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good to hear.
Spurs' Bowen keeps showing he hasn't lost a step
By Mike Monroe - SAEN
Most of the Spurs did not know quite what to make of the group yoga class that consumed the final portion of their preseason practice session on Sunday.
Defensive star Bruce Bowen, beginning his 14th season in the NBA and his seventh with the Spurs, knew it wasn't quite hot enough inside the team's practice facility to get the full benefit from the deep stretching.
“Unfortunately, it's on the cooling system right now,” he said. “The heat won't go on until Tim (Duncan) gets cold.”
Bowen added yoga to his offseason training regimen several years ago. When you have made a career of pestering the NBA's most explosive scorers to utter distraction, you do whatever you can to keep aging muscles and joints flexible and pain-free.
Bowen's preferred yoga discipline, though, is the form advocated by Bikram Choudhury, whose yoga classes are conducted in relatively high heat to enhance the stretching process. He is grateful, nevertheless, to have deep stretching incorporated into the team's regular conditioning program.
With Robert Horry retired, Bowen is the oldest Spurs player. He turned 37 in June. Except for 38-year-old Celtics guard Sam Cassell, he is older than any player on an NBA roster.
Unlike Cassell, Bowen remains a starter and a player whose physical skills separate him from most in the league. Last season, he averaged 30.2 minutes in 81 games. The only game he missed resulted not from injury or illness, but a suspension for kicking Hornets guard Chris Paul. The league's head coaches have named him to the All-Defensive first team each of the past five seasons. He was second-team All-Defense the previous three seasons.
Each training camp, the Spurs' coaches expect to see a marginal drop-off in the physicality and athleticism that have made Bowen a defender capable of frustrating players so thoroughly that some insist he steps outside the rules to stop them. Each year, including this one, they shake their heads in amazement that he remains among the team's best-conditioned players.
“When players get in that age realm, we have to discuss it and think about it, but Bruce doesn't even like us to joke about it,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “He gets very sensitive, because he takes great pride in what he has done to maintain his physical abilities.
“He hasn't lost a step. He continues to do everything we've seen him do over the years. It's just a testament to his professionalism and the regimen he keeps, summer after summer.
“He's an anomaly.”
Bowen doesn't mind being the oldest player on one of the league's oldest teams. With Horry gone, he believes he has to set an example for younger newcomers.
“It doesn't change a thing,” he said of being the oldest Spurs player. “I just know all the jokes fall on me now, instead of Rob. But they do want you to set an example in things, maybe a little thing like wearing a heart monitor.
“I understand more now, being an older guy here, that I can help bring some of the younger guys along.”
Roger Mason, a 28-year-old swingman signed in July, calls Bowen a personal inspiration.
“To see him at 37, still guarding Tony Parker in practice, says a lot,” Mason said. “To be at his age, still doing things younger guys are doing, well, I want to be able to do the same things myself at that age.”
The Spurs signed Mason because they see some of Bowen's traits in him, especially his defensive tenacity and 3-point shooting skill.
Mason, though, has been amazed just watching Bowen's daily approach to defense, even in scrimmages.
“He's a K-Y-P guy — Know Your Personnel. Even out here, he's not defending Tony Parker the same way he defends Michael Finley or Jacque Vaughn or me. That's something you don't really think about. You just know that Bruce Bowen is a defender, but he thinks the game through. That's what makes him the elite defender, and that's huge in this league.”
Bowen's approach, as always, is simple:
“My goal, each and every year, is to be Defensive Player of the Year,” he said.
good to hear.
Bruce is truly an amazing, amzaing athlete. For the past 2 seasons, I kept hearing the opposition broadcasters say that he's "lost a step". When in actuality, he probably hasn't lost anything. This guy is a freak of nature. Barring injury, I wouldn't be surprised to see him play another 3 seasons.
I hope he transitions to the Spurs coaching staff after that. His defensive techniques and "corporate knowledge" are invaluable to Pop's defensive scheme.
For the record, he's been DPOY, in my book, for a couple of years now. Screw Ben Wallace, Marcus Camby and all the rest.
Top 5 all time favorite Spur.
Bowen is the epitome of Spurs basketball.
good, because we will need him more than ever.
Bruce Bowen remaining Bruce Bowen is mandatory if the Spurs want to win the championship. If Bowen slows, I can't imagine how this unit can overcome that loss.
Parker and Ginobili have been lucky to have Bowen on their side over the years. If Bowen were elsewhere, I'd say he could lock down either one of them.“To see him at 37, still guarding Tony Parker in practice, says a lot,” Mason said.
I have to disagree a bit, he has indeed lost a step, it showed in the WCF a couple of times. Bruce is still an elite defender but I do think he's starting to lose a step here and there.
As for him being an amazing athlete, I do agree, I have no idea how he has remained at such an elite level for so long, it defies logic.
That's crazy, how he'll switch technique even in practice, hope he can keep averaging at least 25 minutes a game til 2012. Maybe by then we'll have traded Mason and Udoka for young talent, and he'll still be here.
It's rare that I agree with you, but well said.
And he's a lovely guy. Here's to you, Bruce!
It's a load of that Bruce has never won DPOY.“My goal, each and every year, is to be Defensive Player of the Year,” he said.
I was merely "piggybacking" off the coaches comments contained in the article. If he has lost a step, it's not much. If he hasnt', you have to figure at some point, he will. Unless, of course, he's like former Washington Redskins CB, Darrell Green.
Personally, I'll be watching him closely this season to see for myself.
i agree with the article. bowen at his age is still a heck of a defender. i'm so grateful he's on our team.
He lost a step for the first time last season. What didnt happen was when he or any of our smalls got beat was we had no bigs to help out. Ask timmy or pop who sets the tone? They will both tell ya its bruce. Thats a fact. Bruce is still the best player in a spurs uniform. Bruce wont be our problem, even thou he lost a step so have the players he is sent out to guard every night. When roger and hill play bruce style D then we will better. And if Ian shows what the spurs and spurs fan have been waiting for we'll be tons better. Dont forget Tolliver he's quick as a cat. Team D won us all those rings. And it starts with Bruce. He could lose 2 steps and still be the best defender on our team easily.
I love Bowen... but this is crazy talk.
Yeah...but if you look at his role on this team, he is just as important as any one of the big three. Especially in the playoffs.
Who won DPOY last year???? I can't even remember...
He was getting schooled on defense a lot last year. Kobe had him falling to his feet a few times. He can be a solid player but he isn't nearly at the level he was 2 or 3 years ago.
You have to look at the entire body of work last year. Bowen still had a very good year guarding lots of players. In the second half of the season the Spurs defense was top 2 or 3 in the league and that includes playoffs. Bruce was a huge part of that. The fact that Kobe burned him is no reason to think Bruce has lost any kind of noticeable step considering that was the best I have ever seen Kobe play.
Yea when
Yea when the Lakers played us i have never seen Kobe go off like that in a long time. although i dont really agree with the strategy the spurs played against them. Bruce played him as good as anyone could have but Kobe turned back the clock about 6 years and burned us like he used to during the shaq kobe days.
Nice posting
Nice posting job
Nice posting job there, buddy.
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