FanHouse BonziWells

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* "With 10 seconds left in the half, Portland took a 20-second timeout. A Blazers substitution brought Jerryd Bayless into the game. Greg Oden was supposed to leave the game, but he didn't." -- InsideHoops

* "I once heard it said that experience is not what happens to a man, experience is what a man does with what happens to him. That's real science, so I'll drop that one again. Experience is not what happens to a man, experience is what a man does with what happens to him." -- Stephon Marbury blogging at the New York Post

* "You see where that [expletive] jumped from?" Mark Blount said. Chris Quinn walked to the media center at the front of the room and hit the rewind button to watch the play again. "That is an ath-lete," Joel Anthony said. "That's a tight end in the NFL," Blount said. -- ESPN's Daily Dime

* "This two-pound fruitcake is an opportunity for Yao, Hawk and friends - Ben Roethlisberger, Jimmie Johnson, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden - to give back during the festive season and also in this time of economic distress." -- Ball Don't Lie

* "I'm sure many of you have heard by now that Bonzi Wells has taken his talents to China this year for the princely sum of 80,000 dollars. This is a guy that turned down a 36 million dollar contract 3 years ago." -- At the Hive

* J.R. Rider's "Play of the Decade" versus Kobe's Olympic alley-oop; 12 Lessons learned in 2008; and hoops and tacos.

NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.

* "Former NBA bad boy Bonzi Wells scored 52 points and hauled in 14 rebounds as he continued his spectacular start in Chinese basketball's top league, leading Shanxi Zhongyu to an overtime victory." - AFP, via You Been Blinded.

* "[Channing Frye's] primary World of Warcraft character is Dookiedrawls, a level 76 gnome frost mage -- though he maintains he's not as serious about the game as Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko, who has a 'really nice level 80 paladin.'" -- Williamette Week, via TH.

* Bob Cousy: "This [parade] thing, as I said I had no idea what to expect, I have never seen anything like it. There had to have been a million-and-a-quarter people on a Thursday morning throughout that whole route! There were green people everywhere! They were hanging from the trees and the poles." -- Hoops Addict.

* "Once an energetic spark off New Jersey's bench, [Sean] Williams may need MapQuest to find his way back into head coach Lawrence Frank's good graces." -- Hoopsworld.

* Chris Paul's little things, a new Carnival of the NBA, and Mark Cuban's insane idea to take over sports pages everywhere.

Without question, the biggest NBA free agent debacle of this decade was Bonzi Wells' decision to reject a $37 million, five-year offer from Sacramento two summers ago. The Kings moved on, signing John Salmons to a cheaper contract. Wells moved on ... eventually. He took a two-year, $4.5 million deal with Houston. He played rarely, and was mercifully traded to New Orleans this February. He is currently chillin' on the vine, waiting for some nominal contract.

During that uncomfortable three-month interlude in 2006, Bonzi canned his agent, William Phillips. Phillips apparently no longer has any NBA clients. (Go figure.) But ... he is still in the representation business. And he's still turning everything he touches to gold, as the Sacramento Bee's Sam Amick points out:

[H]e has lost yet another high-profile client. This time, however, it wasn't his own doing. Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who has used Phillips as his representation for quite a few years, resigned today amid a cloud of controversy that just wouldn't go away.

Not a good batting average there, Mr. Phillips.

The last time we (as a population) saw Bonzi Wells, it was 2006. The Kings snuck into the playoffs on the backs of Ron Artest, Bonzi and upstart 23-year-old Kevin Martin. As the #8 seed, they took a trip to the home of the reigning NBA champs, San Antonio. No one gave Sacramento a chance -- hell, Sacramento really had no chance.

But then something happened. Bonzi happened. In Game 2, with the Kings down 1-0, Wells went ballistic, earning himself 28 points and 12 rebounds (from the two-guard spot) as the Kings lost a heartbreaker on a lucky Brent Barry bounce. In Game 3 in Sactown, Bonzi went for 19 and 14 ... including 10 offensive rebounds, just annoying Duncan and Nesterovic to no end. Kings win (on the most magical shot you ever did see). In Game 4, he offers 25 and 17! Kings win. In Game 5 -- the real crux of the series, the game in which San Antonio can either retake control or the Kings can topple the despot -- Bonzi again goes ballistic, dropping 38 points with 12 rebounds. But the Spurs win, the delusions disappear, and Bonzi puts up a mild 17/11 in the deciding Game 6 blowout. That would be an average of 23 points and 12 rebounds, by a two-guard, against the Spurs, over six games.

Bonzi then turns down a $38 million contract in order to take a $4 million flyer from Houston, sends Jeff Van Gundy a 'Dear John' text message from a Seattle hotel room, and sets himself on fire.

The Phoenix is back, though! Bonzi's no longer a 40-minute type fellow; he received a ration of 18 minutes from Byron Scott last night (against the Spurs). He made the most of them, scoring 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and pulling in more rebounds (4) than Tim Duncan took in (3) over 37 minutes. Is it something about the Spurs? Is it something about the playoffs? Is it something about Peja-on-a-Stick? I don't know, and I don't care. Bonzi's back, baby, and I couldn't be happier.

Considering the enormous shadow that his 6-0 point guard casts, David West may be the best unsung player in the league, despite being an All-Star this season. West may have done as much as Paul to get a very inexperienced Hornets team to the 2nd best record in their conference. He averaged close to 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, while establishing himself as one of the best power forwards in the game. At only 6-9, his offensive versatility has been key for the Hornets as he's managed to use his wide range of skills to torch teams with jumpers, drives, and post-up moves. Before the team started beating up on the Mavericks, I had a chance to talk to David.

