Fourth Quarter Carries Players At Rotation

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Meanwhile, Washington, despite the fact that John Wall had finally started to play like a No. 1 overall pick over the team's past five games, came in with the league's worst record at a miserable 2-12 and showed why rather quickly.

 

The Wizards tapped out in almost record time, falling behind by as many as 34 points en route to a 103-83 drubbing at the hands of a Sixers team playing with an ill Elton Brand and without centers Spencer Hawes and Nikola Vucevic. S.D. Jones was more competitive in the inaugural Wrestlemania when he lost in eight seconds to King Kong Bundy that Washington was on Monday night.

 

It's not like Flip doesn't have any talent on hand. What he doesn't have, however, is a glue guy -- a player like Bruce Bowen.

 

And that got me thinking. As important as Bowen was to three different Spurs championship clubs, retiring the number of a role player -- any role player is heresy or at least it should be.

 

But forget about Luke Jackson, the amazing power forward from the 1966-67 team that some still call the greatest of all time. And forget about Clint Richardson the defensive-minded guard from the Moses Malone-fueled Fo' Five Fo' '82-83 world championship team.

 

The Spurs have not and believe me I understand how Bowen exemplified the Gregg Popovich-era in the Alamo City. The 6-foot-7 swingman out of Cal State Fullerton earned a spot on the NBA's All-Defensive Team in eight of his nine seasons with the Spurs (was a second team selection in 2001, 2002 and 2003 before earning first team honors in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008).

 

Bowen is one of just five swingmen in NBA history to earn All-Defensive Team honors in eight-or-more straight seasons joining Scottie Pippen (10 straight from 1991-00), Jones (nine straight from 1977-85), John Havlicek (eight straight from 1969-76) and Michael Cooper (eight straight from 1981-88).

 

I say respect the game and the history of the organization. If you want to honor Bowen, give him a pat on the back or a bobblehead, not a place in history reserved for players like George Gervin and David Robinson or in the future, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

 

But overreaching has always been the Spurs' history with this type of thing. Before the organization got great with Robinson and then Duncan, they retired Johnny Moore's 00. From the championship-era, the club has already retired Avery Johnson's number.

comments

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•    It was a cold night but in his arms it felt like summer time

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•    On a good day it's three and a quarter tho

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•    I'm pretty sure I was just in the presence of some football players for the Pro Bowl... I just don't know who they were -___-

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•    They should start building closets on floors. That's where most of my clothes end up anyways.

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•    I wish I could be as relaxed as I am right now, all the time.

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•    Night Owl

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•    After Monday & Tuesday even the Calender says W T F.

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