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I still think it's way too early to give up on Butler unless we can get something good that will help us right now. The kid's got a lot of potential.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...n.186feb1.html
Web Posted: 02/21/2007 12:28 AM CST
Johnny Ludden
Express-News
Bruce Bowen's monthlong struggles with his shot have Spurs coach Gregg Popovich worried his top perimeter defender might be slowed by a lower-back injury.
Bowen has had some soreness in his back that's limited his practice time, but he has yet to miss a game. After ranking among the NBA's leaders in 3-point accuracy for much of the season, Bowen had made nine of his 46 attempts in the 14 games before Tuesday.
"In my opinion, Bruce is injured," Popovich said. "It's probably bothering him more than he's willing to admit because he is a compe or and he wants to continue playing.
"We're going ahead and giving him the benefit of the doubt that he's better off physically than I think he is. We just see where it goes."
Bowen, who scored nine points in Tuesday's victory, said he feels fine.
"Everybody plays through some sort of aches and pains," Bowen said. "I wasn't playing well and now I'm trying to make a conscious effort on improving. Sometimes all it takes is a layup to get you going."
Bowen hasn't missed a game since Feb. 26, 2002, giving him the league's longest active streak of consecutive games played with 408. Popovich is hoping the All-Star break gave Bowen enough time to recover.
"He hasn't played great basketball by his own admission, but he believes it's just because he hasn't played well," Popovich said. "If that's the case, I'm fine with it, and we'll stick with him. But if it continues and I sense that it is more his back than he's willing to believe, then I have to limit him in some way, shape or form."
Standing pat? The NBA's trade deadline arrives Thursday afternoon and Popovich said if the Spurs make another deal it would involve "periphery players" similar to the Eric Williams-for-Melvin Ely swap.
It's little secret the Spurs have tried to move center Jackie Butler, who has appeared in only six games. Butler did little to improve his case for minutes Tuesday morning when he showed up at the practice facility after the team had already finished shootaround.
Butler was extremely apologetic and stayed for extra work, but arriving an hour late on the morning of the team's first game after the All-Star break isn't going to help him earn the respect of his coaches and teammates.
Briefly: Matt Bonner returned after missing the past 15 games while recovering from a torn left medial collateral ligament. He played with a brace on his knee and finished with three points on 1-of 6-shooting and two rebounds in 12 minutes. He said his knee felt fine but needs to regain his timing. ... Nuggets guard J.R. Smith left in the first half with a left knee injury. Denver officials diagnosed the injury as a muscle strain but said he might have a meniscus tear.
I still think it's way too early to give up on Butler unless we can get something good that will help us right now. The kid's got a lot of potential.
All the recent bad publicity from Ludden on Butler means the Spurs are actually really looking to move him. It creates the reasons in advance so that fans won't be so upset. If none of this had come out and Butler got traded, people would be like WTF? but now if he is gone people will say- he was fat and lazy and stupid.It's little secret the Spurs have tried to move center Jackie Butler, who has appeared in only six games. Butler did little to improve his case for minutes Tuesday morning when he showed up at the practice facility after the team had already finished shootaround.
So Butler + Beno=??
Nah, the Spurs would never do such a thing....
This is the first I heard that the Spurs were trying to move Butler. I thought he had just been tabled as a long term project.
I think it's too early to give up on him. Better to trade Oberto and Udrih for a long 3, since they're the odd men out of the current rotation anyway.
But Bowen's back worries me too. If he needs to rest, he should rest. We need him come playoff time. On the other hand, he's such a fierce compe or he'll turn it up another notch and play through ANYTHING come playoff time.
....and the Spurs wonder why fans have been clamoring for them to duly address the need for an heir apparent for Bowen. Despite his "iron-man" rep and compe iveness, it's not like Bruce is going to play forever. After all, he is one of the oldest players on the team and older players do tend to sustain injuries more often.
It's absolutely stupid for the FO to have ignored this need to have lingered this long.
Last edited by SenorSpur; 02-21-2007 at 11:55 AM.
I'm shocked that a 35-year-old perimeter player might start to break down physically. Who could have seen that coming?
Maybe the Spurs can find a nice young spry contributor like Scottie Pippen to pick up the slack.
Not only has Butler been underwhelming on nearly all fronts so far, he has the temerity to have a contract that runs through 2009. (Nevermind the fact the Spurs gave him that contract.) I'm sure that sticks in their craw as much as anything.
It's never too early to trade someone who doesn't show the effort necessary....
The Spurs have patience to wait for talent to develop, but effort doesn't just develop...
one more reason to make a try for Gerald Wallace NOW!
(I know, I know, we don't have what it would take to persuade the Bobcats. but give them Butler, Barry, White, Scola rights, Mahinmi rights and if this isn't enough THROW IN THE KARAULOV RIGHTS!)
Why throw so much at a player who probably won't resign with you this summer?
ok, withdraw the Karaulov rights.
Yeah, that's it, give them all of the young talent we actually have the rights to (along with Barry) for a guy who spends half his team in the injured list.
Go back to spursreport if you're going to bring that kind of .
Butler is too young and raw. The guy has not had any PT (he hasnt exactly earned it eiither). The guy needs to see some time. Its a shame to see Bowen breaking down, but hopefully some of the other guys can step it up on D.
Dude, can't you tell he's joking?
I just wonder: did you ever release a post without offending someone?
must be some kind of mental disorder.
btw. Butler and Mahinmi and White are young, but I wouldn't go as far to call them talented, Scola is talented, but no longer young and won't sign with the Spurs anyhow. the only in fact young talent we have is Tony.
AHF is needlessly combative, but the only thing he winds up combating (unsuccessfully) is his own stupidity and, perhaps, his attempts to not be a prick.
Tony isn't talented, hes exceptional. To be a two-time all-star at 24 is a wonderful accomplishment. But I don't think that "young talent" only applies to those kind of guys. James White has all the talent in the world in terms of physical characteristics. He just hasn't figured out how to use them (yet) and is therefore still somewhat raw. Mahinmi and Butler are both VERY raw but are definately talented - hence why they were picked up by the Spurs. Players like Tony Parker, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard that are young and uber-capable are starters, all-stars and rookies of the year types because they have talent and have learned to utilize it early. But developing players like Andrew Bynum and Shaun Livingston are often no less talented...they're just still learning to use that talent and apply it.
Ludden asserts that everyone knows that Butler has been on the block. Maybe other people read those stories, but I missed them.
It was mentioned in one of the other articles but was immediately poo-poohed by the contingent that thinks Butler will still obviously reap dividends somewhere down the line.
Spurs' PR machine in full effect. How long until we find out that Butler pissed on the Alamo?
Has Butler played well here or something?
That's hilarious.
The point isn't that he's played well, but that the Spurs are looking to trade him tomorrow and need to foreshadow it somehow through Ludden.
I guess in Marcus's mind, the Spurs made up and lied about Butler doing that.
2008-2009 is the team's option. They ain't stupid. The '08 plan was already in effect once Pryz turned down SA last summer. I had a bad feeling when Bonner was hurt and Butler, in street clothes, wouldn't even budge off the bench to help him to the locker room. Tim had to bark at him.
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