<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Bonzi Wells joked about his "hiatuses." He mocked himself, saying he had learned it best to keep his "mouth shut." He praised Jeff Van Gundy as if speaking at the coach's retirement dinner, and did not sound as if he wished he were. Mostly, Wells sounded as comfortable with his choice to sign with the Rockets and his place coming off the bench as he has all season. More important, he looked it, having lifted the Rockets from their offensive listlessness in the second quarter Friday nearly as extensively and perhaps as vitally as Tracy McGrady would in the third. The Rockets had blasted one of his former teams, the Portland Trail Blazers, 99-69. But before they took off, Wells not only brought a jolt, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the second quarter, he offered a sign of what he could bring long after the euphoria of his late addition to the roster had been replaced by the travails along the way. "What game was this for me, 12, 13? Out of 40-something?" Wells said. "It's tough sometimes getting involved in a new system, new players, not understanding exactly how they play, not knowing exactly how to fit in right. "I feel OK. Coach does a great job of trying to get me involved with the team. I realize I've had some hiatuses from time to time, but it feels good to get back to playing the way I know how to play. It just took me awhile to try to find my niche on this team and try to press a little bit to try fit in. The coaches just told me to relax and let the game come to you. That's what I've been trying to do." </div> Houston Chronicle Man.. Bonzi can be our 3rd scorer and if we can get something before the deadline out of Bob Sura's contract and Snyder.. We will be unstoppable with yao, t-mac, bonzi, snyder, and that other someone... Its all good right now for the rockets but I'll hate when Yao comes back cuz the chemistry will drop again..
Good article....Basically outlining what i've been sayin all along. But I disagree with the notion that Yao will effect Bonzi's game. Yao has midrange game and could be effective as a spot up shooter. If Bonzi draws a double team, look for Yao to have good look on the weakside. The Rockets healthy>>>>>>>>>>Phoenix Yea I said it!
<div class="quote_poster">Rock4life Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Good article....Basically outlining what i've been sayin all along. But I disagree with the notion that Yao will effect Bonzi's game. Yao has midrange game and could be effective as a spot up shooter. If Bonzi draws a double team, look for Yao to have good look on the weakside. The Rockets healthy>>>>>>>>>>Phoenix Yea I said it!</div> You want to take Yao away from the basket and make him a spot up shooter? That's a losing strategy, in my opinion. He's the most dominant low post threat in the game. Bonzi will get his post ups while Yao is resting on the bench, but when he's on the court Yao should own the paint.
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You want to take Yao away from the basket and make him a spot up shooter? That's a losing strategy, in my opinion. He's the most dominant low post threat in the game. Bonzi will get his post ups while Yao is resting on the bench, but when he's on the court Yao should own the paint.</div> Say Bonzi and Yao are in together, and Bonzi gets the ball on a smaller SG (the usual), can't Yao stretch the defense about 10-12 feet and let Bonzi get his post up? If they double off Yao, Bonzi will know exactly where the 7 foot 6 giant is and will kick it out to him for a wide open shot. Yao can make that shot so why not? <div class="quote_poster">Rock4life Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Good article....Basically outlining what i've been sayin all along. But I disagree with the notion that Yao will effect Bonzi's game. Yao has midrange game and could be effective as a spot up shooter. If Bonzi draws a double team, look for Yao to have good look on the weakside. The Rockets healthy>>>>>>>>>>Phoenix Yea I said it!</div> It's going to take everything we've got, including health, to get past Phoenix.
<div class="quote_poster">igotask8board Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Say Bonzi and Yao are in together, and Bonzi gets the ball on a smaller SG (the usual), can't Yao stretch the defense about 10-12 feet and let Bonzi get his post up? If they double off Yao, Bonzi will know exactly where the 7 foot 6 giant is and will kick it out to him for a wide open shot. Yao can make that shot so why not? </div> Well, the whole point of Yao playing down low is to spread the shooters out. Since Yao can draw the double team, that leaves our 3 point shooters open. You put Yao at midrange, you take away that 3 point option. Yao does have a very good midrange shot, but doesnt play outside the paint much for a reason.
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You want to take Yao away from the basket and make him a spot up shooter? That's a losing strategy, in my opinion. He's the most dominant low post threat in the game. Bonzi will get his post ups while Yao is resting on the bench, but when he's on the court Yao should own the paint.</div> It's called diversity. Just because Yao's a great post player doesn't mean 99.9% of his shots have to be in the post. Bonzi can definatley still be effective with Yao in. Teams will double and we're gonna have shooters wide open on the weakside. Yao can hit that midrange shot with perfection too(didn't you see that commercial ) <div class="quote_poster">igotask8board Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Say Bonzi and Yao are in together, and Bonzi gets the ball on a smaller SG (the usual), can't Yao stretch the defense about 10-12 feet and let Bonzi get his post up? If they double off Yao, Bonzi will know exactly where the 7 foot 6 giant is and will kick it out to him for a wide open shot. Yao can make that shot so why not?</div> Exactly....Leaving Yao open for jumpshots is automatic for him. He'll still get his post plays, but he'll also get the benefit from not having to grind out every play. <div class="quote_poster">igotask8board Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">It's going to take everything we've got, including health, to get past Phoenix.</div> Kinda....But I think the Rockets will give the Suns problems. If we start taking off balance jumpers we're in trouble . But if we play good D (which we will) and feed Yao the ball, we're gonna kick Phoenix's ass.
<div class="quote_poster">Rock4life Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">It's called diversity. Just because Yao's a great post player doesn't mean 99.9% of his shots have to be in the post. Bonzi can definatley still be effective with Yao in. Teams will double and we're gonna have shooters wide open on the weakside. Yao can hit that midrange shot with perfection too(didn't you see that commercial )</div> How many spot up jumpers have you seen Yao make in the last 4 years (in an actual game, not a commercial)? It's not something he's accustomed to, so I don't see that becoming a regular option in our offense. We'll see.
