So who is the dirtiest player in the NBA?

[panfolk]

How about Reggie Evans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itu6BeKEi8Y

Wow talk about timing.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Raja is up there but Bowen is probably the worst. Fortson is too fat to even get off the bench these days.

 

[msdundee]

And to be honest, Raja is definitely physical to the point of being borderline cheap. He plays hard D that from time to time goes over the line (anyone remember the clothesline???).

No. Tell us about it.

 

[Russ Smith]

The thing with Bowen is he relies on his dirty rep to help his game. As others pointed out yesterday it's hard for a player to concentrate on his jumpshot if he's afraid that the guy guarding him is going to step under him, on him, knee him etc.

There are guys who do that now and then but I don't know that I've seen anybody who does it more often than Bowen. He wants you to be afraid to follow through on your shot because you're worried about getting hurt when you come down.

All time guys like Laimbeer, Mahorn, Isiah, Stockton, Malone were all much dirtier players. Starks was pretty dirty too.

I don't think Jackson is dirty I think he's just a major jerk and as fun as the playoffs were I really hope he gets jail time and the Warriors are forced to survive without him, just can't stand to cheer for a team that has a jerk like that playing so much.

 

[Arctic]

Here's my question: Since when are dirty players the scum of the NBA?

Malone? Stockton? Bryant?

These are all heroes of the game, and notoriously dirty!

Discuss?

 

[Covert Rain]

Here's my question: Since when are dirty players the scum of the NBA?

Malone? Stockton? Bryant?

These are all heroes of the game, and notoriously dirty!

Discuss?

Since when is Malone, Stockton and Bryant considered heros? I think people respected their game. However, people also considered at least 2 of those guys dirty. Respecting a player for their career doesn't exlude them from being considered scum.

Ask Barry Bonds.

 

[Arctic]

Clarification: *Heroes of the game. Not just heroes.

You're saying Kobe is not a hero of the game?

What about, LeBron, Jordan, Bird? Who's a hero of the game in your opinion?

 

[Covert Rain]

Clarification: *Heroes of the game. Not just heroes.

You're saying Kobe is not a hero of the game?

What about, LeBron, Jordan, Bird? Who's a hero of the game in your opinion?

Clutch players and heroes are 2 different things. I don't have any sports heroes outside of Pat Tillman. I never considered Malone or Stockton clutch. They were great players but again that's different.

My point was that you can be a great player and still be a skumbag. You can be a clutch player and still be a skumbag. Dirty is dirty regardless of talent.

 

[Arctic]

My point was that you can be a great player and still be a skumbag. You can be a clutch player and still be a skumbag. Dirty is dirty regardless of talent.

Ok, I'll buy that. Still the names I mentioned are considered to be heroes of the game by most basketball standards (stats, HOF).

 

[Russ Smith]

Clutch players and heroes are 2 different things. I don't have any sports heroes outside of Pat Tillman. I never considered Malone or Stockton clutch. They were great players but again that's different.

My point was that you can be a great player and still be a skumbag. You can be a clutch player and still be a skumbag. Dirty is dirty regardless of talent.

Right. A non basketball example would be Roger Clemens. One of the best pitchers in history but a major jerk and i'd say a dirty player based on his head hunting throwing at hitters his whole career.

Stockton and Malone were all time greats, and dirty as hell. Stockton used to knee people in the back of the knee when screening, Malone with the elbows to the head etc. Great players, but dirty as hell.

 

[mjb21aztd]

Horry just because of what he did to nash he seriously couldve ruined nash carrer with that bush league foul. And the other one would defintally have to be Karl Malone

 

[wsupkid]

Bruce Bowen?
Stephen Jackson?
Danny Fortson?

Thoughts on this?

In the NBA now Bowen, But I dont like Malone much either.

 

[F-Dog]

wHorry has been a bitch his entire career. The Suns have just never been good enough to get his full attention before.

If the Spurs go on to lose this series, you think he'll come crawling back to Phoenix in the offseason, looking for a job?

 

[msdundee]

Hands down Bruce Bowen.

He does have quite a rap sheet. This sums up the worst (as of this date anyway):

http://www.sportsline.com/columns/story/10185953/1

 

[Suns_fan69]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAakQjpFibg

Natural basketball movement for sure.

 

[msdundee]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAakQjpFibg

Natural basketball movement for sure.

Probably unintentional.

