Now The Knicks Think Bruce Bowen Is a Dirty Player

[samikeyp]

No, there are a number of Spur and Bowen fans who don't defend that particular play. Hardly a group that is displaying any bias.

so people who think Bowen is dirty just because he is a Spur are not biased against him?

[samikeyp]

This isn't about other players. This is about Bruce Bowen. He uses this tactic far more than any other player I've seen and I watch a lot of basketball. That kind of crap can jeopardize someone's career and it's time people stop trying to rationalize Bowen's bull with the "other players do it" garbage.

Ok...but I am not sure where I was rationalizing his behavior.

[whottt]

That was a dirty play by Bowen. In fact, if he got suspended for a game I wouldn't shed a tear. You can't stick your whole leg underneath a guy who is in the air. It serves no purpose other than to injure.

And Bowen knows what he's doing. The master of defensive footwork isn't going to have his leg accidentally sticking out right where Francis is going to land. I like Bowen as much as the next Spurs fan, but this was a cheap, dirty play.

You stick your leg out like that when you are playing on the streets and you better expect a fight to break out. It's a low move and Bowen is good enough to not have to resort to it. I could understand doing it to a player like Dirk or someone that he wants to have a mental edge on, but to stick his leg under Steve Francis in November is dumb.

You'd have a great point if it happened all the time...but it doesn't. It's happened one other time with Vince Carter...2 years ago.


You saying that it never happens with other players jumping on a 3 and landing on a foot? I call BS. I'd say it happens multiple times per week.


And if Bruce is doing it all the time, why don't guys gets sprains more often?


Sorry, Bruce owns people nightly, and so when something like this happens guys instanly pull this card to explain past ownership by Bruce...

I want you to show me a defender who constenst threes hard that doesn't wind up with his foot under someone from time to time...when you jump forward, your legs are going to land sticking in front of you.

Bottom line, if someone else had done this besdies Bruce, there wouldn't be all this discussion about it.


People don't like getting owned...

[ShoogarBear]

so people who think Bowen is dirty just because he is a Spur are not biased against him?

Maybe, but that's not what the quotation said.

The only group that we can say almost certainly isn't biased are those Spur/Bowen fans who aren't defending him.

[hitmanyr2k]

If Bowen had kept his legs pinned together at the knees after he jumped going forward (not straight up) what would happen? He would have ing fell into Francis, and thus had a foul called.

'em. If you don't like Bowen that's too bad.

WTF? Stop playing dumb. Bruce doesn't have to keep his legs pinned together but at the same time he doesn't have to do the splits and stick that leg out as far as he can either. No one lands like that. Go ahead and jump right now. You're sure as not going to land with your legs splitting that far apart.

[timvp]

He barely got his foot under him. It wasn't even close to his whole leg.

Bowen stuck as much as he could under him. BOTH of Francis feet land on Bowen. His first foot lands on Bowen's shin and then second foot lands on his foot. And it's that second foot that he hurt.

I've never seen a player in any level of basketball anywhere who happens to land both feet on another player's leg/shin/ankle/foot.

[Kori Ellis]

Watch some more game tape, defenders feet are quite often in the way of shooters. I think most of the time it's just cir stantial.

All I know is that Bowen pushes things as much as he can push them without being what I consider dirty. If it's dirty to someone, then that's cool. To me, it's just crafty and a big part of why he's successful. All I know is that if he's already bothering players in November, that's a damn good sign. Usually he doesn't even get warmed up yet.

Has Bowen ever even been suspended?

I know that if he was regularly intentionally injuring all these stars, he would have been repeatedly suspended in his career.

[samikeyp]

The only group that we can say almost certainly isn't biased are those Spur/Bowen fans who aren't defending him.

I would agree...but my point still stands.

[JamStone]

Your daddy.

Cute. Intelligent. Succinct.

A memorable retort.

[boutons_]

There doesn't seem to be much noise in the sports press.

Anybody find a youtube of all Bruces dirty antics? Surely some anti-fan will put one together.

[tlongII]

Watch some more game tape, defenders feet are quite often in the way of shooters. I think most of the time it's just cir stantial.

All I know is that Bowen pushes things as much as he can push them without being what I consider dirty. If it's dirty to someone, then that's cool. To me, it's just crafty and a big part of why he's successful. All I know is that if he's already bothering players in November, that's a damn good sign. Usually he doesn't even get warmed up yet.

Has Bowen ever even been suspended?

I know that if he was regularly intentionally injuring all these stars, he would have been repeatedly suspended in his career.

I don't recall Karl Malone getting suspended either. Doesn't mean he wasn't dirty.

[ShoogarBear]

I know that if he was regularly intentionally injuring all these stars, he would have been repeatedly suspended in his career.

