Bruce Bowen: Difference between revisions
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| 2004-05 || San Antonio || 82 || 32.0 || 0.7 || 0.5 || 3.5 || 1.5 || 8.2 |
| 2004-05 || San Antonio || 82 || 32.0 || 0.7 || 0.5 || 3.5 || 1.5 || 8.2 |
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| 2005-06 || San Antonio || 82 || 33.6 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 3.9 || 1.5 || 7.5 |
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Revision as of 13:37, 8 June 2007
 | |
| San Antonio Spurs | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 14, 1971 Merced, California |
| Nationality | USA |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Cal State Fullerton |
| Playing career | 1993–present |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Bruce Bowen Jr. (b. June 14 1971 in Merced, California) is an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player. The 6'7", 200 lbs. Bowen plays small forward for the San Antonio Spurs. He is an alumni of Edison High School and Cal State Fullerton and also a former member of the NBA Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, the CBA Rockford Lightning and the French clubs Le Havre, Evreux and Besançon BCD. Regarded as one of the best defenders in the NBA, Bowen has been elected seven times to the NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams, and was a member of the Spurs teams that won the NBA championships in 2003 and 2005.[1] In private life, he is an ambassador against child obesity.
Early years
Bruce Bowen Jr. was born as son of Bruce Bowen Sr. and Dietra Campbell. Bowen had a problematic childhood growing up in Merced, because his mother took drugs and even sold the family TV to feed her habit.[2] Bruce Jr. spent his days playing basketball and eventually became a star in the local West Fresno Edison High School squad.[2] After receiving a scholarship, Bowen played four seasons at Cal State Fullerton, appearing in 101 games, and averaged 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He averaged 16.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 36.6 minutes in 27 games as a senior in 1992-93, paving the way for him to be named to the All-Big West Conference First Team. Bowen ranks 12th on the Titans’ all-time list in career points (1,155) and is seventh all-time in rebounds (559).[3]
Professional career
Early struggles (1993-1997)
Bowen made himself eligible for the 1993 NBA Draft, but went undrafted. Instead, he seemed to be destined to become a journeyman. Between 1993 and 1997, Bowen frequently changed teams, playing for the French teams of Le Havre in 1993-94 and Evreux the following season. In 1995-96 he played in the CBA with Rockford Lightning. The following season was interesting: he started off again in France, this time with Besançon, returned to the Lightning in February 1997 and made his NBA debut, being signed to a ten-day contract by the Miami Heat the following month that was not extended after the season had ended. His output consisted of 1 game, 1 minute and 1 block.[3][4]
Getting settled (1997-2001)
In the 1997-98 NBA season, Bowen reappeared in the NBA, being signed by the Boston Celtics. With the Celtics, Bowen slowly established himself in the NBA. In his first full year as an NBA player, he appeared in 61 games (nine of them as starter) with the Celtics, averaging 5.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.43 steals in 21.4 minutes per game, shooting .409 from the field, .339 from three-point land and .623 from the free throw line.[4] The next year was a bit of a disappointment, as Bowen appeared in only 30 Celtics games, averaging 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game.[4]
In the 1999-2000 NBA season, Bowen signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, traded to the Chicago Bulls and immediately waived, being picked off waivers by the Miami Heat. In that season, he appeared in 69 games, averaging 2.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game, and scored in double-figures six times.[4] In the following year, Bowen was retained by the Heat. In that year, he had his breakout season. For the first time in his career, he played in all 82 regular season games, averaged 7.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.01 steals in 32.7 minutes per game and set new single season career-highs in games, points, rebounds, assists, blocks, minutes, field goals made and attempted, three-point goals made and attempted and free throws made and attempted.[4] Bowen logged more minutes (2,685 vs. 2,678), scored more points (623 vs. 606) and hit more threes (103 vs. 54) then he had in his first four seasons combined.[4] Especially, Bowen earned himself a reputation as a defensive stopper. For his strong perimeter defense, he was voted into the All-Defensive Second Team.[1]
San Antonio Spurs (2001-present)
In the 2001-02 NBA season, Bowen was signed by the San Antonio Spurs. He joined a championship-caliber team, led by veteran Hall-of-Fame center David Robinson, young superstar power forward Tim Duncan, and complemented by talented role players like Steve Smith, Malik Rose, Antonio Daniels and point guards Terry Porter and Tony Parker. Bowen established himself as a starter, beginning in 59 of his 59 regular-season games and in all 10 Spurs playoffs games, where they eventually succumbed to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2002 NBA Playoffs. For his feats, Bowen earned himself his second All-Defensive Second Team nomination.[4]
In the next season, Bowen started in all 82 regular season games for the first time in his career and averaged 7.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. Again, he was voted into the All-Defensive Second Team and was member of the Spurs team which won the 2003 NBA Finals. At age 31, the one-time journeyman Bowen had won his first championship ring as a starter.[4] In the following three seasons, Bowen established a reputation as the best perimeter defender in the NBA, earning three straight All-Defensive First Team elections and ending as runner-up in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award votings twice, losing to post defender Ben Wallace.[5][6] In 2007 Bowen again finished as the runner-up behind Marcus Camby for the league's defensive player of the year award.[7] Bowen was a member of the Spurs squad which was defeated 2-4 by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the 2004 NBA Playoffs, but Bowen and the Spurs bounced back and won the NBA title in 2005. The Spurs could not win back-to-back titles however, and bowed out 3-4 in a grueling seven-game series against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Playoffs. As of 2007, Bowen remains a valuable role player on the Spurs, having started in every Spurs regular season and playoff game since he became a starter in 2001.[1]
International career
In 2006, Bowen had the offer to join the United States men's national basketball team, which participated in the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan. At age 35, Bowen was the oldest player who was invited by U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski, stating the need for defensive role players like Bowen. However, Bowen received only little playing time, despite the injuries of fellow swingmen and guards Antawn Jamison, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade. Although he participated in several training sessions and training camps, Bowen was eventually cut from the team. He expressed his disappointment, and hopes to make the 2008 Olympics squad.[8]
Player profile
The 6'7", 200 lbs Bowen plays the small forward position.[4] He has gained a reputation for being one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, earning himself seven consecutive nominations for the NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams from 2001-2007.[1] From 2005 to 2007, he was second in voting for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, beaten only by centers Ben Wallace (2005 and 2006)[5][6] and Marcus Camby (2007)[7] who are both post defenders.
