Is San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen Dirty?

March 15 08

Bruce Bowen polarizes. San Antonio fans love him; everybody else hates him. At issue are his tactics on defense against superstars Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and now Chris Paul.

Yesterday, the suits at head office finally stepped-in. After several warnings, Bowen was suspended for one game for another kicking foul against Paul on Wednesday night’s Spurs-Hornets game.

Of course, the suspension will do little to quell the Bowen debate. His backers will still maintain he’s a tough player. No more, no less. His detractors, of which there are many, will still maintain he’s dirtier than a groupie chilling backstage at a rap concert (you pick the MC(s)).

A quick youtube search shows there’s no middle ground with Bowen. For example, some videos celebrate his achievement as the world’s best perimeter defender …

Other videos, however, call him out, highlighting his numerous run-ins with opposing superstars …

It’s easy (and fair) to question Bowen’s methods. But the defensive star has championship jewelry and helped pioneer the stopper role into accepted league norm.

Is Bruce Bowen a legitimate competitor or dirty defender? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts. Click here to read Oly Sandor’s NBA Blog.

12 Comments: Is San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen Dirty?

Posted by
Spurs fan from the 210.
on 03.19.2008

Bruce is just one of the best lock down defenders in the league. He amazes me that he guards such a variety of players and hadn’t missed a game for 500 consecutive starts until the suspension. You can’t say that for many players. He gets so focused on defending that sometimes he inadvertently hits the other player. I saw the play against Chris Paul and he mostly got tangled up with him and it may have appeared that he kicked him, but I don’t believe he intended to. .

Posted by
Texas Triangle
on 03.18.2008

HAHA shane battier a better defender than Bowen? Bowen has stopped Dirk, Kobe, Ray Allen, Iverson, Anthony, Nash, Carter, Hamilton, and even guarded Zack Randolph and shut him down in Portland. He is an underrated player and people are making excuses that he is dirty just because he is a damn good defender. He is the BEST PERIMETER DEFENDER PEriod. I still can stop laughing at battir being better than Bowen. Man, i havent laugh like this in a while. Thanks for such a very funny joke! .

Posted by
chAk
on 03.18.2008

there is playing tough defense and then there is downright dirty play...good defense attempts to stop the offensive player from scoring and maybe a foul might occur...but it seems that bowen’s "tough" defense goes out to hurt players by stepping under the offensive player after a shot, or kicking them, o kneeing them, etc...u wanna see great defense in the nba right now? shane battier, the most underrated defensive player in the league, he all but shut kobe down completely in their last meeting and he does that every night to the opposing team’s best player...that is good defense. .

Posted by
OneWing
on 03.17.2008

Bowen has NEVER won defensive player of the year. Each year he’s been considered, he’s been overlooked for someone with higher rebounding numbers and blocked shots. Since Bowen plays the perimeter, these are two stats that he does not show highly in. BTW, I am a Spurs fan. And yes, I love having Bowen on my team. But yes, he is the closest thing to a dirty player there is in the NBA right now, and yes, he probably deserves more suspensions than he’s received. That being said, his tactics pale in comparison to those used in the Jordan era and previous to that. Think Stockton and Malone, or any one of the players on the Detroit Pistons championship teams. Remember that in that era, everyone counted the Spurs out because they didn’t have that dirty, hard-nosed edge to their game as they had the cleanest big man ever to play the game leading them in nearly every statistical category (David Robinson). The Spurs were "soft" and played clean. So they went out and got some toughness. So, suspend Bruce when he crosses the line and gives a cheap shot. But appreciate what he represents when he runs out on a shooter a little too hard or gets a little chippy with those quick hands of his. Him and possibly AI are the only active players that really have the edge from the time of Jordan and before. .

Posted by
gospursss
on 03.17.2008

He plays hard and sometimes he probably does cross the line, but so does everyone else. I bet everyone who is against him wouldn’t mind having him on their team to shut down opponents. .

Posted by
LA Kid
on 03.16.2008

He is the cleanest player in hoops. His nickname should be Mr. Clean. People are just mad cause he is a hard noised shut down defender. This is how the old school players did it. One of the best D-Fenders of all time .

Posted by

on 03.16.2008

Of coursed he is. The dirtiest player on NBA. Best defender? is it a joke? somebody punches you b4 you through the ball of course you gonna miss?Don’t forget his fellow teammates some of them are dirty as well. Watch the playoffs. .

Posted by
that one guy
on 03.16.2008

he’s not even teh best defender. shane battier is so much better. He’s got the perfect manuveres to lock somone down. U all saw him shut kobe down today rite? every time kobe shot it he put his hand right in between kobe’s hands and just covered his whole face. BATTIER IS THE BEST AND MOST UNDERRATED PERMITER DEFENDER IN TEH HISTORY OF THE NBA. .

Posted by
XXIII
on 03.16.2008

his da dirtiest of all shit! of all players all over dis wurld...motherf-he’s a killer not a player...damn he should be beaten down by dwight or lebron or even all people who hates him...damn dat bowen...also...change all da fucked up referees...all dat thngs are so fuckin obvious...their not calling it flagrant?! .

Posted by
BiAbi
on 03.16.2008

Of course he is , who can doubt about it ?? i like his defensive work but sometimes he goes too far !!! he should be sanctionned severely for his dirty plays .

Posted by

on 03.15.2008

Hell Yeah he is .

Posted by
YEP
on 03.15.2008

Someone should really beat him up like RAY RAY shoulda gone at hime and taught his old A a lesson .

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Daily take on NBA Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More

Is San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen Dirty?

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