Bruce Bowen Fired By Clippers For Kawhi Comments

[YGWHI]

So other players don't like media criticism.

Finally you get it, bro

[SpursDynasty85]

Like it or not, Kawhi just did what was the best for himself like everyone does in his life.

IT said that Kawhi protected his body and career, he regrets playing injured, now he thinks he should have sat in playoffs.
If Kawhi thought that playing last season would aggravate his injury, he did the right thing.
If Kawhi for misdiagnosis/not getting super-max/big market thing/whatever reason, asked for a trade, he did the right thing for his career, too.

On these days, a player has to do the best for his career. I don't blame him for that because in my work, I won't put the interest of my boss or the company over my career.


Fans tend to overreact.

We shouldn't forget that a season after the retirement of the best franchise player a team had in NBA history, the Spurs made WCF in a very Spurs' way: flying under the radar with a quiet best guy.

Don't worry....The Spurs are and will be the Spurs, always.

The Spurs were not trying to rush Kawhi back. Read an article that stated PATFO wanted to call him out for the rest of the season but played along with Kawhi and his group's notion that he would be back before the playoffs. If you recall everyone was frustrated at that time. Spurs were losing games and about to miss the playoffs and the rest of the team needed to come together to make a playoff push. Kawhi and his group telling everyone he is coming back this day, NOT, ok this day, NOT. It almost seemed like they were trying to sabotage the season. The players got frustrated and decided to make it clear. "If you are not ready. Go to NY and rehab. We understand" Franchise players should be there to support there teammates not frustrate the out of them during a playoff run.

Secondly, I have tried my best to give Kawhi the benefit of doubt but to me it's obvious his uncle and agent just wanted him out of SA. lawsuits, agency, and uncle dennis rumors are enough for me. Way more than all this petty media bs about exagerrated quotes from Pop, Ginobili, and Parker.

I will say one thing in Kawhi's defense. When your dealing with media, billionaires, hollywood, family, suspect agencies etc... it must be extremely hard. This sort of pressure is not normal and 90% of Spurstalk members would crumble under this kind of pressure for professional athletes. 90% of the people NBA players meet are trying to take advantage of them not to mention media circus and fan pressure to perform at games. I understand why players want to be protected to and they should be. It is a nasty and dirty game they are all playing.

[CitizenDwayne]

I really doubt Kawhi or his camp called them "Clips, fire Bowen, that guy hates Kawhi". Nah...LAC are doing this for two reasons, a-Bruce wasn't exactly a great analyst and Clips transmissions need a change, b-the team wants to send a message to Kawhi and FAs...."We'll protect you from media attack"

Lol “media attack”

[Clipper Nation]

Lebron I’ll give you. The others, I don’t really see many examples of their organizations coddling them. Preferential treatment is different than letting a star dictate everything about your organization, which Kawhi seems to be doing with a team he doesn’t even play for yet

The Clippers definitely coddled CP0 - that's why we have Doc instead of a real coach.

[YGWHI]

The Spurs were not trying to rush Kawhi back. Read an article that stated PATFO wanted to call him out for the rest of the season but played along with Kawhi and his group's notion that he would be back before the playoffs. If you recall everyone was frustrated at that time. Spurs were losing games and about to miss the playoffs and the rest of the team needed to come together to make a playoff push. Kawhi and his group telling everyone he is coming back this day, NOT, ok this day, NOT. It almost seemed like they were trying to sabotage the season.

Saying he was trying to sabotage the season seems a bit ridiculous. What benefit he would have gotten sabotaging their season...RC, Danny Green, Pop, Kawhi, everyone said his rehab wasn't linear, he felt fine one day, he felt pain the next day...At this point, people should get that some problematic injuries act this way.

Also, it's not like he said "I'll return this season" but he didn't do anything for...Most media guys said Kawhi was doing crazy workouts to get his quad right to return last season, working hard every day in NBPA. People here like he opted to sit and went home to eat tacos while watching Spurs' games on TV.

The players got frustrated and decided to make it clear. "If you are not ready. Go to NY and rehab. We understand" Franchise players should be there to support there teammates not frustrate the out of them during a playoff run.