FH: The pick and pop has been incredibly successful for the Hornets, especially with using you as the primary weapon. Is that set something you've always been familiar with, or is it something you've developed ?
DW: Well, no, it's something that's part of the NBA game, that I had to learn when I came in. It's really popular at this level. To a lot of people, it's the most valuable play in basketball. It's something you have to be effective at if you want to be successful.

Playoffs are here. You've read the zillion previews going over the main stuff about this game, including our most recent masterpiece on the game. But what about the little things (that kill) so to speak? Here are five things to focus on during Mavericks vs. Hornets.

1. Spring The Trap: The Mavericks happened upon something I hadn't seen a team do against the Hornets this season. They immediately trapped Paul on the perimeter with the strong side. If Chris Paul has any weakness, it's his size. By forcing his passing lanes away from West and Chandler, the Mavs made an inconsistent (this year) Peja Stojakovic and Mo Peterson the primary scorers. Needless to say, that did not end well for the Hornets. The only cost is bringing either Dirk Nowitzki or Bass off of West to trap, which can burn you. If Avery Johnson is able to effectively pull the perimeter defenders to trap Paul, they can limit CP3's effectiveness.

2. The Assassin Versus Dirkalicous: David West's versatility is a key factor in the Hornets' offense. They need him to be able to produce. Dirk has been tremendous since coming back from the injury. The Mavs need him to be the Man he's been. This could very well be the best player on player matchup in the playoffs. West's post game has improved as the season has progressed, but Dirk's touch is amazing combined with his size. This should be a clinic on both sides.

Boston swept through Texas with wins over the Rockets, Spurs and Mavericks earlier this week. The resultant visit to New Orleans, though? Nope. The Hornets came back from eight down in the fourth to beat Boston 113-106. John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune discusses the fourth quarter prowess of the NBA's least likely championship contenders.

The Hornets had been playing sensational in fourth quarters. In Wednesday's 90-69 victory against the Houston Rockets, the Hornets allowed only 10 points in the fourth quarter. In Monday's 108-97 victory against the Chicago Bulls, they allowed 13.

"I don't know what has gotten into us in the fourth quarter in three of the past four games, but guys just buckle down and have done a hell of a job of just making sure that we challenge every shot," Hornets coach Byron Scott said.

David West went for 37 points, and later left a funny voicemail for Rafer Alston. 37 points on 25 shots, against the best defense in the world with a likely Defensive Player of the Year (Kevin Garnett) on the front line. (And look at Bonzi Wells, who almost pulled off the cat burglar double-double with 12 points and 8 steals.)

New Orleans, man. They weren't even in the playoffs last season, and now it looks like they'll at least win the Midwest Division (over the Spurs, Rockets, and Mavericks) and finish with the #2 seed.

This has already been one of the most active trade deadlines in recent memory, and the Hornets, despite sitting pretty as the current No. 1 seed, didn't want to miss out on any fun. They didn't shake up their roster by adding a Jason Kidd or a Shaquille O'Neal or a Pau Gasol, but they are on the verge of making a smaller move that will nonetheless improve the team, sending Bobby Jackson to the Rockets for Bonzi Wells and Mike James.

Check out Jonathan Feigen's article in the Houston Chronicle for the fine print -- the Rockets are also getting rookie guard Adam Haluska, as well as the right to swap second-round picks -- but the real gist of it is that the Hornets will be adding some much needed depth while the Rockets are gaining a bit more salary flexibility. This deal is all but official -- it's just waiting the league office to open and grant it's stamp of approval.

This isn't just a straight salary dump for the Rockets -- Jackson does have some game left, and it helps that he's familiar with coach Rick Adelman from their time together back in Sacramento's heyday. But from where I sit, the Hornets are getting the better end of the deal. Both James and Wells are underrated reserves capable of making an instant impact on both ends of the court, especially with a needed change of scenery. Plus, they both have playoff experience, which will be important not only in the actual postseason but also in the stretch run as the Hornets try to hold off the five other teams within three games of their top seed.

B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.

Cup of Coffee
Or perhaps you prefer "nighthorse"? Either way, Kevin Durant leaving in the third quarter because of an ankle sprain is bad. Kevin Durant not returning to the game because of an ankle sprain is worse. Worstest of alls? That's he has dealt with this injury most of the season and will deal with the rest of the way home. Yes, the Sonics are phoning in their season, but Durant looked primed for a monster 2008, coming out hot with 23.5 points per game after a mildly disappointing December. I don't want to tell you to trade the next big thing, but if you can convince someone to give you full value on a guy who does not seem intent (as we originally thought) on raising his field goal percentage and who is dealing with an ankle injury, well ... go for it. Just don't do anything all crazy like.

Hot Cakes
Don't look now but one of my favorite players and erstwhile mancrushes, Charlie Bell, has ripped off two straight 20 point games. Michael Redd, not coincidentally, missed his third straight game with a bruised thigh. Redd could miss a few more, so Bell is a superb play for the near future in daily leagues. If Mo Williams or Redd miss any significant time, snatch Bell up immediately.

The Rockets were on the losing end of a Golden State comeback on New Year's Eve, and after leading by as many as 11 in the second half, the players felt it was a pretty bad loss. So bad in fact, that Houston's Bonzi Wells was purely disgusted afterwards, and could only find one word to (repeatedly) describe the effort: trash.

I'm only guessing here, but based on Bonzi's mood in this interview, I think he and the rest of the Rockets probably didn't have nearly the New Year's party that say, some members of the Denver Nuggets might have had.

[via Jen's Free Throws]