This was supposed to be a meaningless day for Bonzi Wells.
But then, a lot of things did not go the way a lot of Rockets expected.
He needed to let the Rockets know by June 25 whether he would be back for the second year of his contract or return to free agency, but he never expected to even have a decision to consider.
Instead, he made an important career decision on Saturday, choosing to "opt in" for a second season with the Rockets.
Wells' season was the first of the Rockets' to turn south, and even when he started playing in mid-December, he never seemed to have gotten over the mistake he made when he passed on the Kings' contract offer and was left standing when the music stopped.
He never seemed to find more than a truce with Jeff Van Gundy, never found a more than a niche on a team with Tracy McGrady and Shane Battier at his positions and in need of Luther Head's 3-point shooting wherever possible.
Eventually, everyone's expectations went unfulfilled. So rather than return to free agency, where last summer's offers of riches seemed unlikely, Wells decided to return to Houston to try it again. And the Rockets, having never gotten the lift they expected from him, were happy to have him back.
It could work, but as with last season, it's not certain. McGrady has to play big minutes for the Rockets to work. Battier is still the Rockets' best defender and usually their only 3-point shooter in the frontcourt to bring at least his defender away from Yao Ming. Both must play, but Wells can mix well with either.
If McGrady plays 36 minutes, that leaves 30 each for Battier and Wells, not including any minutes Battier picks up at the four. But that math also does not include Head, and someone has to be able to shoot.
Maybe that's where Mike James comes in. Having a better perimeter shooting point guard might allow more minutes for a shooting guard that does not shoot with range.
Rick Adelman will have plenty of time to figure all that out. For now, just as when Wells signed in October, the Rockets roster seems better than it did before Wells' decision.
Beyond that, he would see to have plenty of reason to accomplish things he did not last season.
Wells never seemed committed to the Rockets last season. And it cost him as much as it did the Rockets. Missing nearly a week of the preseason to a root canal might have been our first clue. He had his frequent leaves for 'personal reasons.' He said in January that he still thought about the Kings every day, wishing things had gone differently.
He seemed to be in a contract year last season, but he was still looking back instead of forward.
But now, any regrets can be motivation. Now, he has something to prove. He can make last season an aberration, no more than a mix of bad timing and injuries.
Yet, even in such a disappointing season, Wells demonstrated again his feel for the game. Few players know their game, their strengths and weakness, as well. In shape and determined as he was not last season, he might make it work after all.
He might even be the player he and the Rockets expected all along.
Posted by Jonathan Feigen at June 23, 2007 11:15 PM
