Bonzi and yao are getting on like an house on fire. there seems to a great deal of muital respect between the two.
Dude... you saw his dunk attempt from back then, didn't you? That was a far cry from his dunks now. Not that the vertical is everything, but it does show explosiveness. His PER from those games were also somewhere in the low single digit, I think. Look I don't have the official weight measurement (though rumor has it he was in the 260s during preseason), but I know what I saw on tape and what the numbers from the games say. I'm sure he got better as the season wore on and he rode more bike, maybe he's ready before JVG finally activated him (due to their "issues") but that wasn't true when we saw him before he was inactivated. We can debate the relative speed of weight loss between doing lots of cardio and playing 10-15 mpg, but I doubt anyone can give you a definitive answer. Besides, for the most part, McGrady was healthy while Bonzi was riding his bike and, more to the point, the Rockets were winning. He seems to be ready to play now, and everyone gets to move forward. For now.
I think Yao should get some credit for this. He has those kind of personal charms to attract players around him. When the best player on your team gives you props and loves, that helps.
Bonzi simply just has to play his fat a$$ into shape and get on the same page as the team.(and he's doing it)A motivated Wells(and he couldn't be more because of his contract and a shot at a title) is a top 5 2 guard. Until Tracy gets back,I'd expect 20 and 8 out of Bonzi.
Bonzi and Yao are going to develop into a very respected duo if T-mac misses a lot more games this season... god forbid. It's still good to know that we have Bonzi as a viable 2nd option without Tracy. But as for those who turned against Bonzi... I recall the Bonzi hate being at a fever pitch days before JVG said that Bonzi would get his final shot, I'd guess that at LEAST 2/3rds of people were saying Bonzi was a flop, a slob, incapable of getting back into shape, etc. It is rather vindicating to those of us who always knew that Bonz would work though. I was a staunch Bonzi supporter from day one, and I knew Bonzi would step up eventually because even though he can be selfish off the court... when it comes to the team and playing the game, Bonzi is a great team player who wants to do what it takes to win. We knew that'd come out eventually once he and JVG patched things up and agreed to give it another go. All that said, I'd love to see Bonzi remain a Rocket for the next several years... especially if the T-Mac situation gets worse throughout this season.
Look at Bonzi from last season -- he wasn't much heavier during the preseason and he certainly doesn't look any different now. He should have been playing much sooner this season.
Is this inside info? I dont think anybody here knew about this JK, I couldnt resist. I am not really making fun of you, but of the people who expect all post to have some inside hidden secert in them.
There is no questioning his talent or ability to get it done when he wants to. The question throughout Bonzi's entire career was his desire and the fact that his attitude has sucked and he has been been a loose lipped r****d. Hate to bring it up, but would you want to re-sign this guy and give him $25-$30 million? Especially if we win the title this year and he gets a ring? Right now, Bonzi has huge incentive to play well and fit in. His back is up against the wall. He knew JVG was gonna sit his fat can down for the season and he had no other choice. Now, let's say we win it all this year. He's got his ring, and he will most likely get somebody's MLE offer. Would you really want to take the risk of having that the guy on the books for the next 4 years making that kind of money and him staying healthy and being willing to fit in after he's got his ring and his money? Sorry, but I'm going to have to see a whole lot more from him than just 3 or 4 decent games to consider him a keeper. I'm not even convinced that he will make it through this season yet. He's still too heavy and his history is littered with altercations with teammates, coaches, opponents, fans, not to mention his rumored off court antics. It still would not surprise me one bit if he either blew out a knee or otherwise was suspended for drugs, or fighting, or some other stupid act. It's still too early to count on him.
That's true, but I thought Rafer Alston had the same issue with players, coach, etc back in Toronto. But he's molding well now with the team and had no behavior issues at all. So we'll see.
i'm not sure if you know exactly what kind of player Bonzi is. the guy can flat out ball. he doesn't have to be on a contending team or playing for a large contract to play well. he's done it for most of his entire career, when he gets to play anyway. if the Rockets get a ring this year, it will be because of Bonzi (in addition to a healthy 111). in other words, they can't win it all without him; not with Gundy's predictable offense and inability to adjust on the fly. it's going to have to come down to sheer talent of the players and offensive execution. if Bonzi is an integral piece of the puzzle (possibly more than Battier) that results in a championship run, i have absolutely no problem with giving him a $35 million contract for 5 years (full MLE). the Rockets have to think about the future and can't always depend on quasi-stars taking a paycut everytime and joining the 111 bandwagon, especially when T-Mac's health is very uncertain.
I liked Bonzi before but I love him now! He flat out hustles on every play. Seriously, for a stout/portly guy, he's incredibly quick and mobile. He fills in everything this team was missing. He can run baseline, drive and attack, and is a very strong low post presence. To top it off, he isn't even selfish -- he's actually a very good passer. I can't wait to see where this team goes. Personally, I hope he sneaks into the starting line-up over Shane... Bonzi, T-Mac, and Yao on the floor for major minutes would be devestating.
actually, i hope that Bonzi can replace Chucky as a starter. they're both about the same height; Bonzi may be a little heavier . he's also a slighty worse rebounder, but a way better scorer.
I think the refs let it go because Manu fouled Bonzi with his hip right before the elbow to the chest. So it could have been a foul on both players...plus it was obvious Manu did his flop to try and exagerate the impact of the elbow. It was beautiful to see one of our guys not take any S***. Very Sura-esque of Bonzi.
agreed. with bonzi demanding double teams like he was last night, we can give defenses a whole lot of trouble for nearly the full extent of 48 minutes by some keen time management from JVG.
I hope a bunch of GMs see it the way you guys do ... so we can trade Bonzi while his stock his high. Bonzi's brain is less reliable than T-mac's back. He's a self-inflated sulker. And there's no medical cure for a fragile ego. Bonzi is very useful to us for one thing: filling in for McGrady while he's injured. I'll gladly take that, if I can't have McGrady. But when McGrady gets back, and Wells is asked to give up shots and touches, get ready to wince at what today's hero becomes again.
When did Bonzi give any indication that he would be unhappy with his number of shots?? He wanted to play with TMac and Yao here. It's not like he showed up when TMac got hurt. On the contrary, the Rockets called him after TMac gor hurt.
Snyder, Head, Juwan, JLIII and even Hayes and Padgett can all provide scoring against other second teams. maybe we can even get an appearence from Novak or VSpan. but with T-Mac, Yao, and Bonzi on the floor at the same time, there is no way teams can double all three.
