Bits on former Kings (Bonzi and Peja)

Warhawk

Warhawk

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/11/29/truth.rumors.nba/index.html

Trading Bonzi Wells gets complicated, because there are restrictions on recently signed free agents. There also is the whole complex issue of showcasing him for other teams that might be interested. In order to showcase him, he needs to get onto the floor. But if he gets on the floor, he's hurting the good thing the Rockets have going.
-- Houston Chronicle

 An MRI test was performed on Peja Stojakovic's injured back Tuesday, and the Hornets are expected to get the results today before determining his return. Stojakovic, feeling the effects of back spasms, missed his second consecutive game Tuesday night against the Raptors.
-- New Orleans Times-Picayune
 
creAtivetfh said:
yea we have someone on our team that has back problems, yet he continues to play. hmmm.
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No, now that one actually isn't fair. The pinky, yeah. What a wuss. But a back is nothing to be messed with and can vary in intensiy from an annoyance all the way down to being bedridden. You don't criticize guys for missing games wiht back problems -- especially not when they are serious enough to have MRIs on.
 
Didn't know about the Peja situation. I was wondering why I wasn't hearing much about him and now I found out why.

Hopefully it's nothing serious and he'll be back playing in no time.
 
I feel badly for Peja. He has played professional basketball since he was 15, however, and I have to wonder if his body is finally just wearing down to the point where he may not be able to honor that 5-year contract he was given.
 
VF21 said:
I feel badly for Peja. He has played professional basketball since he was 15, however, and I have to wonder if his body is finally just wearing down to the point where he may not be able to honor that 5-year contract he was given.
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Yeah, he's a good guy. Those back spasms are just killer. Down here in H-town, T-mac has basically lost a lot of his game because of those. He's basically become the de-facto point guard and really isn't dominating games anymore. (of course Yao is starting to do that so I guess it sort of balances out)

But Bonzi, sheesh, Bonzi has just about ticked off everyone in houston. The best one was a game in which he wasn't even in the arena in houston. We later find out that he was throwing a party downtown DURING the game. Oh and he's still out of shape. The Rockets basically have a standard test in which every player has to pass in order to play. Bonzi has consistently failed the fitness test so he hasn't played. And the worst part is the fact that we actually need him now. Kirk Snyder is out till January and we don't really have anyone to replace him. Bonzi could swoop right in and take his job but instead he's sitting on his *** and wasting away. Even in interviews, the players just flat out refuse to acknowledge his existance.
 
What are the local rumor-mills saying about the "personal reasons" that are keeping him away?
 
I don't know, KingsChick. supamari0 is a Rockets fan so I thought maybe he had heard something about Bonzi...
 
Didn't an MRI when Peja was with the Kings already show that he had a bulging/herniated disc? It's not going to go away, only get worse.

Luckily Artests MRI came back negative and his is just a tweak.
 
VF21 said:
What are the local rumor-mills saying about the "personal reasons" that are keeping him away?
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There were never any personal reasons to begin with. From the start, everyone speculated that Bonzi was out of shape before training camp. Then he gets two root canals and a recurring groin issue and his readiness deteriorates even more.

Van Gundy doesn't even hide behind the personal reasons excuse anymore. In the last interview, he flat out said that he expects every player on the team to be ready and if they aren't, they don't play. The Rockets players just refuse to acknowledge Bonzi and just say that whoever is there is ready to play and if they aren't there, they don't play.

This isn't even a rumor anymore. It's a fact and everyone knows it. The rockets staff have implicitly admitted to Bonzi's health issues and Van Gundy then came out and just spelled it out. He's tried to be diplomatic about it but Bonzi is screwing us over when we need him the most. I mean we're getting mauled by the Suns because Yao is in foul trouble and there's no source of offense. It would be nice to have Bonzi there right now to post up their smaller guards and grab some boards but he's too busy mowing down a pile of cheeseburgers and partying in houston.
 
Wow. I feel sorry for you, but immensely grateful that Petrie must have suspected something to refuse to budge on some of the reported contract demands, INCLUDING a widely speculated clause in Bonzi's contract that would have been tied to his weight.
 
