I still think he can contribute to the rockets! He should think about his career. He will compromise with JVG sooner or later
the only thing that should be lost is the chubby fat off his ass...i honestly think if he wanted to play for us...he would have got into shape long before now...jvg has cut him enough slack by letting him do his fitness one month into the season...it's time bouncy whales showed a bit of respect to the fans and players...
Wow, you have decided to completely ignore all evidence that doesn't support your personal feelings about JVG. Bonzi's problems with the Blazers are so legendary that even he had to say, "I'm not a bad guy, I was just in Portland." Bonzi pulled a Mad Max and got himself booted off of the Memphis Grizzlies' playoff roster, when the Grizzlies were poised to make their best playoff run in franchise history. It seems that Bonzi held it together for a few months in Sacramento, but then scoffed at the organization when they made good-faith effort to overpay him for an extension. Right now, the burden of proof is on Bonzi to show that he is willing to sacrifice to further the team's goals, not the other way around. I think he honestly believes he can screw around this season, and that he will still have a choice of MLE-or-higher contracts waiting for him in July. Latrell Sprewell thought the same thing.
Agree! Some people just don't get it. Bonzi holds the key to his future and he has no idea how to handle that. It's really ashamed that someone so talented could be so stubborn and self-centered. Most people would kill for the oppotunities he's been given (and earned in some instances). I must admit I'm really bummed, if he could get his act together, the skies the limit. I'm keeping the hope alive.
Producing means being a good player on the court night after night, not off the court behavior. There is a definite distinction between the two that needs to be understood. Do you not understand you can be a malcontent/knucklehead and be a good contributor on playoff caliber teams? Go look at Rasheed, another of the infamous jailblazers. He has always been a productive on the court player despite character issues. And look at how much Brown and Saunders have gotten out of him in Detroit. And why is it that he had no problems seeing the floor and being a difference maker in those three cities, but not here? Bonzi is culpable in this by not coming to camp in shape, but there is a lot more behind the scenes than Bonzi never wants to work imho. JVG is not innocent in this matter, as both men are culpable for the situation. The bottom line is the two of them need a front office intervention because without a productive Wells on the floor night in/night out, the Rockets are a step below the spurs/mavs/suns.
Bonzi isn't with the team because he has done what JVG has asked him to do. JVG is the boss, he has high standards, what's wrong with that? No way JVG allows Bonzi to not do what he demands from his other players.
JVG is dealing with a sport where his livelihood as a coach depends on how his players perform. High standards are fine, but you have to know how/when to push buttons. And how does anyone here know what Bonzi is doing at practice daily? Unless you are physically at a practice daily and see what is really going on, it's all conjecture as to what anyone really knows about the situation. And that is on van gundy for not being forthright to the press with updates on the situation.
Ok, I agree with some of what you're saying. I think JVG's lack of openness with the press is his way of saying he's not pleased with Bonzi but isn't going to openly criticize him, just in case he and Bonzi come to an understanding. I'm really perplexed as to why there's been no solid reports on Bonzi's true progress. The Rockets must have dirt on every reporter in Houston. Don't these guys get paid to find the story? News flash (pun intended), we're not getting the whole story, it's called journalism.
JVG's livelihood has little to do with an individual player's perfomance and more to do with the team winning. And we're winning. Better coaches than JVG have had bigger feuds with better players than Bonzi Wells. Greg Popovich, anyone? A player in the doghouse doesn't necessarily speak poorly on the coach. Think of all the times a team cancer was either cut or traded and the team got better as a result. This certainly isn't the first time something like this has happened. You can say JVG isn't pushing the right buttons, you can say that we have no clue what's going in practice, but in the two games we've actually seen Bonzi play you couldn't say he played well or that he even looked in shape. We may not be at the practices, but neither are you. JVG is. This is a guy that got coach-choking Latrell Spreewell to buy into the system and we're supposed to believe that Bonzi's personal problems are his fault? He doesn't owe an explanation to the media. He's doing his job and it's up to Bonzi to do his. Bonzi coming into camp out of shape + playing poorly in regular season games + taking time off for undisclosed "personal reasons" = ????? I don't know either, but it sure looks like it's on Bonzi if you can put two and two together.
I think Bonzi is having a number 6 problem. Everyone else is a 0-5 combination. In fact, I know that's what it is. The out of shape/injured hamstring thing is a lie. It's his number. Go back to 42 Bonzi and you can play. Bonzi is just being stubborn about his number 6 choice.
The team will need wells to beat the NBA's elite in the playoffs. It's nice that they are playing well now, but the goal is a ring and without Wells playing like he is capable, it will be tough for them to win it. And yes, NBA coaches have to use the talent on the roster(this isn't college where you hand pick your recruits). Like I said earlier, Wells has been a well above average NBA player in portland, memphis and sacto. It's Van Gundy's job to get him on the court and playing like he can. Furthermore, bonzi is a character issue, but if three teams can handle that and get him playing at peak performance than call me incredibly skeptical that something other than him not being in shape is up here. I can't prove my thoughts just like most fans have no idea what Bonzi's effort level in practice is like. And excuse me, I said Bonzi is culpable for the problem(he came in out of shape). But to act like JVG is an innocent bystander being taken for a ride on the Bonzi Wells train is crap. We aren't getting the full story, and that is on the Rockets for not telling people what is really going on here. And yes, Van Gundy should be forthright about the situation because right now nobody understands what is happening.
We'll see Bonzi when Mcgrady gets hurt at some point this season. He's tempted fate too many times this season already.