Bowen is not known for his offensive production. He is seldomly sought on offense, having never attempted more than 251 field goal attempts in an entire 82-game regular season, and his career averages of 6.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, and .566 foul shooting are considered mediocre, never earning him nominations for NBA All-Star or All-NBA First or Second Teams.[1] His foul shooting, in fact, is poor enough that he has at times been made the target of the so-called "Bruise-a-Bruce" defense. However, opposing teams cannot leave Bowen wide open on offense, because he is also a remarkably accurate three-point shooter (.388 career average on 1,700+ attempts).[1] Bowen is also known for his durability. He has now played 434 consecutive games since 2002, as of April 17, 2007, making him the "Iron Man" of the NBA.[9]
Over the years however, Bowen has gained a reputation for not only being a tough and effective, but also an allegedly "dirty" defender.[10] He has drawn much ire from many of his one-on-one opponents, particularly NBA All-Star guards Ray Allen, Vince Carter and Steve Francis who have accused him of stepping under them during their jumpshot,[10] a defensive tactic that can cause major injury to the shooter. Long-time ESPN columnist Bill Simmons has characterized him as "a cheap player who's going to seriously hurt someone some day", but acknowledges that he "ultimately makes his team better."[11] He was fined $10,000 by the NBA for kicking Ray Allen in the back after both had fallen down.[12] Phoenix Suns forward-center Amare Stoudemire also accused Bowen of kicking his Achilles during a 2007 NBA Playoffs game, but after a review by the NBA, the claims were ultimately dismissed.[13]
Personal life
Bowen is the son of Bruce Bowen Sr. and Dietra Campbell. He remembers having a problematic childhood, plagued by his father's drug addiction. Today, Bowen has cut many relationships to his parents and several relatives, instead looking up to his childhood friend Quinn Crozier and a Los Angeles couple which he regards as his adoptive parents.[2] Bowen is married to Yardley Barbon, and the couple has one son, Ojani, who was born on September 7, 2005.[4] When not standing on the hardwood, he is an ambassador against child obesity, and runs his own "GET FIT with Bruce and Buddy" program for healthy nutrition and daily sports acitivies for children. He is also a fan of the Dallas Cowboys and the University of Texas Longhorns football team. He runs the Bruce Bowen Foundation, an organization set-up to provide scholarships, tuitions and to help those less fortunate. In addition, he is working on his college degree in communications from Cal State Fullerton, and wants to become a teacher after his NBA career.[4]
NBA statistics
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Notes
- ^ a b c d e f basketball-reference.com (2007-04-11). "Bruce Bowen Statistics".
- ^ a b c Weise, Mike (2007-04-11). "For Bowen, this is the easy part".
- ^ a b usabasketball.com (2007-04-11). "USA Basketball: Bio of Bruce Bowen".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k nba.com (2007-04-11). "Bruce Bowen Info Page".
- ^ a b "Awards Voting for 2004-05". 2007-04-11.
- ^ a b "Awards Voting for 2005-06". 2007-04-11.
- ^ a b "Camby second Nugget to win top defensive award". 2007-04-27. Cite error: The named reference "dpoy07" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Ludden, Johnny (2007-04-11). "Bowen disappointed at missing U.S. cut".
- ^ "NBA's Most Underpaid Players". 2007-04-11.
- ^ a b Burns, Marty (2007-04-11). "Is Bruce Bowen a Dirty Player?".
- ^ Simmons, Bill (2007-05-21). "Thinking about the NBA playoffs while web surfing".
- ^ "Stoudemire calls Bowen, Ginobili 'dirty' players". 2007-05-10.
- ^ "Stoudemire says Bowen tried to injure him in Game 2". 2007-05-11.
External links
- NBA.com player profile
- BruceBowen.com - Official website
- Bruce Bowen stats at Basketball-Reference.com
- Bruce Bowen playerfile, stats, career, videos