Some people say that Bruce Bowen is a really dirty player and I would have to agree. He seems to be a really cheap player and tries to hurt guys when he is covering him. I remember when he tried to take out VC's legs and didn't even get in trouble. I think this guy should be watched by the league and fined or supended if his dirty play continues.
I totally agree. He is a great defender but he goes over the top sometimes the way he plays. Especially what he did to VC. I hope that next year they will pay close attention to this guy if this continues.
Dirty? Somewhat. First and foremost I don't think it was any part of his intentions to take a player out. That?s without a question going on overboard. Bruce Bowen is bigger than that. However, at times I do think he plays a little dirty intentionally just to get under the opposing player skin. And if so, he's doing a hell of a job at that. I know Carter and Allen on some occasions just want to strangle him and I believe that's the way he wants it. For the most part I think he's one of thee best perimeter defenders in the league, but at times he will play dirty just to psyche out the opposing player out mentally.
I sure hope the Spurs end up playing the Pistons. You are going to see some baiting by Bowen and Ginobili (I sure hope Big Ben doesn't hurt Manu bad though). Manu could probably almost do a 360 degree flip to get someone tossed, just hope he doesn't land on his head. JT
All right, here's what I think about the whole "Bruce Bowen is a dirty player" spiel. I actually wrote an "article" about this topic for the guys who run this thing but I guess my writing wasn't good enough because I didn't get any response from it. Well here it is in all it's long winded entirety: Why People (Really) Hate Bruce Bowen First off, I feel compelled to admit that this article is not without some bias since I am a fan of both the Spurs and Bruce Bowen. Just about all of us Spurs fans are a fan of the team?s (and possibly the league?s) best defender. He has even been labeled as a ?defensive specialist? by several members of the media and many Justbball members. However, Mr. Bowen has also been given a myriad of other labels that are not so favorable. He has been called ?dirty?, ?harmful?, ?vicious?, and his recent little scuffle with Vince Carter had just about every non-Spurs fan up in arms. It is true that Mr. Bowen is a tough defender who plays hard and is a force to be reckoned with, but the league is full of players who are just as tough whether they?re clawing their way to the basket or keeping their opponents from doing so with questionable blocks or hard fouls. Mr. Bowen does get into an occasional bout with other players, but hardly any NBA player out there can honestly say they?ve never had one of their own. Putting as much bias aside as I can, I truly do not believe Mr. Bowen has a malicious heart and wishes to end careers by hurting his colleges/rivals. I also believe that the reason why he his feared and hated so much goes much deeper than his scuffles and toughness. No, the real reason why Mr. Bowen is hated lies in one of his labels and, ironically, it?s one of the respectable ones. Let?s face it; the most admired players in the league are not the ?defensive specialists?. They are the monsters of offense like Shaq, Kobe, T-Mac, Carter and our own Tim Duncan. While some of these players are more than capable on the defensive end, it is their awesome offense that wins the hearts and minds of basketball fans world wide. Little kids (and even quite a few grown men) imagine themselves making game-winning buzzer beaters, earth-shattering slam dunks, or impossible lay-ups that seem to defy all the laws of physics. They do not, however, dream of slapping the ball away from someone in the process of doing one of these great feats or making their opponent have to work, re-work, think and re-think their moves to the point that their frustration starts to get the better of them. That?s called defense. Defense wins championships right? But how many teams out there actually have players who defend just as well as they score? The answer: Not many, and how many of these teams have players who only have an occasional big scoring night but are consistently awesome defensively? The answer to that one: hardly any. Bruce Bowen is one of these. Mr. Bowen probably has one of the most difficult jobs that an NBA player can have. He?s a ?defensive specialist?. His job is not to make game winning three?s (even though he is a capable three-point shooter) or to dishearten his opponent?s with incredible lay-ups and dunks. His job is to stop all the great scorers of the league, many of whom are heroes for kids ages 10-40, from being their normal, great and awe-inspiring selves. It?s up to him to force them to work the hardest they?ve ever had to work just to score off horrible shots that they would never take under normal