 

[Errntknght]

Don't forget about Carmello Anthony. The guy is vicious with his elbows and strong enough to apply some serious hurt. He wears a flak jacket under his jersey to protect his ribs from retaliatory shots. Like Kobe he has a well practiced 'elbow to the face' move - he does it on a spin move, ball high with both hands on it, leading with left elbow. He dropped Shawn with it one night and the refs called Shawn for the foul - I think he fell on 'melo's foot.

The one good thing I can say about it is that he nailed Bruce Bowen with it in the playoffs last year.


Another notably dirty player is Brian Skinner - the guy hits every one that comes near him in a game, mainly using forearms and elbows plus pushes in the back. He's not particularly sneaky about it but he doesn't get called all that often because he does it away from the main action for the most part. He copies Bowen in that regard.

Of course, Bowen is the current master of dirty play - and he's got balls you have to admit because if necessary he'll do it in the spotlight. Like kneeing Nash in the 'groin' and his famous flying kick to Stockton's face.

I put Ginobili high on my list though he has cut way back on his ridiculous, dangerous, wild flops this year. That body lock he put on Amare's legs shows that he's still nasty and dangerous - he's just picking his spots now.

 

[tobiazz]

This thread proves most people have not followed basketball for a long time. The 80's and 90's had rough plays worse than any of these years.

Is he dirty? Yes. A great defender as well? YES.

This response proves that you don't know how to read a thread.

The 80's and 90's have nothing to do with "So who is the dirtiest player in the NBA?" The question was not whom the dirtiest player of all-time is. Also, being a great defender is independent of being dirty. The OP did not mention anything about defense, just dirty players. You imply that being a good defender legitimizes dirty play. Your tangent is unnecessary.

 

[tobiazz]

Malone and Stockton has to be the dirtiest combo I can remember. I started watching basketball regularly around 1991.

 

[BC867]

Danny Ainge wasn't an angel either.


As far as the Spurs candidates, did the old timers kick a player in the nuts?

Did a 6'10" Forward body slam a 6'3" Point Guard into the scorer's table on an intentional foul?

Did an old timer stick out his foot to trip a player coming out of two knee surgeries?


I say today's Spurs are dirtier than their predecessors.

 

[Phxchris1989]

Whoever is on the Squirts

Agreed.

 

[msdundee]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAakQjpFibg

Natural basketball movement for sure.

Here's the mind-boggling part. According to nba record of Fines and Suspensions:

3/2/02
The NBA fined Bruce Bowen (SA) $7,500 and assessed him a flagrant foul for
his flying kick that hit Wally Szczerbiak (Min) in the face during Friday's
SA-Min game.

Pocket change and a flagrant (duh). If that didn't earn him a suspension, nothing short of manslaughter ever will. It does note that "mandator fines are not listed" but I don't know if there's a mandatory fine for a flagrant.

 

[jbeecham]

Bowen isn't just a dirty player, he's one of the best defenders in the league, minus dirty plays.

To say he's worse than all other combines shows ignorance.

Is he dirty? Yes. A great defender as well? YES.

Did you ever stop to think that maybe the fact that Bowen is allowed to play dirty is exactly what allows him to be a great defensive player? If Bowen isn't fouling people as they drive past him and getting away with it and scaring people into playing more cautiously with his illegal foot defense then maybe he wouldn't be known as such a great defender.

Duncan's another perfect example of a guy that's known as a great defender because the refs don't call fouls on him. I gag everytime he slams someone on the arm while pushing them on the hip with his other hand and no foul is called and the announcers talk about his great defense. Or how he can go over the back as much as he wants to tip & steal rebounds with no calls. Or how he can camp out in the lane on both ends almost every possession, yet virtually never gets called for 3 seconds in the lane (if they did call it then his eyes bug out, his arms go up in a questioning manner and he screams and runs at the refs with no technicals called).

I'm not saying Duncan is necessarily a dirty player, just that the refs generally let him get away with whatever he wants. Occasionally refs get sick of his whining and make an example out of him by giving him maybe 4 fouls. As good as he is, he shouldn't need all the extra help from the refs.

 

[NDSunsfan]

here are a bunch of bowen's great defensive plays all in one place.....sorry if this has been posted, i know a few have here and there, but not all at once.........

http://ryanunderdown.com/2007/05/15/bruce-bowen-youtube-greatest-hits/