I don't get it, Pop is not playing our number one defender. This team is about defense. It seems like Pop is now in favor of offense first then defense. If he continues on doing this, then we're not going deep in the playoffs.
there has to be something wrong with bowen. popovich is notorious for sticking with his veterans even after a significant drop off (see horry and finley). something must be really wrong with bowen for popovich to sit him and replace him with udoka, who is just plain mediocre.
I don't think he's hurt or something, He did a pretty good job covering Artest the last time he played. I noticed their defense picked up as soon as he entered the game, his defense is contageous to his teammates. I hope Pop is just giving him the Horry type of thing, less regular season playing time then more come playoffs.
this Bowen mystery is one of the strangest things I've ever seen in basketball..
At least in the history of the Spurs. I don't think anyone would have second guessed Pop if he gave Bowen a chance. Instead he's basically sent Bowen into retirement without letting Bowen prove how much gas he has left in the tank.
They could have beat Houston if Bowen had been on Artest from the start.
it's just sad though..
Bowen is the epitome of class, so he obviously won't complain..but it's just sad..this guy has done a lot for our franchise..he's given us a BIG 4, not a big 3..I don't believe that Pop wouldn't give him the respect of another chance to prove himself..
+1,000,000
Well, one thing is certain: Bowen will be well-rested come playoff time. All the chips will be in at that point and everyone will have to be prepared to play if they're suited up. Even if he gave Bruce garbage time in one of the earlier rounds, I still wouldn't doubt him being used later depending on matchups.
I was going to open an april fool's thread saying Bowen publicly declares to Popo to play him or trade him or similar.. something we don't know happened...
i still wonder if Pop will play him in PO. i mean, there are only8 games left and he still didn't have any consistent playing time to get in rythm.
does everyone has quit on Bowen playing in PO or is there still a chance ?
You're 100% right about Bruce being a class act, and what he has done for the franchise. Pop's philosophy of "all defense, all the time" works at a different level when the other team's best player is locked down every night. I really like and respect Bowen, and I hope he remains a San Antonio icon after his playing days are over.
That being said, I'm not so sure he can do it night-in and night-out anymore. At least not against the best players in the league - and those are the nights we need it the most. He definitely got lit up in New Orleans the other night, just like some other games this season. Maybe being in as a starter, and getting into rhythm, would help. (He's mentioned it in the past.) But I still have my doubts.
In fairness to Bruce, they started that campaign a couple of seasons ago about him supposedly being such a dirty player, and the league played along. They sent a message through the zebras, and that was when the sudden "change" in his game occurred. It's like when a guy is playing with 5 fouls - he has to back off a little, and that makes him a target.
I'll finally go on record - that is one of the 2 big incidents that made me hate Stu Jackson so badly. He put the word out to the refs to specifically start blowing more whistles on Bowen. Not just to call certain types of plays closer - but to specifically whistle Bruce. It's also the thing that finally made me completely turn on Steve Kerr, because that whiny was one of the major drivers of that campaign against Bowen. He not only called the league office down, he used his time with the Spurs to lend "credibility" to what he said.
I don't really know if Bruce has lost a step, or if he had to back off a step. I do know that he now draws whistles for things that other defenders regularly get by with. (Or worse... Derek Fisher's "belly-bump" defense comes to mind, but there are many others.) Whatever the cause, not having Bruce there to lock down one player may be the single biggest thing that separates this Spurs team from thos of the past several years.
Maybe coach is going to extreme lengths to rest Bowen so he'll be as fresh as possible in the playoffs? Otherwise, I don't understand either.
People can argue, persuasively, that Bowen has lost a step. But guess what, Finley has lost more than one step and is nowhere near the offensive threat he was in his prime, but he still gets a lot of minutes. I'd rather give Bowen more minutes and Finley fewer.
It's bizarre. I never thought I'd see Bowen get Steve Smithed. I knew he couldn't sustain 30 mpg 82 games a year for the rest of his career, but there's no reason he shouldn't still be a key part of the rotation.
I haven't seen anything on the defensive end of the floor to suggest that he is anything less than the best perimeter defender on the team, still. And say what you will about his offense... He's very good at the one thing he can do: hit open 3's. I'd rather have someone out there who can hit open 3's consistently than another player who has a wider range of offensive skills but isn't really very good at any of them.
In other words, Udoka and George Hill?
Who would have thought Bowen was the iden y of the Spurs?
The Big 3 are still there but they don't play "Spurs basketball" when Bowen is on the bench, even if the Big 3 are healthy.
It's strange.
If he's not playing now he's certainly not going to get significant minutes in the playoffs.
I've been beating that drum for years, and I know others have as well. Bowen personifies Spurs Basketball at its best.
so, following your point, is that possible that Pop is benching him not only to keep him fresh, but to keep him out of any controversy in RS too. then, he should get back in PO under the radar and be able to do his things on defense.
still, i don't see any reason to not start playing him so close from the PO.
Last edited by kace; 04-01-2009 at 05:05 PM.
Alright, you are thinking just a little too much
yeah seriously. ive been wondering whats been going on with Bowen. he started every game for SA last year, and now he never plays???
Honestly, whether hes fresh or not(and Bowen is always ready in my mind), i still think he will get significant minutes come PO. I think like kace said, Pop is keeping him under the radar and resting him a bit more for some tough playoffs matches we have coming. It might take a little longer to get in any offensive rhythm, but I think his Defense will to come into play more than were expecting. Just my opinion, but I just cant see this continuing throughout playoffs. His defensive focus and intensity affect the teams overall spirit (in a good way) too much for him to finish off on the bench.
Man I just want it to be day 1 of the Playoffs already so this damn mystery can be solved...
I'm saying that he hasn't been as consistently effective. He's done well at times. But he's been hammered by some guys that, in my opinion, he would have controlled better in the past. And I'm saying that I don't know if he has lost a step, or if he has been forced to defend differently than he did in the past.
I would love to think that you are right, and that he could come in and be a lock-down defender for 30 minutes per night. If he could, Pop would be crazy not to have him in there. I guess I just have my doubts, even though I don't want to. But if Pop is really saving him for the playoffs, like Robert Horry, he really is the mad scientist of basketball.
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