7.26.2009

Random Drive-Bys (Bruce Bowen Edition)

Random Drive-Bys
Kobe and Flash Vie for Lamar's Affections

And if you think their showdowns on the court are classic, just consider their recruiting skills. Both Wade and Bryant are battling for Odom's long-term affection. Both have taken their pleas public in recent days. On Saturday, Wade took his to another level: Tweetville. In announcing his return to tweeting after a brief hiatus, Wade sent out this messaged to Odom early Saturday afternoon on his twitter account:

"This is for Lamar Odom ... come back to where it started for both of us.. the franchise u help build back up wants u to End it all here."

LINK


Big Ben Contemplating Return to Pistons

"Shortly after the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to the Phoenix Suns for Shaquille O'Neal last month, it was speculated once Wallace took a buyout, and if he didn't retire, that he would return to either the Cavaliers or the Detroit Pistons. Wallace took a $10 million buyout from the Suns. He left $4 million on table. Well, rumors have circulated that Wallace, who had his best years as a pro in Detroit, will sign a one-year deal with the Pistons.

LINK

Bruce Bowen a Celtic?

A source (preferring to remain unnamed) has indicated a serious flirtation between Bruce Bowen and the Boston Celtics.

LINK

Speaking of "John Havlicek without a Jump Shot"

Every Celtics fan remember Rick Pitino's description of Bruce Bowen as "John Havlicek without a Jump Shot."

John Havlicek begged off commenting on Rick Pitino's infamous statement that ex-Celtic Bruce Bowen was John Havlicek without a jump shot, saying he hadn't seen Bowen play much. Bowen's jump shot has improved enough so that he led the league in 3-point shooting this season for San Antonio.

5/2/03 TGMGZTWM D4

Pitino made a decision last summer not to re-sign Bowen; he had seen Adrian Griffin, and that decision looks like a no-brainer right now. Still, Bowen thought he had found a home in Boston and is still a bit disappointed over the way it all ended. "It was strange, to say the least," Bowen said. "It just goes to show you that it is a business, and sometimes they like you and sometimes they don't. It was a surprise to me, but I can't fault them for taking a different route. That's their prerogative. And I'm really happy for Adrian. He was such a pleasure to play with (in the summer league)." Bowen said he hasn't heard from Pitino since they severed ties last summer. Originally, he was one of Pitino's favorites. Pitino called him "John Havlicek without a jump shot" and said he would "kill himself" before trading Bowen. That led Bowen to believe he'd be around a while. "You hear that stuff," he said, "and it sounds good. It sounds like I have a place where I can play of lot of ball. It's unfortunate that players have to go through something like that. And nine-tenths of the time, it's the guys who work hard, who don't have the big contracts, that get jerked around, so to speak."

12/5/99 BOSTONG C6

Paul Pierce nearly blushed when he heard Rick Pitino had compared him to Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson. "I'm nowhere near that," Pierce said. "He's one of the top 50 players who ever played the game. I can't even see myself being mentioned in the same breath as him." Pitino tends to make wild comparisons. He once called Bruce Bowen "John Havlicek without a jump shot." But Pitino's point this time was that Pierce, like Robertson, takes what's there rather than force things.

10/31/99 TGMGZTWM D1

Bad drafting luck aside, doubt goes to the heart of why Rick Pitino has fallen from glory. More than once, he has retreated from grand assessments of players. For example, Bruce Bowen went from "John Havlicek without a jump shot" to the waiver wire.

10/22/99 LEXINGTONHLD C1


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