When players are rehabbing they're in other cities, like Hayward was in Indiana the whole playoffs games until the last game or Boogie in Las Vegas. On other hand, it's pretty obvious that Kawhi could have handled this better.

Secondly, I have tried my best to give Kawhi the benefit of doubt but to me it's obvious his uncle and agent just wanted him out of SA. lawsuits, agency, and uncle dennis rumors are enough for me. Way more than all this petty media bs about exagerrated quotes from Pop, Ginobili, and Parker.

I'm not sure his camp wanted him out since day 1, his greedy uncle would have signed a supermax extension. That's why we read Jabari tweets saying they were in a healing stage of relationship with the Spurs and ready to sign the extension. Big market are nice, $220M "nicer"

Anyway, I still think that Spurs' shouldn't let that frustration make them say the wrong things in public. I've said this before, it doesn't matter if it's Kawhi, LeBron or Harden, teammates don't question the franchise player in front media. I think "don't wash dirty laundry in public" applies to any team, Spurs included.

I will say one thing in Kawhi's defense. When your dealing with media, billionaires, hollywood, family, suspect agencies etc... it must be extremely hard. This sort of pressure is not normal and 90% of Spurstalk members would crumble under this kind of pressure for professional athletes. 90% of the people NBA players meet are trying to take advantage of them not to mention media circus and fan pressure to perform at games. I understand why players want to be protected to and they should be. It is a nasty and dirty game they are all playing.

Good point.

[Pavlov]

Finally you get it, bro

I already knew that Kawhi wasn't the only snowflake out there, thanks.

[YGWHI]

I already knew that Kawhi wasn't the only snowflake out there, thanks.

What makes you happy...

[Pavlov]

What makes you happy...

It doesn't make me happy nor sad.

It just is.

Kawhi is a snowflake.

[davidbowie]

bruce is goddamn legend forever in my eyes.

kawhi you bum!!!!

[SpursDynasty85]

Saying he was trying to sabotage the season seems a bit ridiculous. What benefit he would have gotten sabotaging their season...RC, Danny Green, Pop, Kawhi, everyone said his rehab wasn't linear, he felt fine one day, he felt pain the next day...At this point, people should get that some problematic injuries act this way.

Also, it's not like he said "I'll return this season" but he didn't do anything for...Most media guys said Kawhi was doing crazy workouts to get his quad right to return last season, working hard every day in NBPA. People here like he opted to sit and went home to eat tacos while watching Spurs' games on TV.

Easy to answer if you want to be open to this idea. The media seemed dead set and ready to pounce on anything negative that came out of the Spurs locker room or out of Management's mouth. It was quite ridiculous. If your entourage and yourself are being completely hard headed "not answering phone calls or texts in china, not wanting to listen to Spurs and in doing so making his nephew walk through freaking New Orleans streets to make the all star game, doing crazy workouts but not making yourself available during the last playoff push in MARCH, shopping 6 or 7 doctors, hiding a rehabilitating player that is making $18M from you this year" all this was bound to make any organization frustrated. Once things starting to come out of the Spurs mouth "player's meeting" Pop's famous "ask his group", Stephen Jackson and Cris Carter pounced and the narrative was set. This made way for serious franchise derailing. Have a cancer enter into your locker room next season on a 1 yr contract or trade him for peanuts because he is being the most unwilling complicated super star to trade since "Kobe in 2007".

When players are rehabbing they're in other cities, like Hayward was in Indiana the whole playoffs games until the last game or Boogie in Las Vegas. On other hand, it's pretty obvious that Kawhi could have handled this better.

This is freaking obvious! How can you blindly defend this man who clearly has a greedy uncle and a VERY suspect AGENT? explain this to me. Why? Why glare over lawsuits, fishy payroll schemes, suddenly rejecting $20M shoes deals from a guy who still drove a 97 trailblazer? His uncle has been calling the shots.

Secondly, if the Spurs misdiagnosed him. So what? That doesn't mean you act unprofessional and isolate yourself from the team and sneak jabs at everyone via Stephen Jackson, Jalen Rose, Cris Carter. (still doesn't sound fishy and possibly blackmail/sabotage?)

