Popovich says Bowen not answer for Spurs
Jeff McDonald
LOS ANGELES — In Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's estimation, the biggest problem facing his team going forward is on defense.
Heading into Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Spurs were giving up 96.5 points per game, a Popovich-era record, and were tied for 13th in the NBA in field-goal defense (45.7 percent).
For a team that is typically one of the best defensive teams in the league, and began the season vowing to return to those heights, this season's futility has been a bitter pill to swallow.
“It's been a big disappointment this season that we have not jelled as a group, defensively,” Popovich said. “And it shows in our record.”
Popovich has only scant clues as to why the defensive slide that began two years ago has continued into this season. One explanation he does not buy — a lack of Bruce Bowen.
Bowen, an eight-time member of the NBA's All-Defensive team, retired last summer at age 38 after being dealt to Milwaukee.
“If Bruce was able to continue to do what he does, he'd be doing it for us or someone else right now,” Popovich said.
Even if the Spurs were able to somehow re-acquire a 2005 version of Bowen, Popovich said, it would make only a small dent in this team's defensive woes.
“Bruce was a great defender, but it's not just one guy that makes it,” Popovich said. “There's something called team defense, where five guys have to react appropriately. We just haven't reacted well.”
The Spurs turned in one of their best defensive efforts of the season against the Clippers.
A vote of confidence: Spurs center/forward Antonio McDyess was pleased to hear the news that Kim Hughes got the nod as Clippers interim coach after Mike Dunleavy stepped away from the bench.
Hughes, who was coaching his first game in that capacity Saturday, was an assistant in Denver during McDyess' second tour of duty there from 1998-2002.
“He's a good guy and a great big-man coach,” McDyess said.
Rookie advice: If there's one Spurs player who sympathizes with the plight of Clippers rookie Blake Griffin, it's McDyess.
McDyess suffered a debilitating fractured left patella during a preseason game in 2002, which caused him to miss that entire season. Griffin, the No. 1 pick in the draft, suffered the same injury in the same manner — attempting a preseason dunk — and will not play this season.
“It was frustrating,” McDyess said. “I think a lot of people would have given up. It takes a while to regain confidence in your knee and your playing ability.”
I saw this article recently where some writer had a statistic that said Bowen was one of the best perimeter defenders in the league in 2008-09 (http://www.48minutesof .com/2009/...r-bruce-bowen/). Don't know if that's true but I really don't see how he could be worse than Keith Bogans.
Somebody tell Pop that fielding lineups encourages defense...
Pop with some lame quotes about Bowen
I think we've now figured out who the butthurt person in the Spurs organization is who is against retiring Bowen's jersey.
Shocking. I always thought pop was a HUGE Bowen fan... Whoulda thunk it.
I don't think that's the case. I think it will be retired next year and with Pop's blessing.Pop with some lame quotes about Bowen
I think we've now figured out who the butthurt person in the Spurs organization is who is against retiring Bowen's jersey.
I just think that Pop wants people (fans/Spurs players) to realize that the Spurs' D isn't going to improve with one acquisition -- whether that would be prime Bowen, Camby, or whoever. The team D works like a machine. Even if one part was outstanding, the rest of the parts have to fall in line.
Is that why Pop didnt answer my should Bruce get his jersey retired question?
Why is he so harsh with Bruce?
I think it was Buck Harvey who said there were those within the Spurs who are against Bowen's jersey being retired. And considering that those type of decisions are about 99.9% Pop, I think Pop is against it. I think that there was some major blowup between the two last season and that's why Bowen never played even though he obviously had some gas left in the tank ... and it's also why Pop has scoffed Bowen in the press a couple times this year.
I could be wrong. Guess we'll find out. But if Bowen's #12 isn't in the rafters in a few years, that'd be disgusting.
exactly. especially if we see Finley's #4 retired here.
Pop knows he was wrong.
Pop knows we know he was wrong.
Pop knows that we know he knows he's wrong.
Pop will never let us know that he knows that we know that he knows he was wrong.
It's just wrong...
The D is able to fall in line a lot easier when you have someone of the caliber of Bruce Bowen starting and defending the other teams best perimeter scorer.
Anyway, I thought Bruce is back for sure after that trade to Milwaukee and am still surprised that he was never resigned.
if Avery Jonson's jersey is hanging in the rafters, and Bruce's doesnt im gonna be pissed. and you dont want to make Poop pissed.
Ok, the bold is completely irrelevant. No one is saying we need 38-year-old Bowen, Pop is just being cute. I think Bowen was one of the driving forces behind the team defense; it wasn't just his skill, he was keeping the other guys amped up and in line on that end.
Put Bowen's jersey in the rafters. If Pop resists too much, remind him of his quote from earlier this year. Then fire him and hire Bowen.
Last edited by Thompson; 02-07-2010 at 02:05 AM.
He didn't say anything that bad. I think Pop still loves Bruce, he just knows that a past his prime, older, slower vet is not going to help this team. However, I don't think he could be much worse than Bogans, Jefferson or Mason on any given night. #12 will definitely hang in the rafters. Finley? No ing way.
wow
As someone who's had the higher-ups in the Spurs FO including Pop pegged as spiteful . . . not wanting Bowen's # retired is shocking even to me.
pop cant sit there and say bowen would be better than what we have... what kind of message does that send to your players... i have no problem with those quotes about bowen....
better than him sitting there acting like bowen would be the savior...... and the quotes are true... bowen would not be some answer here to put us over the top.
