Former Spurs forward Bruce Bowen(notes), long regarded as one of the best and most tenacious defenders/cheap shot artists in the league, retired on Thursday. Here's what they're saying out in the ether about the news ...

Basketball Prospectus: "... Bowen leaves with an important NBA legacy. For one, he offers hope to undrafted players. It took Bowen four years to make the league after finishing his career at Cal State-Fullerton, and he did not establish himself as a regular starter until age 29 in Miami. The following year, Bowen signed with San Antonio as a free agent, and he proved to be a perfect fit for Gregg Popovich's system. By focusing on one specific offensive skill (the corner three-pointer), Bowen made himself useful enough on offense to stay on the floor for 30-plus minutes a night. (That never translated into his individual statistics, however. Bowen retires with one of the most negative career WARP totals of any players.) [...] I would also say [...] an entire generation of offensive-challenged defenders gets the luxury of the 'next Bruce Bowen' tag, not unlike talented young swingmen in the post-Michael Jordan era. For a guy who took nearly a decade just to become the first Bruce Bowen, that's not bad at all."

Celtics Hub: "Google suggests that many, many fans will remember Bowen as a cheap shot artist. When you type 'Bruce Bowen' into the Google search bar, here are the options Google supplies for you: Bruce Bowen groin; Bruce Bowen All-Star; Bruce Bowen stats; Bruce Bowen dirty player; Bruce Bowen kick; Bruce Bowen dirty; Bruce Bowen wiki; Bruce Bowen kick Wally; Bruce Bowen defense; Bruce Bowen spa. That's right-'Bruce Bowen groin' is apparently the most popular string of words typed into Google about Bruce Bowen. Sadly, 'Bruce Bowen defense' ranks a distant ninth. Is this fair? Is this an appropriate way to remember Bowen?"

FanHouse: "... while Bowen is said to be a great guy — generous, kind and sharp — in his personal life, he was no picnic on the basketball court. 'Good riddance' isn't quite the right sentiment, but he should know that most of the NBA will not miss him. For Bowen, that's probably a compliment."

48 Minutes of Hell: "When I was a boy, my father used to talk a lot about Lawrence Taylor. In my Dad's opinion LT was a new kind of player. In football the term 'game-changer' is often only applied to offensive skill players. But my dad believed that, for the first time in the history of the game, you could genuinely use that term to describe a linebacker. Taylor's ability to not merely counter the offensive's attack but dictate pace and, in some startling instances, possession struck my Dad as unparalleled. Bowen and Taylor have many differences: Taylor's career was defined by his unique combination of size and speed; Bowen's by his ability to be effective despite his lack of athleticism. But in some sense both inhabit a similar milieu: rather than abide by the traditional notions of defense in their respective sports, they somehow transcended their role. They took the simple task of stopping an opponent and transformed it into an act of expression."

SLAM: "Some may have hated Bowen's game, but all can appreciate his accomplishments — not only as a player, but for the Spurs organization and the San Antonio community. When we remember the Spurs dynasty, we'll not only think about the Big Three, but also about Bruce B. And for everything he's accomplished while in the silver and black, Bruce's jersey deserves a spot among the AT&T Center rafters."

Deadspin: "Bowen was traded from San Antonio to Milwaukee this offseason, where the Bucks quickly bought out his contract, making him a free agent. Even though he's getting up there in age, there are probably plenty of teams that could use an occasional defensive specialist. Unfortunately, the pressures of competing for business in the shady hardcore world of southern Texas salons and spas just demands too much of his time. Bowen and his wife, Yardley Barbon, are owners of Yardley's Salon & Spa in San Antonio. Last week, the couple walked into a rival salon called 'Oasis' and started threatening two of the employees. The employees used to work for Yardley's and Bowen says they stole his company's client list before defecting to their new bosses. Cops were called, Tweets were sent, 'Bruce was cussing, and his wife was making threats, saying she was going to harass clients every day.' You do not mess with a man's hair salon, people. How many times do I have say this?"

Deep Purple: "Here's to you, Bruce. We'll miss you about as much as the bowl cut our mother made us get in middle school which, ironically enough, you can now give people."

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