I'm not sure his camp wanted him out since day 1, his greedy uncle would have signed a supermax extension. That's why we read Jabari tweets saying they were in a healing stage of relationship with the Spurs and ready to sign the extension. Big market are nice, $220M "nicer"

Rumors were pretty clear any extension they were going to sign needed to have "No trade clause". It was their best play to get the most money. Their contract was up in a year anyway to the rule of not trading a player after a year after signing a Supermax would not be effective anyway and once they put that No Trade Clause in, your left with an isolated $50M/yr player with a crazy uncle, mysterious injury, and someone that does not appear to support his teammates when it matters the most. - Spurs will always take the high road when talking about Kawhi but you know it was frustrating when your franchise player needed 6 or 7 doctor appointments to find the right diagnosis and is screwing with your playoff run. The player's meeting happened for a reason. It was clear they were frustrated at Kawhi's camp being flaky at a time when they needed to know who they had for the playoff run.

Anyway, I still think that Spurs' shouldn't let that frustration make them say the wrong things in public. I've said this before, it doesn't matter if it's Kawhi, LeBron or Harden, teammates don't question the franchise player in front media. I think "don't wash dirty laundry in public" applies to any team, Spurs included.

THEY NEVER DID. Protected him as long as they could. Literally their culture and credibility being attacked made them leak some stuff to Michael Wright and a few local media over the offseason. Pop and players are always professional anything they said was just twisted by the media.

[YGWHI]

It doesn't make me happy nor sad.

If you say so...

Fans have different ways to deal with these situations because losing a top player never is good. People get angry, they want his career ends abruptly, wish him the worst in this world...At some point, they accept he's not on their favorite team anymore, then they barely remember him, and finally move on.

It's a process with different stages...You just need to know, I'll support you all the way.

Kawhi is a snowflake.

Repeating a thing several times doesn't make it true.

Anyway, I'm a very empathetic person, I know you need this..."Snowflake, snowflake, little snowflake, snowflake falling from the sky..."

[YGWHI]

Easy to answer if you want to be open to this idea.

I truly believe that Kawhi was injured. We all know he had issues in his quad before.

The media seemed dead set and ready to pounce on anything negative that came out of the Spurs locker room or out of Management's mouth. It was quite ridiculous. If your entourage and yourself are being completely hard headed "not answering phone calls or texts in china, not wanting to listen to Spurs and in doing so making his nephew walk through freaking New Orleans streets to make the all star game, doing crazy workouts but not making yourself available during the last playoff push in MARCH, shopping 6 or 7 doctors, hiding a rehabilitating player that is making $18M from you this year" all this was bound to make any organization frustrated. Once things starting to come out of the Spurs mouth "player's meeting" Pop's famous "ask his group", Stephen Jackson and Cris Carter pounced and the narrative was set. This made way for serious franchise derailing. Have a cancer enter into your locker room next season on a 1 yr contract or trade him for peanuts because he is being the most unwilling complicated super star to trade since "Kobe in 2007".

Well, if you buy that a guy who loved to drive a '97 Tahoe would care about other star's limos...Or he shoppoing 7 doctors...

How can you blindly defend this man who clearly has a greedy uncle and a VERY suspect AGENT? explain this to me. Why? Why glare over lawsuits, fishy payroll schemes, suddenly rejecting $20M shoes deals from a guy who still drove a 97 trailblazer? His uncle has been calling the shots.

I'm not defending him, it's just my point of view.
I guess, everyone has a toxic family member. Some people could deal with it, others not. I wouldn't blame him for the sins of his fam.

Secondly, if the Spurs misdiagnosed him. So what? That doesn't mean you act unprofessional and isolate yourself from the team and sneak jabs at everyone via Stephen Jackson, Jalen Rose, Cris Carter. (still doesn't sound fishy and possibly blackmail/sabotage?)

I doubt that Kawhi even talks with Cris Carter. That guy is close to Kawhi's agent and his uncle, not the player.

If a pro player got mad because team's doctors misdiagnosed him or mishandled his injury, how can you blame him for that? It's his body and career at risk...

