First, what are they gonna say? He sucks and wouldn't make a difference? The guy just signed, of course they were gonna say nice things about a new teammate. I never said he wouldn't be good. I agree he adds depth and a different dimension on offense-- GREAT offensive rebounds and post up scoring with the right matchups. I just don't think he is gonna be a guy you throw the ball to and expects a lot of efficient points off one-on-one play out of. None of what the players said contradicts what I said. All I've said is that I think Battier and Snyder are better complementary pieces to Yao and Tracy than Bonzi is, and thus more important acquisitions. Bonzi is just a nice extra piece to have, nothing more. The Rockets would have been fine with Snyder, Head, McGrady, or Battier filling in at the SG spot. Anyhow, nothing can be proven until the season gets rolling. I'll just hope Bonzi takes care of his personal stuff, gets in shape and start doing what he does.
Mike James was talking so crazy (especially towards the Toronto media) he could of been taking lines from the movie Deliverance and no one would've of noticed anything unusual.
Battier considers him the missing piece to being a serious contender, moreso them himself. I mean, that speaks volumes wouldn't you say?
Battier said that? I think you are reading too much into Battier's comments. All I read is Battier thinks Bonzi took them from "competitive nightly" to "formidable." I'm not sure there is a precise basketball definition of these terms. Typical Battier-speak really, sounds good but when you thik about it, there's really no meaning to it What else do you expect out of Battier's mouth? Bonzi isn't going to be a "go to scorer." If he is going to make up for TMac's absense, it's not going to be through forcing himself into being what he isn't. He doesn't put up efficient points like Yao, and he doesn't run the offense and make everyone better like TMac. What he does are rebound and finish around the rim. If TMac goes out, Bonzi will just get more minutes to be Bonzi and do what Bonzi does well. Another thing is that Bonzi brings some extra experience with him. Guys like Snyder and Head are talented, but still unproven. I think Snyder and Head and other youngsters showed a lot of promise, but just in case they don't work out, it's good to have an extra veteran. This team, even sans Bonzi, is going to be more than just fine. The atheleticism and discplined defense are there, the shooters and finishers around Yao and Tracy are there. It's really up to Bonzi to figure out where he fits into the system. Like Van Gundy said, he's not hurting the team with his absense as much as he's hurting himself.
