It's about time he starts playing Bonzi Wells. The steal of the offseason can't be a steal unless we start playing him. The best way for him to get back into shape is to start playing in actual games. It disgusts me how stubborn Van Gundy can be about keeping players on the bench. Same goes for Spannolis and Novak.
And we need ANOTHER THREAD to gripe on the same subject for the umpteenth time. I suppose you started this just to make sure everyone read your post even though 100+ posters have already made the same point repeatedly.
I don't know about "high horse." He is stubborn, though. For some reason I thought his no-rookies no-Euros stance would relent somewhat. Hopefully JVG won't "Darko-Milicic" Steve Novak and/or VSpan (ruin them by leaving them on the bench). They could have injected energy into the Rockets last night. As for Bonzi, either he gets his fat @$$ in shape or he's played sparingly until he can be included in a trade to get us someone who can contribute. So keep hitting the grilled chicken, fish and veggies, Bonzi, and steer clear of Chik Fil-A.
he needs to layoff the thunderthighs, and lose the knucklehead mentality. I really do think there should be restrictions on who can start new threads.
http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=120379 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=120374 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=120341 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=120264 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=120256 http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=119669
Bonzi tried to get on the high horse but he broke the poor sucker's back and it had to be put down, it's now on its way to the glue factory.
Van Gundy is stubborn, but this is Wells' fault, not his. Bonzi would be playing if he had come into camp in shape, which he didn't. Add to the that the fact that- according to David Aldrige- he has isolated himself from the rest of the team, and it's clear that the situation is primarily his creation. JVG has always held his player to high standards. One would expect no less of an individual who coached under Pat Riley for so many years. He's made no secret of his desire to see his players put forth maximum effort, both in practice and in games, and we haven't seen that from Wells. Just because Wells signed a contract with the Rockets doesn't mean that Van Gundy has to put him on the court, especially if he isn't ready to play.
First of all, Bonzi has been overweight his whole career, and we've seen that that doesn't affect his production at all. He was huge while he was in Portland. Second, wasn't Van Gundy one of the people that personally visited Bonzi to try to get him to join the club. It's obvious the Rockets need a legitimate third scoring option, and here he is on the bench. All I'm saying is Van Gundy needs to learn to stop alienating so many players. His my way or the highway personality doesn't work in today's NBA.
I haven't been a big JVG fan and agree that he can be self-righteous at times about using his "just being honest" excuse to cover up for his unneccessary negativity. But I really think he's done a pretty good job this season and think he's making the right decisions by keeping those players on the bench. Bonzi is still out of shape and maybe even injured. He didn't look to good even going up for a layup just a few games ago. I love Novak and Vspan, but I don't think it's a great idea to send them into the middle of close games because despite their talent, Novak still looks a little lost on defense, and Vspan is still too out of control. These things will improve with time, but JVG knows he can't afford to lose games now by putting these guys in before they're ready. They'll all come around in time, and he'll play them when they're ready, just like he did with Head last season.
Ugh....I hate uninformed, clueless rants like this. BONZI himself agrees with the fact that he is not in game shape and his performance was absolutely horrible when he was out on the floor. JVG rushed him in early, and he had to admit later that he made a mistake by putting him out there too early. The guy was so fat that he couldn't even get up off the floor for an uncontested dunk. It has been well documented on the media that both Bonzi and the coaching staff are on the same page in this regard. Get off your couch and go get yourself informed if you're going to spout off. Yet another terrible, terrible thread.
Steve Novak won't learn how to play defense sitting on his but. We could be getting the benefit of his great offensive potential now while he learns to play defense. Isn't this what the early part of the season is for. This I won't play rookies thing is a bunch of bs. If Novak were a first round pick I guarantee you that he would be playing. I'll be glad when Van Gundy is fired.
He can learn in practice where it won't cost the Rockets wins when he screws up. JVG sees a lot more of these players than any of us do, so if he isn't playing them, there is probably a reason.
Bonzi missed 30 games last year because of groin injury. The rockets are being cautious to make sure that doesn't happen again.
How could he possibly hurt the team on defense? He is no worse than Padgett on D, plus he is younger, taller, and a better shooter.