If he was throwing a party instead of attending the game, was he fined or was it a PR thing since he could not play anyway? What is his weight up to now?
 
VF21 said:
Wow. I feel sorry for you, but immensely grateful that Petrie must have suspected something to refuse to budge on some of the reported contract demands, INCLUDING a widely speculated clause in Bonzi's contract that would have been tied to his weight.
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I was just thinking the same thing....

And remember how "insulted" his agent was at all that? :rolleyes:
 
Warhawk said:
I was just thinking the same thing....

And remember how "insulted" his agent was at all that? :rolleyes:
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Man this is just too frustrating. This was all supposed to work out. We're paying him next to nothing and on top of that this is a contract year and he still goes AWOL on us. The same thing happened last year when we signed Derek Anderson, only he was a flake AND he flat out sucked.

I'm not a big Salmons guy but at least he shows up to games in shape. Bonzi is a clown that's ruining a good opportunity for himself.

Thanks a lot for the 5 minutes you've played this year Bonzi and the one layup you made that only occured because you're so fat you couldn't get enough lift to actually dunk the ball. (yes, true story)
 
You're obviously a bitter fan, but really now. Chill. You're what? 10-5? And without Bonzi? If he gets it together and joins you you could be scary. Even if he doesn't you've got the 4th or 5th best record in the league. Meanwhile you took an almost free gamble on a player that realistically you should never have had a shot at. Its all upside.
 
Bricklayer said:
You're obviously a bitter fan, but really now. Chill. You're what? 10-5? And without Bonzi? If he gets it together and joins you you could be scary. Even if he doesn't you've got the 4th or 5th best record in the league. Meanwhile you took an almost free gamble on a player that realistically you should never have had a shot at. Its all upside.
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No question, we're winning with a sub-par T-Mac, injured Kirk Snyder, and a couple of rookies in our rotation. Yao is seriously carrying this team by himself and its nice to see him shut up a bunch of people who dogged him from the start of his career.

But, it's just annoying to see stuff like this happen.
 
VF21 said:
Wow. I feel sorry for you, but immensely grateful that Petrie must have suspected something to refuse to budge on some of the reported contract demands, INCLUDING a widely speculated clause in Bonzi's contract that would have been tied to his weight.
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Once again it would seem that GP could smell the Milk in the refrigerator begining to turn. And while I still think he over paid for Salmons, you have to admit that so far he has brought in a lot more bang for the buck than most of us expected. :cool:
 
HndsmCelt said:
Once again it would seem that GP could smell the Milk in the refrigerator begining to turn. And while I still think he over paid for Salmons, you have to admit that so far he has brought in a lot more bang for the buck than most of us expected. :cool:
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I think Salmons gave exactly what I thought he would give, all around good effort, a nice solid performance. The surprise is that Kevin Martin, still playing on his rookie contract is averaging over 20 points a game. I bet he has the best points to salary ratio in the NBA.

I was disappointed to see Bonzi go, because of his rebounding. I wasn't a fan of his offensive game, (shouldn't guards be able to dribble the ball?) But the Kings have a positive rebound differential this season, so that hasn't been the issue I thought it would be.

There was also the great playoff performance Bonzi put in vs the Spurs, but as I'm not confident we'll reach the playoffs this year, that becomes less relevant.
 
Warhawk said:
I was just thinking the same thing....

And remember how "insulted" his agent was at all that? :rolleyes:
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Well, if we remember correctly, Bonzi's agent was a moron anyways thinking that Bonzi deserved Bibby-type money! I loved Bonzi when he was here, and I'm sad to see things turning out in Houston the way they are, but we as native Sacramentans know that most players' careers go down the crapper after leaving here! Many players don't realize how privileged they are to play for the Kings and be supported by the best fans in the league. They take it all for granted until they leave and realize life is a little tougher outside of the bubble of protectiveness that Sac provides to players!
 
Not that surprising about Peja/B-Jax with their history of injuries, and only older. Really sucky situation for the Hornets with all the injuries lately. Hornets need both of them to make the playoffs, maybe even just to be in the fight.
 
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