<div class="quote_poster">durvasa Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">How many spot up jumpers have you seen Yao make in the last 4 years (in an actual game, not a commercial)? It's not something he's accustomed to, so I don't see that becoming a regular option in our offense. We'll see.</div> We will see....He can hit that with ease. It's alot easier than the fadeaways he hits with regularity.
I don't see why you'd take Yao out of the paint. That's stupid for two reasons. Firstly, he's the best post player in the game today. No real questions there. At his height, he can get anything he wants really. His hookshot (when used), is next to unguardable becuase of how tall he is. He's got a great fadeaway close to the hoop. His post moves are terrific as well. I can't see how taking him away from the basket would do any good. Who cares if he can hit mid range shots in a commercial. I can knock em down all day long when I'm that wide open too, and I'm not in the NBA. It's a lot different when a hand's in your face, a lot different. Taking him out of the post so he can shoot jumpers is just dumb. Secondly, you take him out of there, no one is down low to crash the offensive boards. You want Bonzi crashing them over Yao? I wouldn't. So, not only is Yao more effective on offense in the post, he also gives them a better shot at an offensive rebound and getting second chance posts. So, let me reiterate, taking him out of the post to let Bonzi play there is not a smart thing to do, and I can't see them winning games if Yao is out shooting jumpers all day long. Oh, and I guess a third reason that I neglected. Yao draws tons of doubles in the paint, getting shooters like TMac, Alston, and Battier open looks. He won't be doing that from midrange, and I doubt Wells draws many doubles down low, regardless of whether or not he's a good post player.
<div class="quote_poster">Moo2K4 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I don't see why you'd take Yao out of the paint. That's stupid for two reasons. Firstly, he's the best post player in the game today. No real questions there. At his height, he can get anything he wants really. His hookshot (when used), is next to unguardable becuase of how tall he is. He's got a great fadeaway close to the hoop. His post moves are terrific as well. I can't see how taking him away from the basket would do any good. Who cares if he can hit mid range shots in a commercial. I can knock em down all day long when I'm that wide open too, and I'm not in the NBA. It's a lot different when a hand's in your face, a lot different. Taking him out of the post so he can shoot jumpers is just dumb. Secondly, you take him out of there, no one is down low to crash the offensive boards. You want Bonzi crashing them over Yao? I wouldn't. So, not only is Yao more effective on offense in the post, he also gives them a better shot at an offensive rebound and getting second chance posts. So, let me reiterate, taking him out of the post to let Bonzi play there is not a smart thing to do, and I can't see them winning games if Yao is out shooting jumpers all day long. Oh, and I guess a third reason that I neglected. Yao draws tons of doubles in the paint, getting shooters like TMac, Alston, and Battier open looks. He won't be doing that from midrange, and I doubt Wells draws many doubles down low, regardless of whether or not he's a good post player.</div> I already knew we weren't gonna agree when you said "I doubt Wells draws many doubles down low" Yea, ok. Bonzi will command lots of attention when he's aggressive. I don't know why you guys continue to doubt Bonzi's attributes, especially in the post. Regarding Yao, outside jumpers are actually something he can hit as consistent as anybody on the team. We know he can post up, we also know about his baby hook. But why have him grind out EVERY play down low? That's ridiculous for a player with such a great midrange game. We're talking about a 15-20min stretch where he's the 2nd option and is able to "catch & shoot" instead of bang all game long. It takes advantage of all of Yao's skills, not just post play. Bonzi recieving doubles will also allow Yao deeper position on the weakside (It's harder to deny the ball if ur having to leave ur man and rotate). With other players demanding attention, Yao & Tmac will benefit greatly. It's actually a brilliant idea! NOTE:Bonzi, Skip, Snyder Tmac, Battier, & Hayes are all good rebounders. Crashing the boards isn't a problem
<div class="quote_poster">Rock4life Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> Bonzi will command lots of attention when he's aggressive. I don't know why you guys continue to doubt Bonzi's attributes, especially in the post. Regarding Yao, outside jumpers are actually something he can hit as consistent as anybody on the team. We know he can post up, we also know about his baby hook. But why have him grind out EVERY play down low? That's ridiculous for a player with such a great midrange game. </div> I don't have any problems with Bonzi posting up. Other than Kobe, there may not be a wing player who posts up better than him. What I'm doubting is Yao's ability to be an effective, consistent spot up shooter. I think a better configuration for us would be Bonzi in the high post, and Yao down low. Bonzi is a very good passer, and he's got a decent midrange game. I think that would be a more effective combination.
<div class="quote_poster">Rock4life Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I already knew we weren't gonna agree when you said "I doubt Wells draws many doubles down low" Yea, ok. </div> You really think they would double Bonzi, when Tmac and Yao are on the floor?
<div class="quote_poster">foo82 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You really think they would double Bonzi, when Tmac and Yao are on the floor?</div> If he gets it rollin yea.....Bonzi is capable of single handely winning ball games.
I don't see why Bonzi can't post his man up with Yao in the game. Yao can just scoot out 10-12 feet and let Bonzi work. We'd still have Head, T-Mac, and Battier at the 3...lemme draw this real quick... If Bonzi can't get anything going inside he and Yao can work together in the post-mid range. Yao can take a jab at it and get Bonzi open. I guess you guys don't think Bonzi should be taking shots away from Yao and T-Mac, but we will need all of our players to score against teams like Pho, Dal, and the Lakers. It's worth a shot, lets see how JVG utilizes Yao and Bonzi's post up skills.
