Of course Bruce doesn't have a retired jersey. I wasn't implying he did because he is active. The point I'm making is you guys put so much weight on a retired jersey it should count over those who do not, active or inactive.
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Of course Bruce doesn't have a retired jersey. I wasn't implying he did because he is active. The point I'm making is you guys put so much weight on a retired jersey it should count over those who do not, active or inactive.
I officially put my vote in for Bowen.
#11 will be very interesting. Even considering Kenon's gaudy stats and other players who had very good seasons like Alvin Robertson and Artis Gilmore ... I'm leaning heavily towards Avery Johnson at 11. His intangibles are off the charts in helping institute what we know as Spurs Basketball. Not only that, he was the emotional leader for the group that won the '99 championship and while his stats aren't great, they stack up well enough historically.
Avery Johnson for #11.
:stirpot:
My 11-15 would be
11. Special K
12. Alvin
13. Artis
14. Mitchell
15. AJ
Maybe AJ @ 14, Mike @ 15... not sure on that one yet
Bruce for the 3rd consecutive time...
http://cosmicvariance.com/wp-images/...BlocksDirk.jpg
Bruce Bowen, no doubt about it. I have no qualms with anybody on this list before him, but Bruce definitely deserves this last spot to round out the Top 10.
Larry Kenon might have been a stat-filler during his time here, but San Antonio was just a blip on his career, not a definition. Derek Anderson and Dominique Wilkins came here and put up decent stats for a while, too...but you'll be hard pressed to see them on this list. I'm not saying Kenon won't be Top 20...but I can't imagine him sitting ahead of Bruce, not to mention a few others.
Bruce Bowen is such an underrated and integral part of the San Antonio Spurs success that I don't believe he will be truly appreciated until he is gone and his jersey is being retired to the rafters. Much like his good friend Sean Elliott, Bowen could very well ending up as one of those faces that defines San Antonio.
As for his contributions on the court, it is more to his credit that he has been such a huge gear of this team without being able to contribute more offensively. We're talking about a guy who is willing to put all of his energy into the defensive end and dirty work. A guy who was a virtual Iron Man of the basketball court and has been out there to set the tone for the team, night in and night out, year after year. Not to mention a guy who has made an offensive living out of ONE SIGNATURE SHOT. I am still completely dumbfounded when I see a team give him the sideline three.
Without Bruce, the Spurs don't solve the riddle of Kobe and the Lakers.
Without Bruce, the Spurs don't witness Lebron James turn in one of the most lackluster Finals performances ever.
Without Bruce, the Spurs don't turn Ray Allen into a sandy vagina and don't see Billups saving shot get stuffed and don't perennially transform Shawn Marion into a playoff Houdini act.
Bruce is probably just as important to this team as the Big Three have been for three of the four Championships. The only reason it's not considered a Big Four is because of his offensive deficiencies but when it really comes down to it, there's only so many shots to go around. If you look at the Starting Lineup of our last three championship teams, the only rotational piece is the center, and that is a puzzle that the Spurs are still struggling to solve.
Bowen exemplifies the Stonecutter attitude by showing up every day and playing hard every minute, and he deserves the 10 spot more than any other Spur that is still remaining.
http://www.nba.com/media/finals2005/...295_050623.jpg
If you want to talk about best player, then 11 would be Kenon or Robertson.
If you want player with the biggest legacy, then it would be AJ.
I'm fine with grandfathering the retired jersey guys automatically in the top 10. I wasn't throwing around the weight of having a retired jersey, I was pointing out that this has hurt other players. But since obviously the jerseys do carry weight then that should be recognized. Just my opinion.
What's with all these asshats voting for Vinny D?