Fourth Quarter Of Players Night

Basketball Betting Lines

Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If you entered Wells Fargo Center on Monday night expecting great NBA basketball, you were setting yourself up for disappointment. Sure the Sixers have been one of the NBA's most improved teams this year but most of their big man rotation was wiped out by injury and illness coming in.

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.

Others like Mo Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Hal Greer and Charles Barkley have also been given the royal treatment by Philadelphia. All Hall of Famers or in the case of Cheeks and Jones -- darn close. One day Allen Iverson will join that contingent once a few open wounds have had time to heal.

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).

But, understand those other four players were no one-trick ponies and could hurt you at both ends of the floor. Bowen was a non-entity for most of his career on offense.

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

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•    Had a super productive day so I can have a very relaxing night tomorrow :)

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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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•    After staying up 24+ hrs Sunday to Monday my biological clock is way off.

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•    what about the candy house used to be on kentfield & Fargo...doing cherry's by the case...damn i litterally have 12 fillings

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•    The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA by Donna Fargo... now at KWBC.FM

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

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•    It's hard dating an athlete but I just pray that our relationship won't end up like others

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•    Bowen Homes Bout It Bout It

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

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