbh.. for one the refs would not allow him to play as physical as he was... put Bruce on Durant or Curry and he will be with his 6th fool in 5 mn.



Nothing wrong at all. But Jack was better against Dirk, even as an old man. I think Bruce essentially being the average PF defensively against Dirk is impressive. But he wasn't even the best Dirk-defending wing of his era.

again we are in line... just saying Jax would not maintain this level of defense intensity on the long run because it is not who he is and he was asked to carry more offensively. If I had to choose a defender between them I pick Bruce 10 out of 10 just because of consistency




I mean objective rating as in not just as far as his importance to the Spurs. He's hurt by stats in the same way Green is. Just as folks are accusing me of using stats to underrate Bowen in relation to Green, they underrate Green because of his lack of stats.

I believe Bruce is more hurt by advanced stats than Danny who has some elite def metrics




It doesn't have to be in the 00s. That's the point. People are arguing that he is that great all-time. Put a guy like Ariza on the team, and the Spurs might three-peat..

ok so you were speaking hypothetically taking into consideration the 2010s generation... sure but in the 00s there were not a lot of dudes capable to do what Bruce was doing.




And an athletic one, too. But people will selectively forget that.

Parker who is a good Bruce's friend liked to remember that when speaking about Bruce... Bruce was not an offensive scrub by any stretch... He was just focusing on what he was doing better i.e defense. This is his defense and his corner 3 that enabled him to become a NBA player, he never forgot that, never asked for more and was very humble and a great teammate. The perfect fit for the Spurs.

[Chinook]

You are exactly right. Bowen's defense was beyong his stats. And he did check Dirk when it mattered. Got a block and jump ball against Dirk at the end of game 5.

Bowen's D was beyond his personal stats. But no one's D is beyond opponent stats. You are what you allow. You're not going to have a great defense that is league average in Oppg and DRtg. And Bowen's block was awesome and belongs in the pantheon of clutch plays made by Spurs perimeter defenders. But it's not particular exceptional when compared the the contributions Green and Leonard have made - already.


You can't say he was a bad defender because of what Dirk averaged that series when Bowen was primarily on guys like J Howard and Jason Terry and only switched to Dirk in certain situations.

I never said Bowen was a bad defender. At all. But he couldn't guard 1-5 any better than Green and Leonard can.


That exacly is my arguement. Bowen could be counted on to guard anyone. He could guard only Kobe one series, then he could take on multiple guys like Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson, and Steve Nash in another series. Then he could take on Melo primaly but switch onto AI when needed. He could spend amost the entirety of a 7 game series checking Rip Hamilton and then switch onto Billups at the end of a game 7 and lock him down.

The Spurs STILL do all of those things. I mean you had Lillard, Batum and Wes, then Durant and Westbrook (and Jackson), then Lebron, Wade and Allen. That's what being a perimeter defender is all about. You can even just look at last game to see everyone Green was switched onto. And Kawhi shuts down half the floor.


Point being, Bowen was the man and one of the greatest defenders of all time, regardless of Dirk's stats in a 2006 playoff series. And the Spurs do not have 5 rings if they did not have Bowen. There is a reason the Spurs retired the number of a guy that averaged 6 points and 3 rebounds. And the reason wasn't his shooting.

Well, Kawhi's almost certain to be retired as well. And Green's on pace for it, despite the visceral objection that will elicit from some. These are two all-time Spurs, so making it seem like Bowen has some untouchable place in Spurs' history that these guys can never get themselves is why I'm critiquing the Bowenites, not because they think Bowen was a great defender (because he was).

[Chinook]

agreed and I thing we also all agree Bruce skills set is not adapted to today's nba tbh.. for one the refs would not allow him to play as physical as he was... put Bruce on Durant or Curry and he will be with his 6th fool in 5 mn.

Oh, and imagine against Harden. But I think he'd be fine on Draymond, though.


again we are in line... just saying Jax would not maintain this level of defense intensity on the long run because it is not who he is and he was asked to carry more offensively. If I had to choose a defender between them I pick Bruce 10 out of 10 just because of consistency

Nothing wrong with that. I'm just pointing out that that's what "checking Dirk" actually looks like.


ok so you were speaking hypothetically taking into consideration the 2010s generation... sure but in the 00s there were not a lot of dudes capable to do what Bruce was doing.

