A Nightmare Scenario

by

Work with me for a second.

Assume the Spurs close out the offseason in style, signing an impact player with their MLE. They go into camp as a favorite, and all their efforts and newly acquired talent put the team back in the Finals, against, say, the Cavs. The series is tight, and all the major players are earning their checks. Then, in a crucial moment, Manu Ginobili gets hot. Goes on one of those Chuck Norris couldn’t guard me tears, and Mike Brown is forced to counter. Brown looks to the bench for his cooler. The camera tightens in on one of his sharp-browed what-would-Pop-do stares. He needs someone who can come in and ice Manu. Mike Brown calls Bruce Bowen’s number.

Bruce Bowen could eventually hit the free-agent market, but not before August. Milwaukee has to waive Bowen — with a payout of $2 million — by Aug. 1 or else his $4 million salary for next season becomes fully guaranteed.

So the Bucks will explore their trade options with Bowen first — and won’t have a lack of opportunities, from what I gather — and then release him if they don’t find a palatable deal in the next month. The Magic and Cavs would be among the natural contending suitors if Bowen becomes an unrestricted free agent, with Orlando possibly possessing an advantage in the presence of coach Stan Van Gundy, who knows Bowen well from their time together with the Miami Heat before the 38-year-old swingman went to San Antonio in 2001.

If you feel the urge to vomit, that’s natural. But please, turn away from your keypad.

  • Juan

    I wouldn’t say “nightmare” but I agree. Nightmare would be if we trade or not resign Manu and he comes back with a vengeance down the road.

  • Jason

    GAG! Fortunately, I don’t see it happening. If Bruce is available for any sort of LLE or Vet’s minimum it’ll be the Spurs making the offer, his stock must be pretty low after barely playing last year. He must know that we want to retire his number regardless of what may have happened between him and pop, and i have to believe he still likes us better than Van Gundy from the Miami situation he supposedly hated before he came to SA.

    Sorry, I posted this to the laughable rumors thread before I saw you had made another thread out of it!

  • Kalis

    This would be a pretty good nightmare. I’d take Bowen on the Cavs if it means reaching the Finals.

  • Jacob

    I don’t think Bruce could stop Manu when he’s on one of his tears.

  • este

    If Manu is back to being Manu I would love seeing Bruce trying to stop him. That scenario doesn’t worry me in the least. I would be overjoyed about having Manu back on top of his game and healthy.

  • Jimbo

    I think Bruce Bowen, at this stage of his career, is extremely overrated. Spurs fans need to realize that this Bowen is nowhere near that Bowen of 4-5 years back. There’s a reason his playing time decreased so rapidly last year…

  • John

    Juan said it perfectly. If Manu ended up somewhere other than San Antonio, he instantly becomes every Spurs fans worse nightmare. Bruce Bowen is a distant second on that list. But, Bruce wouldn’t stop Manu…he would definitely slow him down, but that’s about it.

    Still a scary thought. Damn you, Tim.

  • therealkman

    I would like to know just how bad the relationship between Pop and Bowen actually got. Is it so bad that not even the great peacemaker Tim Duncan is able to pursuade Bowen to come back to the fold for one more shot at glory?

  • http://constantcognizance.com Ash

    Please. Spurs aren’t making the Finals. They got a middling wing player to replace Finley’s decline. They still can’t stop the Lakers main strength: front court depth. Hell, they couldn’t even put a dent in the weak-ass Mavericks. You think Jefferson could have helped them? Maybe win one more game in that series. Maybe.

    Good luck Spurs fans, your window is closing quickly.

  • JohnK

    If the Cavs needed to stop Manu in a crucial moment, they would use Lebron. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. No way they sign Bowen.

  • blazerfollower

    Isn’t Mike Brown a disciple of Pop’s?

    Wouldn’t he appreciate the things Bowen brings to the table?

    Wouldn’t Bruce be a great weapon against players in the east like Pierce, Granger, Joe Johnson, Wade, Vince Carter?

    very possible that this could happen…

  • Krista

    Ash, I’m pretty sure Manu’s absence, and Tim’s bothersome knees had more to do with the Mavs loss than any indication of the team’s decline.

  • jonathan walters

    I think este and jimbo both are 100 percent on the money. A healthy Manu makes me a happy bb fan again and Bowen is beyond washed up. He not only can’t do a thing offensively anymore, but teams were actually going right at him on defense. Fans may be slow to catch on but NBA coaches around the league were saying, “whoever is being guarded by Bowen gets the ball!”

    ash, on the other hand, is dead wrong. If Manu’s healthy they are the team to beat.

  • Hollywood

    We convince Bruce to sign for less back when other teams would have paid him more, and then we cut him loose.

    We sign Finley a year ago to a contract with a PLAYER’S option for the second year for more money than anyone other team would have spent.

    Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

    The off-season is still going better than planned, in fact incredible, but the favoritism of Finley over Bowen is just wrong.

  • ThatBigGuy

    Dear Ash,

    Thank you for further proving that the standard Lakers fan possesses a sub-standard basketball intellect by making absolute statements with no acknowledgment of the circumstances that led to an unusually early exit from this years playoffs for the Spurs. Don’t lash out at others in order to suppress your fears that every other championship caliber team has made dramatic improvements, while your team has not only not made any improvements, but will be more than likely losing a key player from this year’s championship squad (Ariza or Odom). On top of that, Duncan is getting older, yes, but so is Kobe, who is now becoming a jump shooter rather than a driver. Compare his last 2 seasons of free throw attempts, and tell me I’m wrong.

    In response to your assertion that our front line cannot match up with yours, I would disagree. If you can keep Odom, you may have a point, but that’s not a surety yet. Bynum has had 2 massive knee injuries in a row. Who knows if he can regain the athleticism or confidence that made him worth his huge contract extension. Gasol is very good, but he is much better when playing out of pick and rolls and the high post than he is banging down low, and the Spurs have had the best high pick and roll defense in the league for years. So I rest my case on that subject.

    In conclusion, we Spurs fans welcome your comments, but please bring more substance to the discussion other than arbitrary absolutes and crass language. Bring something intelligent and disprove the Lakers fan stereotype.

    Sincerely,
    ThatBigGuy

  • ChillFAN

    Ash, feel free to post here whenever, as the BigGuySaid. Your team reigns right now, but check back with us in half a year. So much hangs on Manu, but I think we can all agree with you that the SPuRS need a frontcourt signing badly. Honestly, Odom and Bynum don’t really impress us Spurs fans as much as Gasol, Ariza and Kobe.

    Hollywood, actually, the FO rewarded Bruce when he was on the downside of his career, when he could not have made that money elsewhere. Plus, elsewhere he would have been exposed more quickly than last year. It’s not like he played for free, but he and Finley cashed in on the 07 championship.

  • http://www.mobile-phone-blog.com/ Josly

    Wouldn’t Bruce be a great weapon against them.