Nobody's saying he's intentionally injuring people. But he's doing things where he knows that somebody might get hurt, and he knows that's an advantage for him in the long run.

timvp is right, you grab and push somebody playing on the street, they'll just grab and push you back 99% of the time. You stick your foot under their J, you best be prepared to fight.

[spurster]

Bruce plays very close to the man he's defending. I would guess that he's trying to get his feet as close to their landing position as possible and sometimes (or often on your point of view) misses.

Is that dirty? Sure. I'm also sure the league pays close attention, and they haven't punished him yet, though maybe they are waiting for the right example.


Bruce can get his leg under the jumpshooters, but who's going to knock them down when they make layups.

[ShoogarBear]

Cute. Intelligent. Succinct.

A memorable retort.

Chill, dude. Twas a joke.

You wanted an actual list of Piston fans from 1990?

Steve
Darryl
Mike

All I can think of right now.

[whottt]

So now Bowen's getting compared to Karl Malone?

I can't recall Bruce ever shoving someone from behind with the intent to hurt...trying to hit people in the balls, throwing elbows, basically the stuff that every player on the Mavs, Sonics, Nuggets, and Rockets do with regularity.

The only guys I see calling out Bruce are the gigantic vaginas of the league.

Kobe doesn't call him dirty...

[Kori Ellis]

timvp is right, you grab and push somebody playing on the street, they'll just grab and push you back 99% of the time. You stick your foot under their J, you best be prepared to fight

I guess I'll trust you two hardcore street ballas on this

[JamStone]

Chill, dude. Twas a joke.

Chill on the chill preaching. Twas sarcasm.


Next time, I'll just respond with "your mamma" so you get it.

[ShoogarBear]

I guess I'll trust you two hardcore street ballas on this

That's the point. Has nothing to do with hardcore street ballas. You go to the Dominion Health Club and do that and you'll start a fight.

[kris]

I don't think Bowen does this to try to be dirty. I think he does this to make other players uncomfortable about shooting and think about where they are going to land instead of thinking about shooting the next time they take a shot. If he's got a shooter worried about how they are going to land, the battle is over and Bowen has won. Is he trying to hurt someone? No. Will he cry if he does? No. Bowen is as smart as they come, he uses EVERYTHING he can to his advantage. He shows you his hands, but if he does, look at his feet.

[Bruno]

I don't recall Karl Malone getting suspended either. Doesn't mean he wasn't dirty.

12/5/03
The NBA suspended Karl Malone (LAL) for 1 game for throwing an elbow at
Steve Nash (Dal) during Thursday's Dal-LAL game.

11/22/00
The NBA fined Karl Malone (Uta) $7,500 and suspended him for 1 game for
throwing an elbow at Christian Laettner (Dal) during Monday's Dal-Uta game.

4/12/99
The NBA fined Karl Malone (Uta) $4,000 and suspended him for one game for
throwing a punch at Ot a Harrington (Hou) during Sunday's Uta-Hou game.

4/10/98
The NBA fined Karl Malone (Uta) $5,000 and suspended him for one game for
throwing an elbow that knocked David Robinson (SA) unconscious in
Wednesday's Uta-SA game. The league said that the contact was
unintentional, but Malone should not have been swinging his elbows.

[whottt]

The reason people get pissed in streetball is because playing D in streetball is considered illegal. People get pissed at a lot of stuff in pick up games. Because it's supposed to be for fun...not life and death. The NBA is life and death...career or no career.

I guess the NBA needs to make a rule that you can't contest or attempt to block 3 point shots unless you are jumping straight in the air. Because it's impossible to do that without your feet landing in front of you.

[tlongII]

That's the point. Has nothing to do with hardcore street ballas. You go to the Dominion Health Club and do that and you'll start a fight.

Dude, at your age you can't jump high enough for someone to get their legs under you.

[Fabbs]

Has Bowen ever even been suspended?

I know that if he was regularly intentionally injuring all these stars, he would have been repeatedly suspended in his career.

Stern and integrity? Was Karl Malone ever suspended. D'Oh i just read the above post. If so it was much too short. Did Shaq ever get called for an offensive foul between 2000 and 2002.

Just because Stern lets it slide means nothing.

[Kori Ellis]

I don't think Bowen does this to try to be dirty. I think he does this to make other players uncomfortable about shooting and think about where they are going to land instead of thinking about shooting the next time they take a shot. If he's got a shooter worried about how they are going to land, the battle is over and Bowen has won. Is he trying to hurt someone? No. Will he cry if he does? No. Bowen is as smart as they come, he uses EVERYTHING he can to his advantage. He shows you his hands, but if he does, look at his feet.

That's exactly my opinion.

[kris]

Sorry Kori, I just realized you already said that.