I mean, this whole thread is hypothetical. We're talking about moving Bowen to this era. I think it's fair to point out that guys from this era could go back and defend at a high level 10 years ago.


Parker who is a good Bruce's friend liked to remember that when speaking about Bruce... Bruce was not an offensive scrub by any stretch... He was just focusing on what he was doing better i.e defense. This is his defense and his corner 3 that enabled him to become a NBA player, he never forgot that, never asked for more and was very humble and a great teammate. The perfect fit for the Spurs.

I agree about the great teammate stuff. Except for his whining about his number being retired, Bowen has been nothing but class since I've started following the NBA (AKA since he's stopped defending guess). I don't think it's particularly virtuous to "never ask for more" though. And Bowen worked hard to become more, which is probably the biggest credit to him. His three-point shooting wouldn't be good enough today, but at least he could reliably step in for a two.

[Dre_7]

Bowen's D was beyond his personal stats. But no one's D is beyond opponent stats. You are what you allow. You're not going to have a great defense that is league average in Oppg and DRtg. And Bowen's block was awesome and belongs in the pantheon of clutch plays made by Spurs perimeter defenders. But it's not particular exceptional when compared the the contributions Green and Leonard have made - already.



I never said Bowen was a bad defender. At all. But he couldn't guard 1-5 any better than Green and Leonard can.



The Spurs STILL do all of those things. I mean you had Lillard, Batum and Wes, then Durant and Westbrook (and Jackson), then Lebron, Wade and Allen. That's what being a perimeter defender is all about. You can even just look at last game to see everyone Green was switched onto. And Kawhi shuts down half the floor.



Well, Kawhi's almost certain to be retired as well. And Green's on pace for it, despite the visceral objection that will elicit from some. These are two all-time Spurs, so making it seem like Bowen has some untouchable place in Spurs' history that these guys can never get themselves is why I'm critiquing the Bowenites, not because they think Bowen was a great defender (because he was).

Huh? I never said Green and Leonard were not good defenders. If I did I could understand where you are coming from. But it just seems like you are trying to say Bowen wasn't as good as we remember him. Even though you admit your memories of him are not that good (WTF????).

What I said was that fans today do not remember how great Bowen was defensively. After that it was you and Benoit that were trying to deminish what he did and tryng to say he wouldnt be good today because Kawhi and Green is on the team. What? That makes no sense. That is like saying Reggie Miller wouldn't be a good player if he played for the Warriors because of what Steph and Klay are doing for them now.

Bowen was one of the all time great defenders. Look into his matchups with Kobe, TMac, Melo, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, etc etc. Bowen is the man and having him on this team would help them match up with the Warriors (which was the original topic of this thread). Put him on Klay, Kawhi on Steph, and Green on Green. That would be awesome.

[Chinook]

Huh? I never said Green and Leonard were not good defenders. If I did I could understand where you are coming from. But it just seems like you are trying to say Bowen wasn't as good as we remember him. Even though you admit your memories of him are not that good (WTF????).

He wasn't, not in the global sense. He was perfect for the era, and he would probably have been awfully good with time nowadays. But the idea that what the team needs now is Prime Bowen to shut down Curry (and argument which has been made on this board more than once recently) is just ludicrous. Adding him and having that third guy would be awesome. But he wouldn't do a better job than the guys in place. It's that belief I was criticizing, not the general one that Bowen was great.


What I said was that fans today do not remember how great Bowen was defensively. After that it was you and Benoit that were trying to deminish what he did and tryng to say he wouldnt be good today because Kawhi and Green is on the team. What? That makes no sense. That is like saying Reggie Miller wouldn't be a good player if he played for the Warriors because of what Steph and Klay are doing for them now.

Please don't talk about the two of us like we said the same thing. My original post was saying I'd love to have Bruce to guard Draymond. And pretty much no one in this thread seriously think Bowen matches up well with Steph in a hypothetical match-up. so my only critical comment prior to your declaration was that Steph would drop 50 on him. And I'm hardly the only one who believes that, young or old.