Rumors were pretty clear any extension they were going to sign needed to have "No trade clause". It was their best play to get the most money. Their contract was up in a year anyway to the rule of not trading a player after a year after signing a Supermax would not be effective anyway and once they put that No Trade Clause in, your left with an isolated $50M/yr player with a crazy uncle, mysterious injury, and someone that does not appear to support his teammates when it matters the most. - Spurs will always take the high road when talking about Kawhi but you know it was frustrating when your franchise player needed 6 or 7 doctor appointments to find the right diagnosis and is screwing with your playoff run. The player's meeting happened for a reason. It was clear they were frustrated at Kawhi's camp being flaky at a time when they needed to know who they had for the playoff run.

This is your version of why the Spurs didn't give him an extension but still makes my point his camp didn't want him out since day 1, they would have signed a supermax contract.

THEY NEVER DID. Protected him as long as they could. Literally their culture and credibility being attacked made them leak some stuff to Michael Wright and a few local media over the offseason. Pop and players are always professional anything they said was just twisted by the media.

Who knows. "my injury was 100 times worse than..." is different than "I didn't see him yet but I wish him a full and quick recovery". I guess the latter wouldn't bother anyone.

[BillMc]

SA Zoo looking out for Bruce
https://news4sanantonio.com/sports/l...re-bruce-bowen

Dear Bruce Bowen,

WE’RE HIRING and you can have any job you want here! We’re also providing you a famous private parking spot for all of your honest & insightful player analysis & assessment capabilities.

[Twisted_Dawg]

I wonder if the Clips will give Uncle Pennis a front office job to entice Kawhi?

[Twisted_Dawg]

I wonder if the Clips will give Uncle Pennis a front office job to entice Kawhi?

[SpursDynasty85]

I wonder if the Clips will give Uncle Pennis a front office job to entice Kawhi?

Probably going to be an interview and decision on who can coddle Uncle Dennis the most.

[SpursDynasty85]

I truly believe that Kawhi was injured. We all know he had issues in his quad before.



Well, if you buy that a guy who loved to drive a '97 Tahoe would care about other star's limos...Or he shoppoing 7 doctors...


I'm not defending him, it's just my point of view.
I guess, everyone has a toxic family member. Some people could deal with it, others not. I wouldn't blame him for the sins of his fam.


I doubt that Kawhi even talks with Cris Carter. That guy is close to Kawhi's agent and his uncle, not the player.

If a pro player got mad because team's doctors misdiagnosed him or mishandled his injury, how can you blame him for that? It's his body and career at risk...



This is your version of why the Spurs didn't give him an extension but still makes my point his camp didn't want him out since day 1, they would have signed a supermax contract.


Who knows. "my injury was 100 times worse than..." is different than "I didn't see him yet but I wish him a full and quick recovery". I guess the latter wouldn't bother anyone.

The point is the outrage by Spurs fans is understandable. I do not condone using nasty language and hateful comments but strong criticism is warranted for Kawhi's group at the least and largely Kawhi for letting it happen. To criticize the Spurs before Kawhi is ridiculous considering the unprofessionalism shown by him and his entourage.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Like it or not, Kawhi just did what was the best for himself like everyone does in his life.

IT said that Kawhi protected his body and career, he regrets playing injured, now he thinks he should have sat in playoffs.
If Kawhi thought that playing last season would aggravate his injury, he did the right thing.
If Kawhi for misdiagnosis/not getting super-max/big market thing/whatever reason, asked for a trade, he did the right thing for his career, too.

On these days, a player has to do the best for his career. I don't blame him for that because in my work, I won't put the interest of my boss or the company over my career.


Fans tend to overreact.

We shouldn't forget that a season after the retirement of the best franchise player a team had in NBA history, the Spurs made WCF in a very Spurs' way: flying under the radar with a quiet best guy.

Don't worry....The Spurs are and will be the Spurs, always.

Kawhi’s sitting out wasn’t the problem. If you didn’t show up for work and didn’t communicate with your boss you’d be fired. Kawhi’s lack of professionalism is what I object to.

[Pavlov]

If you say so...

Fans have different ways to deal with these situations because losing a top player never is good. People get angry, they want his career ends abruptly, wish him the worst in this world...At some point, they accept he's not on their favorite team anymore, then they barely remember him, and finally move on.

