Bruce on Globe

[kevin <kevin.lok@lycosmail.com>]

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/137/sports/Hot_property+.shtml
Hot property
Bowen welcomed warmly in Miami
By Peter May, Globe Staff, 5/16/2000
 here weren't very many days this season when the Miami Heat were
looking up at someone in the Atlantic Division. But one of those days
was Feb. 23, when they were trailing the Knicks, the only time that
would happen all season.
If timing is everything in life, then this was a textbook case. On that
day, the Heat knew that New York, their putative rival and current
adversary in the playoffs, was interested in Bruce Bowen, a free agent,
who had just cleared waivers. Miami, therefore, knew it had to act and
act fast if it wanted to bring back Bowen, who had had a sip of coffee
with the Heat at the end of the 1996-97 season.
''It was funny,'' recalls Bowen's agent, Steve Kauffman. ''I was on the
phone with [Miami general manager] Randy Pfund that day and he was
saying, `Yes, we're behind the Knicks!'''
Says Pfund, ''I'm not sure it happened quite that way. But we figured
other teams, including New York, were interested in Bruce.''
Miami beat the Knicks to the ex-Celtic, who now is part of Pat Riley's
rotation, doing what he does best for the defensive-driven Heat, who
host Game 5 of their conference semifinal with New York tomorrow night.
Bowen already has made his presence known; he made a big deflection to
preserve Miami's huge overtime win in Game 3. That's what he does.
That's why he's where he is.
Bowen, of course, needs no introduction to Boston fans. The Celtics
signed him to a two-year deal in 1997 and he quickly became a Rick
Pitino favorite. Pitino said Bowen was ''a jump shot away from being a
great player'' and was one of the few players on his team who understood
the complexities of NBA defense. He said at one point that he'd kill
himself before he'd trade Bowen, who later was offered by Pitino to the
Clippers.
Injuries kept Bowen on the sidelines at the end of his Boston career,
but he still had hopes of returning this past season. The Celtics asked
him to play for their summer league team, telling him he'd get 35
minutes a game and a chance to work on his shooting. He soon found out
the minutes, and the interest, weren't there. Boston never made an offer
and Bowen was on his own, a familiar position.
Players like Bowen generally don't stay unemployed for long. He knows
he's going to watch more than he plays, but his emphasis on defense
makes him exceedingly marketable. Think of him as a defensive Jud
Buechler. The 76ers called him in mid-September and the disappointment
Bowen had felt over the way it ended in Boston soon disappeared when he
started playing for Larry Brown.
''That was something I needed at that time,'' Bowen said. ''I'm a firm
believer that God puts people in your lives, at a certain time, for
whatever reason, usually when you have a need. After Boston, it was
disheartening. But over my time in Philadelphia, I got to appreciate the
love of the game again. It was like, `This is what brought me to the
game.'''
Bowen was getting time for the Sixers. He was happy there. His younger
brother, Robert, moved in with him. Life was good. But he again was
given a hard-and-fast lesson on Life in the NBA in February. The Sixers
wanted Toni Kukoc, and the only way the deal could work was if Bowen was
sent to Chicago to balance the salaries. He saw it coming; the Sixers
had told him so.
''I didn't feel any animosity to Coach Brown. He was up front with me
and that's all you can ask for,'' Bowen said. ''But the Bulls? It was
like, `I just left a playoff team and now I'm going to the Bulls.
Ugh.'''
He never even put on a Chicago uniform. Two days later, the Bulls waived
him and the jockeying began for his services. The Heat had a decision:
Keep Rex Walters as a third point guard or take a shot at Bowen?
''We were comfortable with Bruce,'' said Pfund. Bowen had been with
Miami on and off during the 1996-97 season. ''He has some quickness, and
he's a little different than Dan [Majerle], which helps with the quicker
guys at the [shooting guard] spot. We know he's a quality kid and that
he knew the players in the East. And we were ahead of New York for that
day.''
The rest is history. Bowen became the first player in franchise history
to serve separate stints with the Heat. He sat out the first two games
after arriving in Miami and then played in the final 27, starting two.
He was a welcome addition not only on defense, but to Miami's already
imposing 3-point arsenal, knocking down 26 in those 27 games.
''I didn't know what to expect, but I knew Coach Riley, being the coach
he is, wouldn't bring me in to sit on the bench,'' Bowen said. ''I knew
I'd get an opportunity and it was up to me to make the most of it.''
So far, he has. He has appeared in all four games against the Knicks,
averaging 11 minutes. Riley doesn't hesitate to put him in for defensive
purposes at any time (as we saw at the end of Game 3). But while he's
set now, his future is anything but.
He's again approaching free agency this summer and would love to stay
put. Pfund says the Heat would like to bring him back. Bowen isn't
ruling out anything, including, he said, coming back to Boston, although
we sense he was being diplomatic. Pitino has expressed a desire for a
veteran defender. So has Milwaukee's George Karl.
Bowen says he has no idea what will happen. He's already seen enough of
the business side of basketball to be sufficiently chastened. But
history tells us that someone will find a roster spot for Bowen. He has
established a name and a game in the NBA, and that usually is enough.