:lolQuote:
Originally Posted by tp2021
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:lolQuote:
Originally Posted by tp2021
i dont recall who wear #12 before Bowen, but I will never forget who wore it after the summer of 2001!
:toast
Thanks Bowen!
#12
Bowen should get his number retired and it shouldn't even be a close case.
Haislip wore #12 in college and with Milwaukee. He wore #2 with Indiana and #24 in Spain but these numbers are taken with Spurs. If Haislip doesn't end up with #12, it could be a hint that Spurs FO plan to retire Bruce jersey. For the moment, he is the only player signed by Spurs without a number attributed on Spurs website.
Personally I'd love to see Bowen go into politics someday...he could be mayor of SA in a heartbeat...
I don't think it will be this upcoming season either. I think it will be the following.Quote:
Originally Posted by ploto
Well, if they wouldn't let Manu have number 6 while AJ was still in the NBA and more than 4 yrs before it was retired, I'd say it is a very, very, very safe bet to assume that Haislip will have to pick a number other than 12.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruno
i think it will be a couple years down the road, but you cant deny him the honor at this point, especially since they already retired AJ
I think my argument for retiring Bruce's jersey/number is pretty simple. For the better part of a decade the Spurs have prided themselves as a defense first team, that philosophy has helped guide them to four NBA Championships in that time, how do you not honor the guy that personified defense more than anyone else on the team?
That's pretty much it. Sure it helps to have two Hall Of Fame players (Tim Duncan and David Robinson) behind you when you get beat, but still I think he personified that guy pounding on that rock more than anyone else, of course I think the whole team pounded on that rock, but if you had to single out on guy from the rest...
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by timvp
Bruce gets a ceremony at some point down the road. Book it.
Agree 100%Quote:
Originally Posted by timvp
Take down Avery's jersey to make room for Bruce's. :)
Hanging his jersey immediately after his retirment is pretty much the highest honor the Spurs can give a player?
Does Bruce deserve it?
Absolutely.
Whether it's taking less money to benefit the team, or doing the dirty work, or just embodying the team...Bruce deserves that honor.
Especially since he got screwed out of a DPOY award on more than one occassion.
The only credit Bruce is ever going to get as a player is the one the Spurs and their fans give him, everyone else considers him a bad guy or dislikes him...he deserves this from the Spurs. He deserves it immediately, just like they did with Drob and will do with Duncan, Manu and Parker.
I don't remember if Gervin got his retired immediately or not(I suck at remembering jersey retirement dates other than Drob's) but if he didn't then maybe you have an argument against doing it this year...but still, even the way Bruce turned down other offers to play so his last game will be as a Spur, he deserves the immediate honor and I hope the fans push the Spurs to do it.
Spurs will give the fans what they want...I think it's ultimately the fans that will decide how fast it happens.
It was funny the way Bruce trashed the Mavs in his retirement speech...Quote:
Originally Posted by angel_luv
He trashed Terry, he said the only way he'd have ever played for the Mavs is if he was traded to them. Otherwise he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
My all time favorite retirment speech, as I completley share his disdain for all things Mav.
Bruce gets "it". He needs to be in the rafters immediately.
Seem's wrong, but it's so right.Quote:
Originally Posted by timvp
Retiring of a number is not just about stats, its about what that player has meant to a franchise, a community and a fanbase. Nobody fails to qualify because there is no set criteria. That's why you see players on many different teams who will never sniff the Hall of Fame get their numbers hung up because of what they meant locally. That's also why you see coaches, owners and even PA guys have "numbers" retired. Hell I think Sacramento has #6 retired for their fans as "their sixth man". If you go just by numbers, then no, Bruce would not qualify and neither would AJ but because of what they meant to the Spurs franchise, their fans and the city of San Antonio, they both deserve to be up there. IMO, it not a matter of if Bruce's number is retired but when.
They might not want to retire it this year until they're absolutely sure they're not going to bring Bowen back for the playoff run. You never know what can happen during the season; if they decided they needed him back as a safety net or whatever it would be weird to have him playing with his jersey already up in the rafters.
If at some point during this season they decide they're set and they won't bring him back for the postseason, they need to retire it.
Bruce Bowen was an All-Star. He just played in an era where the noticeable statistics do no justice to defensive oriented players. Years from today he will be remembered as a great example of being an All-Star on the other side of the ball does payoff.
Bruce said he's done and he won't be changing his mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thompson
500 + mostly hating responses on ESPN's article about Bruce retiring...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4442293
:loser are celebrating...
Sean wasn't dominant on either side of the ball...Bruce was on the defensive side.Quote:
Originally Posted by bishopospurs
And Bruce also is the guy that lead the NBA in 3 shooting....
I love Elliott, unquestionably he was more talented than Bruce, and he was a great defensive player in his own right, but Bruce was more dominant night in and night out, and had more impact on wins and losses.
I mean that last season first round exit....is it just a coincidence it happened the same season Bruce was no longer a major part of the rotation?
I don't really think it is. The last time Bruce was injured(in his first season
) the Spurs turned into a completely different team while he was out.
Richard Jefferson is not going to be as dominant as Bruce was either....might as well start lowering the expectations on that front right now.
greater then aj yesQuote:
Originally Posted by timvp
I agree.Quote:
Originally Posted by timvp
Zarko Paspalj after smoking a pack of cigarettes > Carl Herrera > AJ
There should be no fucking doubt about #12 rising to the rafters.
Without Bruce we have AT LEAST 1 less title.
I wasn't 100% w/ the AJ retirement, but Bowen ABSOLUTELY needs to get his jersey hanging from the rafters. He personified those 3 championships and was a great community guy.
Normally, the people that look at statistics would see a stat line like this and see nothing special:
Career PPG RPG APG FG% MPG
.........7.4...3.5...4.3...38.7..25.9
How could a player with these types of numbers be considered to have his number retired?
Normally, a fair question unless you realize that this player was a "specialist" and served as a defensive stopper. Even then, most people would say that a "specialist" with these numbers was a role player and not a star worthy of a number in the rafters, much less be considered as a hall of fame candidate. That is, until you realize those are the career numbers of #25 KC Jones.
Bruce Bowen had similar unspectacular numbers. He played during the golden era of his team, where typically more #s are retired following such eras, and deservedly so. In a league of 32 teams, winning 3 championships is impressive. San Antonio may never see another run like it has seen the past decade. As people look at the rafters in 2025 (if the Mayans and Nostradamas were wrong & the world hasn't ended by then)...will enough truly great players have worn a Spurs' jersey with contributions toward a championship that equal Bruce Bowen's? The 500 consecutive games as starter guarding the NBA's greatest scorers. The 3-pt accuracy. Blocking a key shot to win another championship can be just as important as hitting the winning shot and that is just a part of Bowen's championship legacy. We may have seen one of the greatest Spurs during this era, or any era, in #12.