Bowen was one of the all time great defenders. Look into his matchups with Kobe, TMac, Melo, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, etc etc. Bowen is the man and having him on this team would help them match up with the Warriors (which was the original topic of this thread). Put him on Klay, Kawhi on Steph, and Green on Green. That would be awesome.

I think you're selling current offensive players short. Green and Kawhi run their own gauntlet of scorers. Kawhi's already and all-time defender, and Green is truly underrated. As far as your match-ups, Kawhi isn't a great Steph defender. People overemphasize that game last year, but Green has been better historically. Bowen on Klay is fine, but he makes more sense on Green, since you want to save Leonard's legs.

[lefty]

Spur fans obsessed with thinking Bruce Bowen could stop Steph :rollin

Ive never heard anybody even mention Bruce Bowen outside of this forum
I agree Curry would destroy Bruce tbh


Heck even Dell Curry would destroy Bruce

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Huh? I never said Green and Leonard were not good defenders. If I did I could understand where you are coming from. But it just seems like you are trying to say Bowen wasn't as good as we remember him. Even though you admit your memories of him are not that good (WTF????).

Yup you see it too. That is how he operates.

The way to get him to give up is to just distill the argument and not let them off the hook. If you write walls of text then he will do a line by line and that just muddles the argument. He tries to talk stats and isn't very good at it. You're demonstrating that quite well here.

Has he even posted the stats he is making qualitative statements about yet? I cannot bring myself to read the line by line.

[Dre_7]

He wasn't, not in the global sense. He was perfect for the era, and he would probably have been awfully good with time nowadays.

Um, yes, he was. He was one of the greatest defenders of all time.


But the idea that what the team needs now is Prime Bowen to shut down Curry (and argument which has been made on this board more than once recently) is just ludicrous. Adding him and having that third guy would be awesome. But he wouldn't do a better job than the guys in place. It's that belief I was criticizing, not the general one that Bowen was great.

I never claimed he would. Just that he was one of the greatest defenders of all time and the Spurs would have less than 5 rings if they did not have him.


Please don't talk about the two of us like we said the same thing. My original post was saying I'd love to have Bruce to guard Draymond. And pretty much no one in this thread seriously think Bowen matches up well with Steph in a hypothetical match-up. so my only critical comment prior to your declaration was that Steph would drop 50 on him. And I'm hardly the only one who believes that, young or old.

Again, I never said he would be able to stop Steph. Just that he was one of the greatest defenders of all time and the Spurs would have less than 5 rings if they did not have him.


I think you're selling current offensive players short. Green and Kawhi run their own gauntlet of scorers. Kawhi's already and all-time defender, and Green is truly underrated. As far as your match-ups, Kawhi isn't a great Steph defender. People overemphasize that game last year, but Green has been better historically. Bowen on Klay is fine, but he makes more sense on Green, since you want to save Leonard's legs.

How was I selling offensive players of today short by bringing up great offensive players that Bowen has guarded? Just because one recognizing past greatness doesn't mean they are bashing today's stars. I love Kawhi Leonard, he is going to be one of the best PLAYERS (both offensively and defensively) of ALL TIME. That doesn't diminish what Bowen did in his career. Again, there is a reason he was named to multiple All Defensive teams. There was a reason he has his number retired.

[Chinook]

Um, yes, he was. He was one of the greatest defenders of all time.

In the same way Dick Butkus was one of the best MLBs of all time. I don't have much of an issue with either of those statements, but I do bristle at people asserting that that makes him untouchable against modern athletes.


I never claimed he would. Just that he was one of the greatest defenders of all time and the Spurs would have less than 5 rings if they did not have him.

Again, I never said he would be able to stop Steph. Just that he was one of the greatest defenders of all time and the Spurs would have less than 5 rings if they did not have him.

Okay, why are you assuming everything I said in that second post was about you? I never said you said those things. My critique of you was including guys like Dirk on the list of players Bowen defended when he was simply adequate on them. Then I took it further to point out that switching onto PFs is not a rare phenomenon. Green and Leonard do it to great success all the time.


