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马刺中文论坛 » 环球刺讯 » Bowen sells No. 12, and Spurs should buy

 
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 2009-09-04 23:33  #1
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Bowen sells No. 12, and Spurs should buy

Bowen sells No. 12, and Spurs should buy
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Bowen_sells_No_12_and_Spurs_should_buy.html

Buck Harvey

Not everyone calls a press conference to say itˇs over.

Sean Elliott, for example, didnˇt.

But not everyone took public relations classes at UTSA during an NBA season. Not everyone has a salon and spa to promote, and not everyone waded into the community as Bruce Bowen did for eight years.

He would sometimes make as many as 50 appearances in a year, when the NBA contractually requires only a dozen from each player.

So Bowen worked every angle Thursday, as he did for a career, and along the way he made another case why the Spurs should someday retire his jersey.

Not everyone in the Spurs organization sees this yet.

When on the court, Bowen earned a jersey retirement, too. But just as his salesmanship was in play at his press conference, it was in the beginning.

Then, as a teenager, he disguised his voice, pretending to be his high school coach, and he put in a call to Cal-Fullerton.

His hot tip: Youˇve got to see this Bruce Bowen kid.

¨My brother taught me to have a go-get attitude,〃 Bowen said later. ¨If somethingˇs not given to you, go get it.〃

He wouldnˇt always follow that. When he wasnˇt drafted, he played in France, and he was disillusioned. He became both a pretty scorer and an ugly 僶American; he would skip workouts as a protest.

冭 Bowen later admitted he was ¨immature.〃 The one who helped counsel him, coincidentally, was Tony Parkerˇs father.

Bowen would return to both the U.S. and his instincts. He would work harder, and he would concentrate on something few others concentrated on. Defense.

He would still be traded and waived before finding a place with the Miami Heat. He earned $733,200 that season when he started 72 games, and he thought he might cash in.

He instead signed with the Spurs for the minimum of $716,000.

The summer of 2001 was a remarkable one. The Spurs added Bowen, Parker and Stephen Jackson for a combined total of approximately $2 million. In their second season together, all three would start on a championship team.

Bowenˇs story stretched further. After all, he came to San Antonio at age 30, without a hint he would be special.

¨But, for me, maybe that was better,〃 he said Thursday. ¨I got ˉit.ˇ If Iˇd been another player, maybe I wouldnˇt have worked as hard.〃

Instead, heˇd head to the practice facility at midnight to drill with Spurs assistant Brett Brown. His energy was unmatched.

Still, even at basketball, selling was important. He could always move his feet on defense, and he understood every detail. Just as critical, however, was that he needed the refs to buy into his on-the-ball aggression.

He may have been dirty to the other 29 franchises, but not to league officials.

By 2007, after heˇd irritated Steve Nash and LeBron James, the opinion printed here was this: Bowen, having established the defensive tone that led to three titles, deserved to see No. 12 raised in the arena.

Spurs officials are currently noncommittal. Replacing Bowen this offseason has been more pressing than honoring him.

So then came Thursday, when Bowen wanted some finality. He thanked everyone, answered some questions and peppered the names of various companies heˇs worked with.

Asked whether his jersey should be retired, he gave the right answer. He said that was never what he thought about.

Still, even those words were telling. Bowen had sold himself, just as he had in the community for years, and in doing so he had outlined why a night to retire his jersey makes perfect sense for the Spurs.

It would be good business, wouldnˇt it?
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