Basketball: March 2008 Archives
Thank you, but personally, considering his victim was on the floor and he decided that risking CP3's personal health wasn't really a problem, the guy deserves 5 or 10. This is the classic "isn't attempted murder just as bad as murder?" philosophical discussion. The only reason Paul didn't break a rib is that Bowen missed.
I hate that guy, and, no, NOT in the way that you always hate that guy in the gym unless he plays on your team. In fact, I've always been an adamant believer that the Spurs win in spite of Bowen. The guy's horrible offensively (I think we can all agree). So, to make up for it, he's supposed to be an awesome defender. Yet he rebounds at a very poor rate for a small forward, creates more turnovers than most small forwards, and commits more fouls than most small forwards. It's hard for me to imagine that his defensive "prowess" (which mostly amounts to just getting in as many cheap shots as possible) makes up for it. Sure, you'd gladly take zero production from one of your players if you could nullify the other team's best player. Two problems with that. 1) Bowen usually guards the other teams highest scorer, which isn't usually the other team's best player (see here for the distinction. Learn to look beyond scoring totals). 2) Bowen doesn't "nullify" these players anyway. He just makes them play a little worse. But he doesn't bring them down to his level of suckiness.
Anyway, I actually would have enjoyed being a fly-on-the-wall for the "WTF How the hell did you guys fuck that one up?!?" speech that the referees probably got from Stu Jackson and company more than this. And I don't envy those refs their next game.
I hate that guy, and, no, NOT in the way that you always hate that guy in the gym unless he plays on your team. In fact, I've always been an adamant believer that the Spurs win in spite of Bowen. The guy's horrible offensively (I think we can all agree). So, to make up for it, he's supposed to be an awesome defender. Yet he rebounds at a very poor rate for a small forward, creates more turnovers than most small forwards, and commits more fouls than most small forwards. It's hard for me to imagine that his defensive "prowess" (which mostly amounts to just getting in as many cheap shots as possible) makes up for it. Sure, you'd gladly take zero production from one of your players if you could nullify the other team's best player. Two problems with that. 1) Bowen usually guards the other teams highest scorer, which isn't usually the other team's best player (see here for the distinction. Learn to look beyond scoring totals). 2) Bowen doesn't "nullify" these players anyway. He just makes them play a little worse. But he doesn't bring them down to his level of suckiness.
Anyway, I actually would have enjoyed being a fly-on-the-wall for the "WTF How the hell did you guys fuck that one up?!?" speech that the referees probably got from Stu Jackson and company more than this. And I don't envy those refs their next game.
Watch Bruce Bowen kick Chris Paul.
Then, Chris Paul gets called for the foul!
I'll spare you the Tim Donaghy jokes, and seriously, if the NBA front office is paying ANY attention here, a big, whoop-ass fine is heading Bruce Bowen's way right now, and those refs get a serious "WTF?!" speech from Stu Jackson.
But what really is surprising is Byron Scott not getting T'ed up here. If I'm the coach, I get T'ed up here on purpose. Then I call a time-out. Let the refs take a look at their idiocy on the in-stadium replay for a few minutes. How many times do you think they watch Bruce Bowen actively, purposefully kick CP3 while he's on the ground before they come to the realization that they might have screwed the pooch on that one, and float the Hornets a few make-up calls?
And again, after the fiasco of Nash getting pile-drived last year, and the spurs not really getting punished for it, Bruce Bowen's 500 game starting streak had better be ending soon if the NBA wants to keep any illusion alive that it's refereeing does not suck.
Hat tip to True Hoop.
Then, Chris Paul gets called for the foul!
I'll spare you the Tim Donaghy jokes, and seriously, if the NBA front office is paying ANY attention here, a big, whoop-ass fine is heading Bruce Bowen's way right now, and those refs get a serious "WTF?!" speech from Stu Jackson.
But what really is surprising is Byron Scott not getting T'ed up here. If I'm the coach, I get T'ed up here on purpose. Then I call a time-out. Let the refs take a look at their idiocy on the in-stadium replay for a few minutes. How many times do you think they watch Bruce Bowen actively, purposefully kick CP3 while he's on the ground before they come to the realization that they might have screwed the pooch on that one, and float the Hornets a few make-up calls?
And again, after the fiasco of Nash getting pile-drived last year, and the spurs not really getting punished for it, Bruce Bowen's 500 game starting streak had better be ending soon if the NBA wants to keep any illusion alive that it's refereeing does not suck.
Hat tip to True Hoop.
