He was a bust as soon as he showed up to camp overweight. Okay, you had an injury and couldn't be at your peak conditioning wise, but that doesn't mean you let yourself go. Yeah he slimmed down some during the season, but not enough. I was happy with the signing, because there was little risk with big reward, but now I'm kinda happy he has showed his true colors and the rox wont end up stuck with the bum at the cost of the full MLE for however many years they might have ended up giving him. knucklehead.
I don't think you should kick yourself. The Rockets weren't taking your evaluations into account when they decided not to trade him. Besides that, I think the Rockets already knew by the deadline that the Bonzi signing was a bust. My suspicion is that they would have made a trade if they felt that any other guy was worth having. Perhaps what options were out there were not cap-friendly. Perhaps they didn't want Bonzi kicking our butts in the playoffs.
No need to eat crow on bonzi. He would have helped make us contenders this year, but through no fault of his own, he will not get that opportunity now. You can say he walked out now, but come on..with only a handful of games left, it was too late for bonzi to fit in and get in the flow. JVG botched this thing back in october. Now if we don't win the championship this year, there will always be that what if bonzi had played question hanging over everyone's head. Bonzi was never given a fair shot here and that is sad.
Luffy, You are the most disturbingly delusional poster I have ever read. Just had to respond to one of your posts before I put you on ignore. Jesus.
It's only delusional if you think wanting the rockets to win a championship is delusional. Hate him or not, bonzi would have helped the rockets win a championship if used correctly and given the chance from the start.
There is enough blame on both sides of this tragedy. It's pretty accepted advice to find out as much as you can about a prospective employer / supervisor when interviewing and joining a new organization. If Bonzi did it, he didn't connect the dots and thought he could be the Bonzi he's always been and JVG would tolerate it. Van Gundy stands behind high ideals and coaches the same way. But his stubborness translates too often to "it's my way or the highway". Bonzi told one of the Sacremento annoucers that he had been ready to play 8-10 games back and "if they want me for the playoffs, they need to let me play to get in game shape. Time is running out." JVG should have found SOME way to try to integrate Bonzi into the rotation to address that situation. There are players on rosters, especially going in to the playoffs, that are only there to give fouls to a big man like Shaq or Yao. BUT they are NEEDED in some moments of games. It is VERY likely that there will be instances in the playoffs where all concerned will be thinking, and maybe even saying, "If we just had Bonzi right now." Alston's comments in the Chronicle article indicate that Bonzi was frustrated at being given so little time to find some kind of niche with the team and within JVG's system. A sad state of affairs.
Thank you - this is a good post. I wish Bonzi had been utilized more to allow him to develop a rhythm and get into game shape. He definitely could have contributed rebounds and offense.
That's right! Right on! JVG is also responsible for global warming. JVG kidnapped those british sailors. JVG caused the cancellation of Love Monkey. JVG genetically engineered every known contagious virus. JVG is the one who told Madonna she should 'act' in movies. JVG drafted Mario Williams. JVG killed off the dinosaurs. In short, JVG is responsible for every bad thing that has ever happened in the history of the universe, and then some. (or could it be, just possibly, the fact that bonzi has poop for brains? Nahhh, that can't be it. It HAS to be JVG's fault)
This goes to show that character really matters in this league right next to talent. I think the society we live in ( God bless it ) tends to be forgiving and eager to give second-chances. The reason sports fans always welcome previous headaches with open arms is similar to women opening their arms to bad boys hoping they'll change. Lesson as always: Most people never change.
i don't see this as anyone needing to eat crow. It didn't work out. It was never a definite.. and we picked him up for cheap, so it was an easy risk to take. To say we need to eat crow implies that it was a questionable decision that only some ppl supported...when in fact, this was a no-brainer in the off-season, regardless of the result
In the 28 games he played, he averaged 21.1 MPG... that's a lot of games and minutes. He had the chances to prove himself to JVG, but he was just too out of shape to play well. So yeah continue to blame JVG for everything...
I never question JVG's ability to set-up plays and his overall BB IQ; however, I can't ever see him relating to his players in a level they can understand. You know, something like a "come, let's sit here and talk", player to player, warrior to warrior situation.
there is still room for an energy scorer to carry our second team... bonzi could've been that guy. i know i was high on him. too bad he just folded. kinda like the pujols homerun still hasn't come down for brad lidge? i think that whole contract thing really messed bonzi up mentally. i mean he couldn't even crack our rotation? WTF how does he go from being a legit starter on almost any team in the league to a practice player? it's all mental man. it's sad.
No one can pick him up unless it's for the last couple of games of the season. Bonzi cannot be on a playoff roster because he wasn't released before March 1st, therefore any team that picks him up can only use him for the regular season and would have to be inactive for the playoffs. It's a rule. It doesn't cost us anything to release him, besides the money owed, plus it can potentially let us land some quick 12th man for the playoffs.
Bonzi's definitely got game, but he's also got mental issues. Too bad he couldn't be a part of this season's playoff run!