How was I selling offensive players of today short by bringing up great offensive players that Bowen has guarded? Just because one recognizing past greatness doesn't mean they are bashing today's stars. I love Kawhi Leonard, he is going to be one of the best PLAYERS (both offensively and defensively) of ALL TIME. That doesn't diminish what Bowen did in his career. Again, there is a reason he was named to multiple All Defensive teams. There was a reason he has his number retired.

Again, you make it seem like I am saying Bowen sucked. Not at all. Bruce deserves his place in Spurs lore. But in 20 years, no one's going to consider him the best perimeter defender the Spurs have ever had (or the second best). And it's not going to be because people just don't understand how great he was. It'll be because people understand how great Wing Stop is/was. Robinson wasn't less great just because Tim is better. But people want to refuse to consider that Bowen isn't better than the Spurs current defenders, and that's the attitude I'm responding to.

[Brazil]

I agree about the great teammate stuff. Except for his whining about his number being retired,

not sure I understand... last time I heard about number being retired it was Bruce saying he was fine with Lamarcus using its 12...

[Chinook]

not sure I understand... last time I heard about number being retired it was Bruce saying he was fine with Lamarcus using its 12...

The Spurs didn't seem all too keen to retire Bowen's jersey at first, so he kind of had a public campaign to get it done. I actually think that had the Spurs held fast on Avery, 12 would have been free to use.

[Dre_7]

Okay, why are you assuming everything I said in that second post was about you? I never said you said those things. My critique of you was including guys like Dirk on the list of players Bowen defended when he was simply adequate on them. Then I took it further to point out that switching onto PFs is not a rare phenomenon. Green and Leonard do it to great success all the time.

Because you kept quoting me and trying to argue against basically every point I made about why Bowen is one of the greatest defenders of all time.


Again, you make it seem like I am saying Bowen sucked.

No, you were the one making it seem like you were saying Bown sucks by constantly quoting and arguing against me and everything I said about Bowen being one of the greatest defenders of all time.

I just don't understand why you keep trying to argue with me?



But in 20 years, no one's going to consider him the best perimeter defender the Spurs have ever had (or the second best). And it's not going to be because people just don't understand how great he was. It'll be because people understand how great Wing Stop is/was.

So?

Wing Stop is awesome. But that doesn't diminish what Bowen has done in helping bring three titles to San Antonio. Bowen may not go down as the best Spurs defender ever (Kawhi easily will) but that doesn't change what he has done for the Spurs. Bowen is the man. He is one of the greatest defenders of all time and will always be one of the greatest defenders in NBA history. Which is what I have been saying this whole time.


Robinson wasn't less great just because Tim is better. But people want to refuse to consider that Bowen isn't better than the Spurs current defenders, and that's the attitude I'm responding to.

But I wasn't one of those people saying he was better than Kawhi (he may be better than Green but it is very close), so I don't get why you keep quoting me and arguing against my points. As for your example, no one says D Rob isn't one of the best big men in NBA history ever just because Duncan was better. That would be like saying Dr. J wasn't a great scorer because Jordan was better.

That is why I can say Bowen is one of the greatest defenders of all time, even though Kawhi and Green are too.

[Chinook]

Because you kept quoting me and trying to argue against basically every point I made about why Bowen is one of the greatest defenders of all time.

Your initial post wasn't about Bowen just being great.


People are forgeting how damn good Bowen was as a defender. I love Green but he isn't a better defender than Bowen was.

So it does imply that your arguments are supposed to contrast with Green and to a lesser extent Leonard. Our conversation IS about this comparison, as is the spirit of this thread. Bowen was great in his time, and he might have still been great in today's league (and no, that's not a given considering how different the players and officiating are). But he isn't mystical compared to the current guys. The only thing he had going for him is that he was by himself (even though Manu was a great defender when he was young), whereas Wing Stop has each other. But by most other measures, the Spurs shouldn't want to trade Green for Bowen -- even just defensively.