circumstances. It?s up to him to force turn-overs or sloppy passes that can be easily picked off by his teammates and it is up to him to get under the skin of his opponents and impair their judgment. In short, he is expected to bring out the absolute worst in his opponents so that they play, look, act and feel horrible in front of their millions of fans. Is it any wonder why a person like this would be hated and feared by his colleagues/opponents and their fans? Is it any wonder why scuffles and bouts seem to spring up between him and players who have lost their cool due to his efforts? As I stated above, I also believe Mr. Bowen?s heart holds no malice or cruelty towards his NBA colleagues. I?ve found that those quick to condemn him usually do so after seeing him retaliate from a frustrated opponent?s cheap shot (as he did with a certain Maverick in the 2003 playoffs who responded to Mr. Bowen?s retaliation by shoving him in front of a ref and got called for it) or after a rare occasion where his tough defense gets just a bit too physical. These people also tend to overlook the fact that, more often than not, Mr. Bowen is at the top of his defensive game when these scuffles occur and so the possibility that the scuffle could be a manifestation of the other player?s frustration is never even considered. There is also the matter of Mr. Bowen?s true character. Few people outside of San Antonio have probably ever seen him give an interview or have even seen him talk to reporters in the locker room. I have seen Mr. Bowen in this light on several occasions thanks to our local media. He is an intelligent, well-spoken, humorous and thoughtful man who seems to always have a smile of genuine happiness on his face. He is always supportive of his teammates and has expressed true respect for his opponents. I truly believe his overall worldview is a positive one despite all the negative treatment he receives. He also believes in the value of a good education and to illustrate this value to his younger relatives and fans, he has chosen to finish his degree in Public Relations at UT San Antonio despite the fact that he?s already making millions of dollars as a pro basketball player. I guess he would have to have good outlook on life in order to keep fulfilling his incredibly difficult role as a defender, a role that seems to have even fewer rewards as he grows more successful at it. The fact that he is so misunderstood and harshly criticized by his NBA colleagues and their fans makes his positive worldview all the more crucial for his survival. And he needs to survive. Where would the Spurs and the game be without truly great defenders like him? Just my two cents. Go Spurs Go!
People only call hium dirty because he shuts them down, and then people see it in the media and believe it. I'm glad Shawn Marion didn't complain about it this offseason. Because Ray Allen really came away looking like a whiney little basketball player because of Bruce's defense.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Bobcats:</div><div class="quote_post">I think he plays dirty at times (Carter, Allen, Melo etc.), but he is just a really good defender.</div> Yeah, one of the best actually.
i never get this. when did bruce try to take out carter? cause bowen boxed him out while watching for the rebound? lots of guys get sprained ankles like that, tim duncan got his from sheed. so what? it happens. and how long was carter out? a whole season? try 8 games. and he admitted he wasn't 'giving it his all'. i just don't understand this over the top crap, it's vague and unsubstantiated. if you want a dirty player, try carmello (flagrant against manu), or ray allen's teammate danny fortson (didn't jerry colangelo sue him for injuring cabarkapa), or ron artest, or kenyon martin? who did bruce ever hurt, other than accidently hurting carter? nobody. if this was a trial, it would never get to indictment.
Look a the play and you will see why VC complained. He is just a geat defender and I wonder if he and Manu where on different teams how many flops Manu would pull to get Bowen ejected.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting QbanBalla15:</div><div class="quote_post">Look a the play and you will see why VC complained. He is just a geat defender and I wonder if he and Manu where on different teams how many flops Manu would pull to get Bowen ejected.</div>i saw the play. vince took a shot, bruce turned to see if the shot was going in and where it went if it missed and moved toward vince to body up on him (like everybody is supposed to do). vince landed on his foot and sprained his ankle like many people do. is that one point you are making or several? either way, the part about manu incoherent. on the chance you are trying to say there is an enforcer and a flopper on the same team, you could pick any team to make that point. people mention the spurs because of envy.