I made a thread about Bowen's performance last year..he was actually still really effective..the stats show it, and so does the list of numbers from opposing perimeter players..
I think it came down to Pop wanting to go to more of an offensive lineup, believing the system would be enough to keep the Spurs as a top defensive team and mask certain players..it turned out that Bowen was still a good option, and it showed especially during the playoffs where Bowen was one of only 4 players that consistently showed up..
There definitely has to be some bad blood between Bowen and Pop..I would guess that Bruce had some complaints about his PT..it must have been difficult for him to watch a clearly inferior Michael Finley getting much, much more playing time than him..I would have been upset too(if Bruce was even upset, I'm just speculating)..
I also think retirement came down to Bowen IMO..there's absolutely no way that another team didn't want him, he was clearly still effective enough to be a bench player for a lot of teams..
Bruce is one of my favorite players of all-time, but I didn't really care that we didn't have him for this year, since I assumed we would be going with a young approach..if you're using that as an excuse for Pop, then you're clearly mistaken though..this team has signed Keith Bogans and Theo Ratliff instead of playing Malik Hairston and Ian Mahinmi..they still have an "old" mentality, so that has very little to do with Bowen's departure..
Pop's main problem with bringing Bowen back is that he's too tall to play center on our team.
What I've always assumed and what MaNu4Tres confirmed, was that Bowen's pride couldn't take a bench role playing spot-minutes. He's one of the greatest and fiercest compe ors the Spurs have ever employed and there was just no way he was going to go out on such terms.
He wanted to play, he knew he was still capable of playing but if he wasn't going to get the opportunity to play, specifically the minutes he needed to do his job, he was going to go out on his terms; I'd expect nothing less of Bruce.
I don't have a huge problem with him not being here in the capacity he would have preferred, but I'd be lying if I didn't think he could help the team as a bench player, mentor and leader in the lockerroom.
In honor of Bruce, it is what it is...
It's not just the fact that he wasn't starting or getting big minutes..it's also the fact that Finley was ahead of him, playing significantly more, which is ridiculous..a guy with the same age concerns and was a much inferior player..
Nobody that loves to play the game and compete at the highest level would accept an inferior player playing more minutes than them on a consistent basis..
I'm sure that played it's part (I'm not sure Bruce and Fin ever truly embraced each other given their past) but even if it were a better, younger player in front of him, I feel the result would have been the same.
He just wasn't going to accept fading into the background and being the proverbial victory cigar. And, even if he were to get 10-15 min. a game, it wouldn't have changed a thing. It's almost impossible to play the role of a stopper by coming off the bench cold or playing sporadic minutes.
Defensive stoppers, one-dimensional defensive stoppers, need a good chunk of minutes to give a team the net gain needed.
I'm of the opinion that what Pop's saying is a message. It's kind of like when Pitino told the Boston Media that Bird, McHale, & Parrish ain't walking through that door and if they do...they'll be old."
To me...it's more of a Circle The Wagon kind of statement. Like he's trying to tell his guys, that it's all on you now. What Bruce did for us was amazing, but he's no longer here, so..it's all on you!
Then again, I could be wrong and Pop hates the guy.
I think this is a legit possibility as well..I guess we won't know what really happened for a long time, if ever..I'm of the opinion that what Pop's saying is a message. It's kind of like when Pitino told the Boston Media that Bird, McHale, & Parrish ain't walking through that door and if they do...they'll be old."
To me...it's more of a Circle The Wagon kind of statement. Like he's trying to tell his guys, that it's all on you now. What Bruce did for us was amazing, but he's no longer here, so..it's all on you!
Then again, I could be wrong and Pop hates the guy.
Like Harlem Heat said, Pop sat Bowen way too abruptly last year. Bowen had plenty in the tank. PLENTY. There was no excuse for it, but to make matters worse, he played Finley huge minutes.
There's no way possible that Bruce Bowen - even today - could possibly be as ineffective as Finley was last year, or even the year before. Finley has been stealing money from the Spurs for three years.
Last year Bowen was still hitting threes at a good percentage, and was still defending very well. He had lost only a tad, not a full step. And he's aways been a great team defender.
That was the beggining of the end for our defense and Pop knows it. But of course Pop will never, ever admit to being anything other than a genius.
To me, the guy is the most overrated coach in the history of the league. Without Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich is Bob Weiss. There are certain guys he just chooses to mishandle hideously...Beno, Ian, etc. And then there's Finley, who he signed to a 2-year deal after the guy was completely washed up.
Making speeches about how "Larry Bird isn't walking through that door" worked out awesome for Pitino and the Celtics.I'm of the opinion that what Pop's saying is a message. It's kind of like when Pitino told the Boston Media that Bird, McHale, & Parrish ain't walking through that door and if they do...they'll be old."
To me...it's more of a Circle The Wagon kind of statement. Like he's trying to tell his guys, that it's all on you now. What Bruce did for us was amazing, but he's no longer here, so..it's all on you!
Then again, I could be wrong and Pop hates the guy.
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