I know this has been discussed before and I'm sure the old heads on the board are gonna bite my head off.
But why are these guys' jerseys retired? Is the jersey retirement bar really set at role players that PATFO liked?
Bowen was the best perimeter defender in the league and no way they'd have won the 2003 nor 2007 le without him. Maybe the 2005 le would have been doable without him thanks to Joe Johnson getting hurt but I don't see getting through LA in 03 or Phoenix in 07 without him.I know this has been discussed before and I'm sure the old heads on the board are gonna bite my head off.
But why are these guys' jerseys retired? Is the jersey retirement bar really set at role players that PATFO liked?
Johnny Moore may be the worst of all. Avery was the symbol of the hard work it took to get the first le, and he's an underdog, which sort of captures the essence of the city. Bowen was at least part of a lot of les.
But yeah, they are weak.
They were incredibly important to this franchise at key times in our history. Why is that controversial?
who did bowen slow in the 07 suns series? iirc he was always pretty bad at containing Nash, nor could duncan really slow amare in the pick and roll game
Yes, the Bar is set low. Part of PATFO's Weak and Woke movement.
The fact Johnny Moore is there with Tim Duncan...is a joke. Silas? Sure. Bowen and Avery? Nope. Might as well put Patty Mills up there.
And this ain't a knock on them. They are all good players. Most NBA players are good, except for Champagnie. Simply not Tim Duncan and Gervin levels.
Last edited by SouthernFryd; 02-29-2024 at 02:48 PM.
Dude, other teams retired Vlade Divac and Hornacec without even sniffing rings... come on, don't complain about the General and Bruuucee "busy hands" Bowen.
nobody ever called him this
Ummm, go check out the Trailgangster's rafters and get back to me.
This is among the most pathetic instances I've seen of using "woke" to just describe "something I don't like."
Anyway, I'm not sure how anyone who was paying attention to Spurs basketball from 2003-2007 could quibble with Bruce Bowen having his jersey retired. He was the starting small forward and elite defender on a team who won three Championships while considered a defense-first team. He was an embodiment of the thanklessly great defense that doesn't show up in box scores, but he did get elected First Team All-Defense five times (including four times in a row), which is the same number as Ben Wallace, Michael Cooper, and Hakeem Olajuwan.
Some teams require that a player be elected to the HOF to qualify for jersey retirement but I actually think the jersey retirement is a perfect opportunity to honor non-HOF players who contributed significantly to a Championship team or teams. Bowen may not be a Hall-of-Famer but he's certainly someone who deserves a permanent legacy in Spurs lore. I suppose AJ is debatable (I'm sure his jersey retirement was debated on this forum, in fact) but a franchise's first Championship always holds a little more weight when it comes to these sorts of things, so I don't mind.
It's hard to search up Bruce and not get the kick in Wally Szczerbiak's face.
But yeah, I'm sure I've heard commentators talked about Bruce's defense and those hands on peoples faces. Nobody does that any more.
AJ isn't very memorable outside of the Spurs fandom. For me, it's clear he got his jersey thanks to a certain shot along the baseline in '99. This was a legendary event in San Antonio history, like, the actual city was forever changed (from a cultural standpoint). If you are native of SA and were alive at the time, there's no way you didn't know about it, no matter if you were a fan of the Spurs or not. The only bigger shot in that entire run was the MDM.
Bruce Bowen though was a major contributor for three les. He was stiffed a DPOY or few as well. I admit he sucks balls on paper which is why it might be confusing for someone who didn't watch the Spurs back then.
it was really just pop making up for firing aj during robinsons wedding day
#RetirePatty8
I have never understood why Larry Kenon isn't up there. Averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds 3.5 assists and almost 2 steals a game during his time with the Spurs.
Bruce karate-kicked Wally Szczerbiak's face. I think that counts for something.
Players like this are why every team in sports should have a "Ring of Honor", so that they can get their due, but a line of demarcation can still exist between them and the obvious jersey retirement players.
I'm not trying to downplay their importance to championship winning teams. They were great role players. But at the end of the day they were role players...and you don't retire role player numbers.
The Spurs are arguably the 3rd best franchise in NBA history and should have a higher bar than poverty franchise like the Hornets and Blazers tbh.
Agreed ^
Bowen is fine.
Moore was before my time.
AJ's #6 shouldn't have been retired imo.
But if the Spurs retire #2 I swear to god...
We would get a retirement ceremony where the honored player got booed the entire time.
I can understand Bowen being in the rafters, but Avery Johnson? He basically got his jersey retired because he hit one corner 3 (although a very important one)
Bowen was a DPOY level player who helped us win 3 les in 5 years. I think that's easily justified.
I mean when Johnny Moore's number was retired, Spurs really were technically said poverty franchise.
Spurs had what? 1 ring when Johnson's number was retired?
Bowen's contributions led to at least 2 les that we probably dont win without him.
No problem with any others. If anything, we have lost sight of the great contributions of many Spurs from the Pre Admiral days.
Once you retire those 80's players you set the bar. You can't really deny players that won championships after that.
was not a 3. was a midrange jumper
I’ll die on the Bruce Bowen hill. He earned his jersey retirement. you had spurs fans that think Patty and LaMarcus should be in the rafters too.
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