Thats exactly what I did..I was reading the Astros posts when I came across someone saying " by the way the Rockets just signed Bonzi...." I jumped to this forum and couldn't believe it......We are with the big boys now and still not done....
He may not be worth 4.3M but I wouldn't mind adding another big man to the team. Deke is on his last leg and the Rockets really need to start looking for a new backup for Yao. Ely can play both PF and C, he's got good athleticism to go with size. Ely could even play C if you needed a faster/up-tempo team. But most of all, he would add athleticism to a very unathletic front court (Battier, JH, Yao, Deke).
So... Bonzi Wells for some PF minutes? He's a little short, but certainly strong enough and a good enough rebounder... Guys will shoot over his head, but as long as he keeps his hands up, I don't think Van Gundy minds the opposing PFs taking contested jumpers over him. He didn't do much 3 pt shooting last season, but in his career, he's no worse a shooter than Bob Sura. He's certainly quicker than any of the PFs out there.
WTG CD. This is really gonna help. When everyone is healthy it makes us elite. Perhaps just as important it makes us competative when/if T-Mac or Yao have to work through an injury.
All things being equal, I prefer not to have James and Wells on the same roster. Plus, I doubt the Rockets would have landed Snyder, or VSpan. I like Mike James and I like Bonzi Wells, obviously, but the prospect of having *two* resentful dudes in the rotation makes me nervous. I like the fact the Rockets added some youth and some guys who should be able to know their role without having a meltdown. Here's a question: who would you rather have at the beginning of the off-season: Wells, or James? I thought Wells was so out of our league that I didn't even consider the possibility he would come here.
I would have loved to heard the recruiting pitch Yao gave Bonzi. I can see it now. Bonzi, with the dark sunglasses on, is bopping through an airport somewhere with all his luggage in one of them wheeled carriers and his cell phone rings. He answers and Yao in that deep voice with that little accent says, "Hey you m.... f....., get your a... down here and play with us." Bonzi drops his luggage and cracks up. On a sidenote: I am betting that things get pretty steamy in Sacramento this year. They are not going to be a better team with Bonzi gone and that kid from Philly coming in. And now they've got a tough no-nonsense coach. I bet they are mediocre and Artest blows a gasket before February.
i thought maybe a 10% chance.Holy crap. McGrady hinted last year about swift, he is 2 for 2. i got an anatomy test at 7 in the morning but i cant sleep. I hope the lineup is battier at the 4 and bonzi at the 2 and have head and howard off the bench. Bad ass lineup
Watched him quite a bit since his days in Portland, here are my thoughts. I think he'll easily win the starting 2 spot on this team, and while I don't know how well his offensive game will mesh in a stagnant offensive system with Yao and McGrady, his defense and rebouding will be a huge boost to this team. And Houston has a legit 3rd option who can create his own shot. Bonzi Wells Strengths: -One of the premier back-to-the-basket guards in the league. Very tough to handle in the low block. - Will technically be in a contract season this year so effort shouldn't be in question. - If he plays the 2, his rebounding rate from last year will be higher than any other 2 guard in the league; and higher than Houston's pride and joy Juwan Howard. - Can be an aggressive and agile perimeter defender, exactly what the Rockets need. Not a shutdown man-on-man defender, but has quick hands and is rarely beaten off the dribble. - When he's on, it's very hard to slow him down. Bonzi can get to the basket at will and as we saw in the playoffs last year, defensive specialists like Bruce Bowen are ineffective against the bulk and strength of Bonzi. - Very capable of creating his own shot, has an array of off the dribble moves. Good penetration, solid pull-up jumper (inside 15 ft), post up game. Very similar to Corey Maggette when he is attacking the basket, but Maggette does it much more consistently, has a better jump shot, and converts at the FT line. Weaknesses: - Bad 3 PT shooter. - Bad FT shooter. - Does not have range outside of 15 ft on his jump shot. Which can be a problem when you have Yao Ming "congesting" the post at times. - Has been prone to dissapearing during games, like Rasheed Wallace and other 'JailBLazers' from the early 21st century. Obviously, a great value for the money!
he better come in with his head straight. dont wanna dampen the enthusiasm - but if he turns out to be an ass then the resultant clashes with Van Gundy and others are gonna get ugly. team chemistry could be what screws us this season...
Sick. Monster matchup problems now. EVEN if he busts, which I do not want to think about, he was a steal. Good things ahead.
Actually, this is not worth talking about. But if you ask, I think I'd still prefer James at the MLE, locked down for 4 or 5 years. I just like him. But I am more than happy that things worked out like this.
OMG, yes...but we still need a healthy T-MAC and YAO or we will never get anyone to take a pay-cut for a "possible" win-now championship run Pray for health all season long...seriously...pray...may sound weird but they are human beings with goals...we can pray that they meet them.
I don't see it that way. If bonzi only cared about money/and or shot attempts, he would be a nugget or bobcat right now. He clearly wanted to have a key role on a championship contending team, and thus it was houston or miami. Difference was he would have a bigger role here. Plus, you are way too worried about a future contract. If he plays well and the team does well, the rockets would be idiots not to sign him to an MLE range contract next year. This a proven NBA talent. Unlike signing derek anderson's of the world. This move takes the rockets from a nice team, but in the bottom half of a deep Western Conference to Spurs/Mavs territory. The Texas Triangle is going to be ridiculously unfair this season.
They'll probably still have more chemistry than last year. The starting line up was constantly changing last year. Aslong they play with eachother we should be fine.
I think we have one more significant move in us. who can we trade Howard for? if we can get it done then this is officially the best offseason in history... i'll settle for having him moved by christmas too.
I think low basketball IQ is thinking that Juwan should start on this team or even play major minutes.
whose header *sorry, clogging up a thread that will be 3000 pages long.....stewpid newbie* somebody say...thats ok newbie, we got "THE BONZ"
Well, health always is an issue, but it's an issue for any athlete. Talent wise though if healthy, this team is a serious championship contender.
Very true...especially if they manage T-Mac/Yaos minutes correctly................I am so excited for this season
