Link The New Orleans Hornets have reportedly reached an agreement with reserve forward Ryan Bowen to bring him back for the 2008-09 season. According to a report by John Bohnenkamp of the Burlington, Iowa Hawk Eye, Bowen re-upped with the Hornets on a one-year deal Friday. "Last year was a lot of fun," Bowen said. "It was fun to be a part of it, and I enjoyed playing for a great organization. We had a wonderful year. That's why I wanted to go back." For Hornets fans fretting over frontcourt depth, this has to be considered good news. Bowen at the very least provides the team great energy and hustle off the bench, and he'll again be counted on to spell David West at the power forward spot. Also of note is the fact that neither Bonzi Wells nor Jannero Pargo has officially latched on with another team as of Saturday morning. Could the Hornets still bring back either (or both)? The Hornets expressed a lack of interest in signing Pargo at his current contract demands, but I wouldn't write he or Wells off just yet. Stranger things have happened. For the present however, I'm just happy I'll be able to dance to "The Hustle" in the New Orleans Arena again this fall.
I don't think he meant physically pick up... oh i get it... bonzi is big, i see what you did there...
Of all the veteran scrubs that Gundy loved giving playing time to, this guy was probably my favorite. Basketball skills optional.
More power to this guy. The NBA needs players like him anyways. Not only to help their specific teams but also to provide an example that talent isn't always the most important component in the game of basketball. You know... that hustle, hard work and intangibles can get you somewhere in professional sports.
Kind of funny that Gundy got criticed for playing Bowen and throwing Bonzi in the doghouse. But lookie here, Hornets are signing Bowen and dumping Bonzi.
ALMOST... I still think BBS posters can do a better job of handling the playing time distribution for the players.
So should we pencil in the Hornets to play ball in June? Does this change the sports book in vegas? Congrats to Bowen. It pays to be tall and energetic.
This wasn't exactly unexpected from Byron Scott who is quite similar to JVG in his style of coaching.
1. He was OK for the Rockets in 04/05, much worse in 05/06. I believe he was dealing with a hip injury most of that season. He was still recovering that next season (signed with some Euro team for a while, IIRC) before making the Hornets last season. When healthy, he's a pretty atheletic guy with decent length and, of course, he hustles. Pretty amazing someone with his skill level is a 9 year veteran in the NBA. There are probably many more talented guys who don't make it out of their rookie contract. 2. Thinking about Bowen now really makes one realize how much more talent the Rockets have brought in since the end of 05/06. The Rockets played him 9 minutes a game that season as a SF/PF. I think the other guys playing these positions were Tracy, Bogans, Juwan, Stro, and Chuck. This year, we got Tracy, Artest, Battier, Scola, Landry and Chuck.
