Bonner works closely with Chip

When San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland found out Matt Bonner was in town and The Star was lined up to interview the 6-10 forward, he e-mailed three questions to ask the redhead from the University of Florida.

Engelland, who lives in San Antonio, remains in touch with his former Northern Cement teammates and friends he made during his stay in Manila for three years up to 1986. The questions he relayed to ask Bonner were: What’s the Bonner Challenge? How is the Bonner Fans Club? How much does Bonner respect coach B?

Bonner was surprised that Manila sportswriters knew a lot about Engelland and how much he is admired here. He wasn’t aware that Engelland played in the PBA, the FIBA Clubs Championships in Spain and the Jones Cup with San Miguel Beer.

“As assistant coach, Chip dabbles in everything,” said Bonner. “Shooting is his biggest role. I consider myself pretty close to him. We work on shooting and preparing for a game. He’ll go over game plans, personnel stuff, what I should focus on and strategies. Chip’s a great guy, I really like him. Last year, he helped out Tiago (Splitter) on his free throw shooting and he improved tremendously. When Richard Jefferson was with the Spurs, Chip transformed him from a mid-30 percent to a mid-40 percent three-point shooter. He knows what he’s talking about.”

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Bonner said Engelland’s three questions were actually jokes. As soon as he heard the questions, Bonner got his phone to text Engelland. “I’ll bust his chops,” said Bonner while sending his text laughing. “Seriously, the Bonner Challenge is a shooting contest I learned growing up at Concord YMCA, New Hampshire. Chip and I do it all the time before practice and now, everyone on the team is doing it. It’s caught on. You start by hitting a right-handed layup then a left-handed layup then a shot from the free throw line then top of the key then the NBA three-point shot then you repeat the sequence going back. The goal is to beat it at least 10 times during a season. Chip and I keep track of how we do against each other. Our head-to-head score is 50-50. Chip’s a really good shooter. About the Bonner Fans Club, there’s this redhead who wears my jersey and sits on the front row in the corner of every Spurs home game. Chip jokes that he’s the president of my Fans Club and there’s no other member. I’ve met the fan, he’s from San Antonio and he‘s devoted to the Spurs. He follows me because we’re both redheads.”

NBA Asia executive Carlo Singson suggested Bonner to be called the Pinoy Redhead. When he played with the Toronto Raptors, Bonner was called the Red Rocket. With the Spurs, his moniker became the Red Mamba. “I don’t know about the Pinoy Redhead,” Bonner chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve seen a Filipino redhead yet.”

As for next season, Bonner said the Spurs will continue to be led by coach Gregg Popovich’s Big Three – Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. “We lost Gary Neal but we’re bringing in (Marco) Belinelli and (Jeff) Pendergraph,” he said. “I still don’t know about our two rookies from the draft if they’ll make the roster. I have no idea what my role will be because it’s always evolving. I go through periods where I’m playing 25 to 30 minutes then I’m not getting in the game then sometimes, I start. What I do, it depends on what the team needs, if some guys are hurt or there’s a matchup advantage or if key players need rest, then I’ll be ready to play lots of minutes or sit on the bench. All my drills are game-specific, how I get my shots off in a game, picking and popping or just spotting up, maybe I’ll take one or two dribbles, make a pass or do a floater if I don’t have the shot outside.”

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Bonner said Duncan’s not about to retire. “Tim’s one of those timeless players,” he said. “To me, his game doesn’t diminish with his age as long as he’s healthy. The reasons why he’s good are fundamentals, his skill set and basketball IQ – these things don’t diminish with age. He’ll be the player for how ever long he wants to play. Manu’s getting older but he just signed a new two-year deal. Tony is younger than both of them so I expect the Big Three to continue playing with the Spurs at least two more years.

Bonner said Popovich doesn’t get involved directly with developing a player’s skills. “He trusts his staff,” he continued. “Coach Pop’s influence on me in understanding the game, how to play within the Spurs system, it’s been huge. He develops basketball IQ, how to succeed within the system, where you can be most effective. I respect him a lot on and off the court. He’s a great coach and a great person. I’m extremely lucky to play for him.”

Bonner said he’s never been involved in brawls because “it’s too expensive,” referring to the fines and salary losses that penalize offenders. Are referees, who are unable to control a game, to blame for brawls? “They could be but players who aren’t in a good mood, too,” he quipped. A Boston fan, Bonner named three Celtics legends to make up his all-time NBA five – center Bill Russell, small forward Larry Bird and point guard Bob Cousy along with Duncan at power forward and Michael Jordan at shooting guard.