is still elite IMO..but no longer the best..so I hope Pop isn't gonna have him guard guys like Nash, Paul and quicker guards this year, but instead leave him on the swingman, like we did with Peja last year..Bowen completely shut him down..
I would have loved seeing him cover Grant Hill last night, who had a big game against us..I have no doubt that Bruce could have shut him down..
obviously there are going to be cases where Bowen is just going to get torched, like if he's playing against a guy like Kobe..but I just hope we don't see him covering PG's or really quick SG's anymore, like we've been accustomed to in the past..
do you guys think Pop will continue having him guard guys like Nash, Paul and Williams like we've seen in the past, or will he give him more big SG and SF assignments?..
Parker will have to step up defensively vs. some of these guards..Hill can be a very good defender this year, so he can be key vs. these PG's as well..
Good thoughts. Im sure in special situations (If Hill proves himself), pop will have Parker and Hill on the floor at the same times for Hill to guard some of the elite PG's.
I can see Hill giving CP3 problems. Hill has ridiculously long arms and is really strong for his age. Hopefully he can turn out to be a "secret weapon" for us.
very true, bowens D is still very good but hes not gonna shut anyone down. im really hoping udoka works out..
All the more reason that Pop should've invested in another swing player, who could not only hold his own offensively, yet could also lock people up on the defensive end.
*Coughhairstoncough*
Cough..you read my freakin' mind...(cough, choke)
Again. Any rook that has the skills, effort and balls to block a shot by Tayshaun Prince, is a guy I want on my squad.
I know we're putting way too much on that one play, but I remember thinking, "well kid, Tay's about to school you" and then Hairston just went up with him and met the ball.
for what its worth it looks like scola cant guard dirk either lol
i think malik will end up with us anyway.
When he's aggressive going to the hoop, who can? The league had better be afraid of Dirk when he's like this.
I know, but I just can't help but long for some additional athleticism on this roster.I know we're putting way too much on that one play, but I remember thinking, "well kid, Tay's about to school you" and then Hairston just went up with him and met the ball.
so you expect Bowen to go all out in the 1st game of the season? gimme a break.
Bowen is still top 3 perimeter defender in the league. Plus his experience in playoffs = invaluable. Yes he will be guarding opponent's top player.
bowen should be guarding wing players, not point guards. point guards are naturally faster than wing players so putting a slower/older bowen on them just doesn't make much sense anymore. parker has good tools to be a good defensive player and hill can obviously keep up with his opponent. shutting down the opposing team's best wing player even if they have a good point guard will be better than putting finley or parker on them.
I agree that he's still one of the best defenders in the NBA..he's also one of my favorite players and one of the hardest works in the NBA..but he CAN'T be guarding elite PG's, he doesn't have the quickness anymore..there aren't SF's that can guard PG's in the first place, so a guy in his late 30's shouldn't be getting these assignments, no matter how great he has been defensively..
so which Spur do you think should guard them, who can do a better job?
I think bowen can definitely continue to handle the elite players on the other team, and until hill proves that pop's praise of his defense is for real in for real games he'll have to(I believe he will). Once that happens bruce can go to guarding the best swing man rather than best non-center on the floor.
On a side note, (and don't crucify me with numbers, this is just a thought) I think we should go after Shane Battier during the 2010 free agent free for all(or even in a trade before then if possible). Ime brings great toughness to our team but just isn't an elite defender, and Battier is, thus a great replacement for Bruce. His salary is high, but not absurdly high, and he also shoots 3's at 39% clip for his career. I think he'll be unhappy with Artest taking so many of his minutes and ready to get the outta clutch city.
Agree.. As much as i appreciate Bowen's D, im glad i wasn't the only one to notice the speed and reaction time Bowen lacked when gaurding Nash. He did look to be always a step behind and as a result wasn't able to apply the same on-ball pressure im used to seeing on Nash. When defending the p'n'r b he didn't fight as hard to get around screens or stay as close to Nash as possible. Maybe he's carrying an injury ?. It did cross my my mind also - as some-one else suggested.. that he trying to pace himself better this season leading up to the play-offs?obviously there are going to be cases where Bowen is just going to get torched, like if he's playing against a guy like Kobe..but I just hope we don't see him covering PG's or really quick SG's anymore, like we've been accustomed to in the past..
Bowen wasn't terribly effective against Nash in the playoffs; frankly I'm surprised the coaching staff didn't remember that. I'd rather have Parker or Vaughn on him. It'll be nice when Hill comes back healthy.
Putting Parker on Nash when Barbosa isn't on the floor, sure.
If both Nash and Barbosa are playing? I seem to remember that Parker was pretty effective in keeping Barbosa from going off in the past two postseason series these two teams had.
You have a point. Barbosa scored 9 points in the fourth quarter last night. Everyone rags on Bonner for Amare getting 11, but Mason gets a pass.
Maybe because it was Mayson's first game and he actually played well.
Just not on defense, and not in the 4th quarter.
While admittedly I've never been a fan of putting Bowen on point guards, doing so in the regular season makes even less sense. In the playoffs, it can work because Bowen wears the point guard down over the duration of a series being physical and hounding continually. It's a big reason why Nash usually plays worse as the series against the Spurs go on and why DWill eventually faded in that 2007 Jazz series. During the regular season, that wearing down advantage never manifests itself so it really isn't too advantageous.
The only scenario I like Bowen on point guards is if they are going off scoring the ball. Then Bowen can switch off and he can usually turn them into passers. But a whole game of Bowen defending point guards? Me no likey. This is becoming more true as Bowen ages and keeping him fresh is a key and Parker becomes a better and better defender.
Regarding RMJ, I thought he looked the part of a player capable of becoming a good defender in the Spurs system. He showed good quickness, alertness and he has done a decent job of picking up the concepts. His D needs a lot of work but he's farther along right out of training camp than almost every other perimeter defender we've seen in the Pop era outside of Bowen. It was almost comical watching players like Finley and Barry try to defend right out of the gates.
One guy has played 1 game for the spurs, while the other has played 2 seasons and looked lost on rotations. It's not hard to work out why Mason gets a pass.
I agree.
I would like to see Udoka get a 45/55 split of the SF minutes with Bowen, so that Bowen can be fresh enough to hound PGs if necessary in the playoffs. He gave Nash fits last postseason with his physicality. You can't burn Bowen out by having him run after smaller, fleeter players all season, though. That's our playoff audible.
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