[daslicer]

I agree Curry would destroy Bruce tbh


Heck even Dell Curry would destroy Bruce

Massive troll job here I actually grew up in NC in the 90's so I saw a lot of Hornet games. Dell was a very one dimensional player. He was a great shooter who could light it up from anywhere on the court but unlike his son lacked good ball handling skills and didn't have the ability to drive to the hoop. Dell got most of his points from playing off the ball, pick and rolls, and from the double teams of other star players such as Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson and then Glen Rice. He also had a history of choking under pressure especially during the playoffs. Bruce was able to shut down superior players in his prime such as Ray Allen and Rip Hamilton. There is no a doubt Bruce would have locked down Dell. To me Stephen's rise is still surreal since I watched Dell as a kid and never could I imagine he would have a son that would not only supersede him as a player but would be the best player in the league. For spur fans this would be the equivalent to Bonner or RJ having a son that dominates the league.

[lefty]

Massive troll job here I actually grew up in NC in the 90's so I saw a lot of Hornet games. Dell was a very one dimensional player. He was a great shooter who could light it up from anywhere on the court but unlike his son lacked good ball handling skills and didn't have the ability to drive to the hoop. Dell got most of his points from playing off the ball, pick and rolls, and from the double teams of other star players such as Alonzo Mourning, Larry Johnson and then Glen Rice. He also had a history of choking under pressure especially during the playoffs. Bruce was able to shut down superior players in his prime such as Ray Allen and Rip Hamilton. There is no a doubt Bruce would have locked down Dell. To me Stephen's rise is still surreal since I watched Dell as a kid and never could I imagine he would have a son that would not only supersede him as a player but would be the best player in the league. For spur fans this would be the equivalent to Bonner or RJ having a son that dominates the league.
I know :lol

[daslicer]

I know :lol

I understand sometimes I miss the sarcasm in these posts.

[Dre_7]

Your initial post wasn't about Bowen just being great.

You are right, my initial post was about the fact that some people have forgotten how great he was and that he was a better defender than Green currently is. I still stand by that.


So it does imply that your arguments are supposed to contrast with Green and to a lesser extent Leonard.

I never implied he was better than Kawhi. I said people forget how great he was and that he was better than Green is, but that doesn't mean he is better than Kawhi.


Our conversation IS about this comparison, as is the spirit of this thread. Bowen was great in his time, and he might have still been great in today's league (and no, that's not a given considering how different the players and officiating are). But he isn't mystical compared to the current guys.

Not mystical, just one of the greatest defenders of all time. Better than Green curently is (but I will say that Green will be considered better in time). Not better than Kawhi. And the conversation is about whether he would help against the Warriors on today's squad. Yes he would. The conversation wasn't whether I would trade Green or Kawhi for him.

[Proxy]

I mean... what're we judging their defense by when their roles don't have real statistical representation? I remember Bruce being clutch when he had the open shot, and he was smart and knew his role. Things Danny fucks up on here and again. If their defense is a wash (and it isn't), then I'll take the smarter player. I like Danny, but some of you underrate the shit out of Bruce.

[Hoops Czar]

People are forgeting how damn good Bowen was as a defender. I love Green but he isn't a better defender than Bowen was.

Too bad the Spurs couldn't create a Green-Bowen hybrid. They'd have one of the best defenders the league has ever seen behind Kawhi of course. Bowen had a high BBIQ but lacked the physical tools to guard quicker guards. Green has the physical tools but has a low BBIQ, getting beat by the same play over and over and over again.

[HarlemHeat37]

Bowen was perfect for his era, tbh..I'm not sure f he could start with today's style of basketball, though..

He makes Green look like Ginobili, from an all-around skills perspective:lol

[Hoops Czar]

Bowen was perfect for his era, tbh..I'm not sure f he could start with today's style of basketball, though..

He makes Green look like Ginobili, from an all-around skills perspective:lol

Tony Allen says hi.:lol

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Too bad the Spurs couldn't create a Green-Bowen hybrid. They'd have one of the best defenders the league has ever seen behind Kawhi of course. Bowen had a high BBIQ but lacked the physical tools to guard quicker guards. Green has the physical tools but has a low BBIQ, getting beat by the same play over and over and over again.
& fouls shooters instead of planting his foot under their legs so they'll trip and get hurt.

