[Chron] Rockets' Snyder rushes to make up for lost time

Man you scared me. From the sections of the forum it looks like it says Rockets' Snyder rushed...(to hospital).

I hope he can help us like he did against Charlotte for the rest of the season.

 

"We're not going to play them both at the same time. It becomes too muddled."

I know the coach knows more than I do obviously, but is there a way that they can play both w/out things getting "muddled "

Assuming Bonzi stays healthy, does Kirk just rot on the bench.

 

i thought the same too, but then i remembered the article from the paper today

 

That's what I love to hear. This guy has dedication and work ethic.

If he continues to work hard and play hard, I think he will get playing time regardless if Bonzi does or not.

 

well I think we all know who van gundy wants to step up so we can dump bonzi. it's obvious a healthy (mentally and physically) bonzi is best for the team but it's pretty clear now we aren't gonna be getting that this year. bonzi's career is on a VERY slippery slope and he doesn't have enough will power to overcome the poor conditioning, injuries, and loss of millions. come on....prove me wrong fatty!!

on the other hand, you have a hungry guy like snyder who is as athletic as anyone and has the ability to play great defense but not a plus on offense like bonzi. so a van gundy guy

man, I get pumped up when I see snyder. he has all that athletic ability and he seems to want to be better. he has stromile like athleticism but he cares a hell of a lot more and doesn't like getting punked and he likes to body up on D. he looks like a future rocket and a hell of a steal under the right guidance (which I believe is van gundy).

 

He can play against the Mav's small ball lineup.

Battier, T-mac, Bonzi, Snyder, Alston

 

I've always liked the guys energy and what he brings to the floor when he plays. I think it would be a mistake to not use him. I think he gives us the driving and FINISHING player we need when the offense gets a little bogged down. As much as I also think Bonzi can help this team, I think Snyder athleticism can really pump up the team and keep the energy level up.

Snyder seems to want to work to be here and help the team, and let's be honest. Bonzi is just going to play hard to get a contract next season. Of course, just my 2 cents.

 

I assume he meant that...

- Bonzi and Kirk both primarily play SG
- Bonzi and Kirk are both sketchy jumpshooters
- Bonzi and Kirk both like to get the ball on the wing and drive or post up a smaller guard
- Bonzi and Kirk are below average perimeter ball handlers

As you can see, they don't compliment each other very well at all, and happen to do a good amount of things similarly. Therefore, I think Van Gundy is just giving the minutes to the guy who seems more ready (physically/mentally) now and who happens to be signed past the end of this season. Makes sense to me.

 

I wouldn't give up on Kirk getting his share of minutes yet. Yeah he has had setbacks but Bonzi has been way too inconsistent for me, he turns the ball over on traps, he hasn't been hitting his jumper or his FTs. Snyder has shown me more range on his shot and he is our best defensive matchup against guys like Howard, Marion and Stackhouse.

 

I have a feeling we will be in a close serious with someone and bonzi will loose the ball in a crtical moment.I hope i'm wrong, but soemthing scares me about bonzi.

 

I like them both, but we can't use them both unless we play small ball.

I love watching Snyder play. He's so fast and athletic. He can jump right out of the building and he got a few rebounds that looked like they really couldn't have been snatched out of the air. It's so nice to feel you don't know when he's going to bust out a highlight reel finish or something. Kind of like T-Mac in his old days.

I like watching Bonzi play too, sometimes. He posts up, cuts, gets to the hoop, finishes pretty well, and rebounds pretty damn well.

Oh well, I hope they both get playing time at different situations or in different games or something!

 

That Snyder is gonna be an important part of our championship capable teams over the next 5 years or so. The guy is a big, athletic guard who brings certain things that our team needs, and over time he looks like he is gonna just get better and better. He is 2-3 years from his prime and could likely develop into an amazing player necessary for a title run.

Now, I'd prefer Bonzi get the minutes currently... Snyder is still young, and Bonzi brings the same kind of things as Snyder but with more experience. However, I really want to see Snyder picking up 10-15 minutes a night when the situation calls for it. Also, assume for a minute Bonzi doesn't return next season. If that happens (and it's probably 50/50) Snyder is gonna fill a great need for our team. You can just tell Snyder is the kind of guy we need on our championship caliber team. He wants to improve, wants to learn, feels like part of the team family, is big, athletic, talented, and full of potential.

If Snyder keeps it up and pays his dues while Bonzi primarily fills his role, more minutes and respect are certain to come his way, even if Bonzi sticks around. Look for Kirk to develop into a key roleplayer over the next few years.

 

I do like what I saw from Snyder in the Bobcats game. He was putting on a show, and you can tell he was enjoying the run out.

Question is: Can he keep it up? And how long?

Part of me says that he only played that well because he was DYING to go out and run, and that he'll soon settle in a more passive role if he's locked into the rotation.

If he can keep his head on and focused and know his role on this team, then obviously Snyder is the better choice between him and Bonzi.

 

yeah i notice that really, jvg in the past has been in the situation where he had to have either tmac or shane out on the court, bc we didn't have anyone else out there long enough to guard the bigger 2s or 3s. this resulted in tmac or shane having to play the entire 1st quarter before a breather. i know they're both capable of playing 48 minutes, but i think this is an opportunity to start giving breathers earlier, and simultaneously get Kirk and Bonzi some added minutes. there is a ball-handling issue when t-mac and rafer aren't on the court, but when is there not? and the way our current lineup is, with yao out, our 2nd unit is ALWAYS going to be small bc we've got either juwan or chuck at the 5 when deke is sitting.

 

"I'll be honest with you — it's been hard," said Snyder, a 6-6 guard. "But with the guidance I've gotten from the coaching staff and from the guys on the team, veterans like Juwan (Howard), telling me that it's going to be OK, it's helped put me at ease. I'm just keeping my head down and (will) keep working

my fav part. It just shows what a good bunch of guys that make up this team and how they are functioning as a team. Win or lose, i love that about this team

 

Yeah, this looks to me like Bonzi gets his minutes this year and is more valuable to us at the moment. He already knows his place in the rotation and he has the veteran/playoff experience that we'll need in the postseason.

The likely situation is that Bonzi is gone after this season and Kirk Snyder takes his spot in the primary rotation. He's still very, very young and there's a good reason the Rockets immediately gave him a contract extension when he got here. He's going to get better -- develop a better shooting stroke, pass better etc. He's a key part of our team's future. It's nice to have someone like him waiting in the wings.

Isn't it nice to have depth?

 

One thing about this: Most players seem to settle down as a Rocket:

Alston was having trouble with his team and he's been calmed down.
Snyder was not really your typical good guy, but he's saying all the right things.
Bonzi had a grudge early, but the stuff he's saying, about the team and how it's the uniform you put on....
T-Mac wasn't exactly all about the team in Orlando, now he's paying for Rowdies tickets
Howard was not exactly thrilled about losing playing time, but he's becoming a great veteran


Say what you want about JVG, but the team is coming together and here's to hoping that Spanoulis sees it that way.

 

Great read.

Depth...nice problem for the Rockets to have, for a change.