It's a process with different stages...You just need to know, I'll support you all the way.


Repeating a thing several times doesn't make it true.

Anyway, I'm a very empathetic person, I know you need this..."Snowflake, snowflake, little snowflake, snowflake falling from the sky..."

lol you're the one in denial. You're never going to grow out of that stage.

You can't even admit you're defending him. Sad.

[YGWHI]

lol you're the one in denial. You're never going to grow out of that stage.

You can't even admit you're defending him. Sad.

In this thread a guy posted that players get more and more power... That's the difference between you and me. I don't find it's a bad thing.

Players are on the court, they have the ball, they score/defend...They make me keep excited about this league, like in a roman circus they're the gladiators that entertain me, not the owners of NBA teams.

I'm not defending him. I truly believe what I'm posting...I always tend to take the player's side in a conflict because owners have their own businesses, but a player only has his body and career.

[Pavlov]

In this thread a guy posted that players get more and more power... That's the difference between you and me. I don't find it's a bad thing.

Players are on the court, they have the ball, they score/defend...They make me keep excited about this league, like in a roman circus they're the gladiators that entertain me, not the owners of NBA teams.

I'm not defending him. I truly believe what I'm posting...I always tend to take the player's side in a conflict because owners have their own businesses, but a player only has his body and career.

I truly believe Kawhi is a snowflake.

It's a bad thing.

You like it.

Good for you.

[YGWHI]

Kawhi’s sitting out wasn’t the problem. If you didn’t show up for work and didn’t communicate with your boss you’d be fired. Kawhi’s lack of professionalism is what I object to.

I've said that he could have handled this way better, no doubt. But most fans have issues with Kawhi sitting out, they think he faked an injury when it's known his quad problem. I was talking about those fans, that's why that's IT quote.

Don't want to sound like Jonathon Simmons but "communicate is key". I agree with you on that.
When I heard that DRob or any other in the organization say, they barely talk with him or they can "count on one hand how many words he's really said" to them in his 7 years as a Spur...I wonder why this was a problem last season, but it wasn't in the previous six years? I mean, why did the organization let this happen during 6 years?
If they did nothing in the previous 6 years to change this situation and they just let Kawhi being "quiet", they shouldn't use it as part of the problem, now. Otherwise, it sounds like they realized just last season that the lack of communication was a big deal, which sounds a bit naive for a sport organization like the Spurs.

[StinkyWeezleteats]

Lmao, i remember this guy after a game against Detroit poking fun at Sean Elliott for never making trips up north, Sean didn't miss a beat and told him "it's OK, i brought my coat made of Rick Renner hair".

I vaguely recall that. It looks like a porcupine crawled on top of his head and died.

[Dejounte]

I've said that he could have handled this way better, no doubt. But most fans have issues with Kawhi sitting out, they think he faked an injury when it's known his quad problem. I was talking about those fans, that's why that's IT quote.

Don't want to sound like Jonathon Simmons but "communicate is key". I agree with you on that.
When I heard that DRob or any other in the organization say, they barely talk with him or they can "count on one hand how many words he's really said" to them in his 7 years as a Spur...I wonder why this was a problem last season, but it wasn't in the previous six years? I mean, why did the organization let this happen during 6 years?
If they did nothing in the previous 6 years to change this situation and they just let Kawhi being "quiet", they shouldn't use it as part of the problem, now. Otherwise, it sounds like they realized just last season that the lack of communication was a big deal, which sounds a bit naive for a sport organization like the Spurs.

Nah, I believe the Spurs didn't use it as an excuse but that Kawhi took it to another level of silence this past year to the point of AWOL. That's when it became a problem for the Spurs. There's no defending Kawhi here, and there are only 2% of fans who believe there's a conspiracy regarding his injury vs the 98% who are mad at Kawhi for being shady/ flaky as this past season.

[TheDoctor]

Nah, I believe the Spurs didn't use it as an excuse but that Kawhi took it to another level of silence this past year to the point of AWOL. That's when it became a problem for the Spurs. There's no defending Kawhi here, and there are only 2% of fans who believe there's a conspiracy regarding his injury vs the 98% who are mad at Kawhi for being shady/ flaky as this past season.