[Hoops Czar]

& fouls shooters instead of planting his foot under their legs so they'll trip and get hurt.

That's no different than the offensive player kicking the defender trying to pick up a cheap foul. Back then, it was legal and he wasn't the only player doing it.

[Brazil]

The Spurs didn't seem all too keen to retire Bowen's jersey at first, so he kind of had a public campaign to get it done. I actually think that had the Spurs held fast on Avery, 12 would have been free to use.

I don't remember this episode at all but I trust you on this one even though I've hard time imagining Bowen doing a public campaign about that. Anyway On the end contrary to some, I m totally fine they retired his jersey... He deserved it

[Chinook]

I don't remember this episode at all but I trust you on this one even though I've hard time imagining Bowen doing a public campaign about that. Anyway On the end contrary to some, I m totally fine they retired his jersey... He deserved it

Remember, he had a new platform with ESPN, so it was probably something they encouraged him to do.

[Chinook]

You are right, my initial post was about the fact that some people have forgotten how great he was and that he was a better defender than Green currently is. I still stand by that.

I never implied he was better than Kawhi. I said people forget how great he was and that he was better than Green is, but that doesn't mean he is better than Kawhi.

Not mystical, just one of the greatest defenders of all time. Better than Green curently is (but I will say that Green will be considered better in time). Not better than Kawhi. And the conversation is about whether he would help against the Warriors on today's squad. Yes he would. The conversation wasn't whether I would trade Green or Kawhi for him.

You're perfectly allowed to think Bowen is better than Green. And I'm allowed to think the opposite. I was merely arguing against your points. It wasn't like I insulted you or anything. My point isn't that Bowen is so bad that Green is better than him. It's that Green is legitimately that great. His D in the playoffs has been the best on the team for three years running, statistically. Kawhi gets and deserves a bunch of praise, but Danny has been absolutely insane when it comes to some of the numbers he holds guys to. It's a great shame that people don't know what he does. Bowen never had to deal with that while he was playing.

[Chinook]

I mean... what're we judging their defense by when their roles don't have real statistical representation?

There's a ton of that. But in respect to Bowen fans, we have to pretend like there isn't any way to quantify what he did, even though there are stats that reflect favorably on him.


I remember Bruce being clutch when he had the open shot, and he was smart and knew his role. Things Danny fucks up on here and again.

I don't have shooting data from that far back, but it's likely that people remember Bowen as being more consistent than he was. There's just too much natural statistical variation for there not to be streaks. People act like the only thing time can do is fade the good things about a person. But it can also fade the bad things.

In his best (Spurs) year from three 2002-2003, Bowen shot 20 percent or worse from three on 25/82 games -- 30.4 percent. In Green's best year, he shot 20 percent or worse in 20/66 games -- 30.3 percent. Bowen's worst (Spurs) year from three was actually 2003-2004, and he shot 20 percent or worse in 31/82 games -- 37.8 percent. Green's worst (Spurs) year from three is this season (obviously) and he's shot 20 percent or under from three in 21/60 games so far -- 35 percent. I'm pretty sure actually doing every year would yield similar results. Bowen wasn't a more consistent shooter than Green, and he was FAR more limited. The idea that Bowen would be the pick even if the defense is a wash, is incomprehensible by me.

(Note, the previous paragraph is not what I'd call shooting data.)

[turkish spurs fan]

he would make steph curry injured stepping under him after his 3. we miss him.

[Dre_7]

You're perfectly allowed to think Bowen is better than Green. And I'm allowed to think the opposite. I was merely arguing against your points. It wasn't like I insulted you or anything. My point isn't that Bowen is so bad that Green is better than him. It's that Green is legitimately that great. His D in the playoffs has been the best on the team for three years running, statistically. Kawhi gets and deserves a bunch of praise, but Danny has been absolutely insane when it comes to some of the numbers he holds guys to. It's a great shame that people don't know what he does. Bowen never had to deal with that while he was playing.

Just now saw this today. Gotta say I agree almost 100%. I love Danny Green and think he is highly underrated simply because he plays with Kawhi. I still think Bowen is better than him on the defensive end of the floor but you won't hear me complain about Danny. I love him!