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Bruce Bowen, the surprise!
- Subject: Bruce Bowen, the surprise!
- From: Theresa Lee <tjoyce@MIT.EDU>
- Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 14:02:41 -0500
Celtics' mystery guest
By Michael Holley, Globe Staff
NEWPORT, R.I. - You hadn't heard of him before this
summer. If you had, there are only a few
possible reasons for it:
1. You're an ambitious NBA scout, coach, general
manager, or player.
2. You are a student of Miami Heat history.
3. You're a Cal State-Fullerton fan.
4. You were in France in 1994-95 and saw the man
average between 23 and 30 points per game
(more on that later) in the French Pro League.
Maybe you are described in one of the above
categories. There still is no guarantee you've heard
of Bruce Bowen, the 6-foot-7-inch player who is
quickly becoming the most intriguing Celtic of
October.
''I'll be honest: I hadn't heard of him until we
signed him,'' said Antoine Walker. ''I just met
him last week. I'm not sure if you classify him as a
rookie or what. But he can play.''
Notice that Bowen is described as a ''player.'' You
can't call him a 6-7 ''forward'' because he
also plays shooting guard. And you can't call him a
6-7 ''swingman'' because he also plays point
guard. Now keep that in mind as we tell you this:
The Celtics will play their first exhibition game
tonight against the Atlanta Hawks in State College,
Pa. They will begin the game with Bowen at
point guard.
''[Point guard] is a tricky position,'' coach Rick
Pitino said yesterday. ''It's not tailor-made for a
rookie. We're going to put Bruce Bowen there until
Chauncey [Billups] learns more about the
system.'' Those comments followed the ones of
Wednesday night, when Pitino said the Celtics
got a ''steal'' in Bowen and that his play so far
has been ''terrific.''
It's a good thing it's not the beginning of April.
You might be tempted to make a concerned call to
this newspaper's ombudsman, skeptical that this is
all talk of a fictitious player. The facts seem to
have a Fantasy Weekend theme to them. A 26-year-old
undrafted free agent out of Cal
State-Fullerton signs with the Celtics. He played
less than a minute last season for the Heat and
has never attempted a field goal in the NBA. Yet he
is not truly a rookie, since he did ''play'' in
the league last year. He will make his first NBA
start in the first exhibition game of the season at
point guard over first-round pick Billups, former
All-Star Dana Barros, and free agent Tyus
Edney.
''Coach Pitino knows what he's talking about,'' said
Bowen. ''If he wants me to play
somewhere, evidently he feels comfortable with me.
It's not for me to second-guess.''
Even Bowen's French League statistics have some
intrigue to them. According to the official
NBA Register, he played for a team called Evreux and
averaged 30.6 points in 21 games.
According to the Celtics, he played for a team
called Besancon and averaged 23.2 points in 20
games. We know the truth (Besancon), but why ruin
the fun?
Not only can Bowen play point guard, he knows his
share of Celtic history. He was asked where
he sees himself fitting in with the Celtics. He
immediately came up with a 1980s Lakers-Celtics
reference.
''I look at [Michael] Cooper, the way he used to run
and get into Larry [Bird],'' he said. ''Not
saying that he shut Larry completely down, but he
affected a lot of Larry's shots during those
playoffs. And he wasn't a very big guy. Looking at
it that way, I'm not a very big guy myself. I
look at all the skinny people out there and say,
'Hooray for them.'''
Bowen is a svelte 200 pounds. He can guard anyone in
the range of Dee Brown (6-1) to Chris
Mills (nearly 6-7). He put up good offensive numbers
in France and the CBA. But he is here
because of his flexibility and defense. He says
playing point guard doesn't bother him because
''who am I to come in here and say, ''I'm just a
forward?' I'm happy to be in this situation.'' He
then pointed to forward Tony Massenburg, who played
in Spain. ''My man over here can tell you
about taking advantage of good opportunities in the
States.''
He knows the opportunity now clearly is not to
unseat Billups; it's just to help. Pitino said
Billups is coming along slowly. And Billups said he
is learning more with each practice. ''It's not
the plays that are so difficult to learn,'' Billups
said, ''it's the tempo. Everything is 100 miles per
hour.'' Not only that, but a point guard must know
where everyone else should be on the court,
whether they are going 100 m.p.h. or 65. 3Bowen is
helping with that transition.
''I told Chauncey not to get discouraged,''
??Brown?? or Bowen? said. of Billups. ''It's hard to
play fast and not make mistakes.''
There is no rush on the rookie. There are people in
place who can help until he's ready. It's just
that one of them, the man who will wear No. 12
tonight, has redefined anonymity. Until now
- -------------------------------------------------------
Theresa Lee
Alumni Officer III, Telethons and Parent Programs
Association of Alumni and Alumnae of MIT
10-140, 77 Mass Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
ph: 617-253-8280
tjoyce@mit.edu