I agree that Novak is one-domensional. There is no doubt about that. But the dimension he brings is something we desperately need. When we lose games its mainly because we don't hit our open shots. Novak can find the open spot behind the arc and put points on the board when teams double and triple Yao and Tmac. Here is a comment you made: "Once defenses put a man on his(with averge defense) he's nonexistent on tha court." While this is true, if he could atleast force teams to guard him out at the 3 point line, that'll contribute more to our offense than Bonzi's misses and turnovers. Novak simply provides better spacing for our two superstars.
Bonzi is much more skilled and experienced than Novak, lightyears. But, his partying lifestyle affects his game. If he were completely sober, in top condition, and well rested, he would be much more effective. This used to be true of Steve, I don't know what his status is now.
And who exactly in your scenario are you expecting to play defense on the wing? Wells and Novak are minus defenders, T-Mac is gonna be stuck on the PG in your lineup, Yao can't leave the paint, and Scola has to bang on the weak side. You HAVE to replace Bonzi with Battier. In fact, you have to replace Novak with Alston, and let T-Mac slide over to the wing.
Bonzi has his moments. If he puts his mind to it, he could actually have an impact and do some damage to the opposing team. The only knock on him is that his play is terribly inconsistent for him to justify more minutes. However, between him and Novak, I would take Bonzi any day. The guy is a proven veteran and he can play solid defense when he wants to. Novak is way too one-dimensional at the moment to make any sort of difference except to give us some needed scoring if all else fails. Novak is a great spot up shooter...that's IT. Let's not overvalue his abilities based on a few made 3s from last game. IF we make it to the playoffs this season, Bonzi's role will be invaluable. He won't be the same guy from 2 seasons ago but he'll definitely create mismatches and bring a little tenacity to the team.
But cant Head force teams to guard him at tha three. Head can actually hit a three with a hand in his face. He can actually put tha ball on tha ground and i think he rebounds better than Novak. Olly thing i like about Novak on tha court is he would able to keep a extra big man off of yao so that yao cant get doubled, but teams will go small when they see Novak at tha pf position.
Again. A very valid point about Novak being a one trick pony. On any other team in the league I would give Bonzi minutes over Steve, but the Rockets probably get more open looks from the perimeter than any other team in the league mainly because they have two guys that can't be stopped by one defender. We need shooters on the floor. To me, Bonzi is just Tmac insurance. He has confidence and he attacks the basket off the dribble, but with Tmac and Yao in the lineup, he is useless. He makes stupid turnovers and he misses shots. If he played any defense I would give him the knod over Novak, but his defense is terrible.
Novak is a much better 3 point shooter than Luther....He has a quicker release and he's much taller so he can still shoot it with a defender running at him. Luther has to be wide open to get his shot off.... Also, If Novak forces the other team to go smaller, wouldn't Yao have an easier time in the paint?
Why because they freaking double team him before he even gets the ball. Think about it...there are two guys in the paint guarding Yao...Where are the shots going to come from? The perimeter. Novak territory.
The probelm with bonzi is that he thinks hes a shooter and he isnt definitely not. He also thinks he can make layups and he definitely can not. He cant shoot free throws either. His strong point is rebounding and dunking stick with it bonzi!
I strongly suspect that Bonzi is not 100 percent. When he is, he's a froce to be reckoned with. If he continues to work on shot selection, which he has improved at (not as many long range jumpers), he'll be a big contributor once fully healthy. He takes it to the basket as well as anyone on the team. Don't you remember what JVG said about him in that early season Laker game? Paraphrasing: "I can't believe the Lakers (mostly Luke Walton) keep crowding him, letting Bonzi drive inside. That's the best part of his game." That's Bonzi when he's healthy. We need him now and in the playoffs.
Wow, suddenly Bonzi becomes another whipping boy. Bonzi is a step slower but his big body is still very valuable to the Rockets. Which Rockets guards (except T-Mac) can take the contacts and draw fouls during drives? Not Alston, not Head. Who can guard bigger guards during T-Mac's absence? Wally Szczerbiak backed up Luther Head like he ran into cotton puffs and got to the paint area for a little hook shot in 2 sec from the elbow. Bonzi's rebounding ability is valuable to both offense and defense. Bonzi is not at his best at this moment, but I can only foresee him getting better in the 2nd half of season.
Wally scored most of his points when Wells was "guarding" him. I don't know what you're watching if you think Bonzi is a valuable defensive player. He's one of the worst defenders on the team with Novak, Head, and Brooks. You're right. Bonzi gets to the line, but when he gets there he only shoots 60 percent. Bonzi is at best a situational player right now. Novak has made an impact in both of the last two games....The guy scored 8 points in the fourth quarter the other night in limited minutes...Why not give him a shot? 10 minutes a night.
10 minutes a game? No problem. In his last 2 games he played 18 minutes and followed that up with 12 minutes and most importantly he has produced in those minutes he's been given. So I expect him to continue to get 10-15 mins a game. It seemed to me like you were trying to make an argument as to playing Novak much heavier minutes than 10 by trying to justify how bad Bonzi has played.
When Wally is hot, Wally scores. What's new? Adelman put Bonzi in the game because Head got "abused". There was no resistance at backing down. Bozni is the worst defender in the Rockets' guards? I dont think so. His rebounding ability always give him an edge on defense. Defensive rebounding is always a part of defense. You guys only biatch about he misses some roatations, but everybody miss rotations sometimes. But Bonzi is always bodying his man and contesting shots. He also gets good hands to swipe at the ball for steals or poking it out of bound. I am not too much a believer in number, specially the garbage +/- stats. But Bonzi's defensive rating is right there at the top of the Rockets. And more interesting is that Bonzi's defensive rating is very constant through out his career. Maybe there's something people always miss in Bonzi's defense - his defensive rebounds.
When Mcgrady comes back one of the two is going to drop out of the rotation. I'm thinking it could be Bonzi.
I don't know. Bonzi is not nearly the defensive stud you're making him out to be. He gets beat constantly off the dribble, he commits stupid fouls, and he gets lazy and sags off of shooters. If we didn't have Yao in the paint contesting shots, maybe you would realize how bad Bonzi's defense really is. Bonzi basically forces Yao to step up and stop his man's penetration and then that leaves him alone to snag rebounds when Yao alters the shot. Bonzi does go for steals and he plays passing lanes aggressively, but unfortunately that is not always the good play.
