Pops Mensah-Bonsu Is Not Yao Ming
When word broke that Pops Mensah-Bonsu signed a one-year deal with the Rockets this morning, my brother (who’s a senior at George Washington this year) was the first one to tell me how this is finally the chance that Pops needs. But despite bleeding school colors, signing a 6-9, 240-pound forward who has played a total of 34 games in his NBA career is not going to replace Yao Ming.
“It feels good to be a Rocket,” Mensah-Bonsu said in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. “I followed them closely last year and I feel like I know what I can do to help them.”
What he’ll have to do is become a beast. Much like the transformation of DeSagana Diop once he got to Dallas, Pops’s contribution might not show up in the stat sheet, but his presence should be felt on the court. Late last season when he arrived with the Raptors, Pops showed signs as he averaged 5.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 13.8 minutes a game. With a frontcourt being held down by Luis Scola, Carl Landry and David Andersen, the Rockets will take all the help they can get.
What do you think?
August 21st, 2009 at 11:23 am
Simon says:
I was about to comment on how 5 and 5 is solid especially for some depth. I was going to say he could be a double double with the right amount of minutes. Then I saw that he shot 35% from the field last year…
August 21st, 2009 at 11:29 am
POPPI GEE says:
Ok dude may turn out to be something special…but for now….Boooooooooo, BOOOOOOOO, BOOOOOOOOOO! Boo!
If anything we need another 7′ft dude at the center. Having David is just not enough. What if (GOD please, PLEASE forbid) David gets hurt then you got nothing but 6,9 and 6,10 dudes getting beasted on.
Granted the Rocket fowards all display heart but still, another center is what we needed.
This is going to be a season of hoping for the Rockets. Hoping McGrady comes back to at least lay down 20 per. Hoping Yao can heal and play quicker than expected. Hoping Jermaine can be a big contributor point wise and hoping Brooks continues to mature and roast other pg’s.
With all this Hoping I hope the Rockets don’t end up in the lottery. Still I am hoping with them.
Houston Up!
August 21st, 2009 at 11:35 am
Kevin says:
The guy bleeds heart, athleticism, and toughness, but he lacks the skill and ball IQ to be truly effective outside of spot minutes. That might come in time, the guy has only played in 34 games so I think it’s a smart, low risk call by the rockets.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:35 am
Scott says:
Rockets fans may not be thrilled right now, but once they see this dude on the court they will be.
As a Raps fan, I personally would’ve taken Pops over any of the backups aquired this offseason. Pops is thoroughly aggressive, tries to dunk on anyone and everyone, and goes hard for every minute that he’s out there. He’s the type of guy who if given the chance could really make an impact. He just needs a full season to get the confidence of his coach/teammates/franchise. Hopefully this is the season that helps him towards a long NBA career.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:39 am
Dagomar says:
Strictly energy player, extremely raw, but he might be able to develop into a decent NBA player. I would have liked to see him in Toronto but there’s a reason he was a bench warmer and not widely pursued.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:39 am
Dagomar says:
That said, EVERYONE in TO loves this guy.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:54 am
willsmithismydad says:
when he was a spur for, what, two weeks?, it was fun to watch him throw down alley oops with malik hairston in garbage time
August 21st, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Marv44 says:
Pops became a fan favourite beyong the lengths of The Bird Man in Denver, in ONE game with the raps. He had a bigger following than JYD ever had in TO and for good reason. If given some solid PT, he will develop into a force. I’ve been emailing anyone i could associated with the Raps all summer to find out what the deal was and why they hadn’t signed him. Unfortunately we had to pick up a forward just to shed a turnover prone, defensively inept, ludicrous contract in Kapono. I was very close to starting a rally outside the ACC to convince management to sign Pops but now seeing that he’ll be going to my team in the West, I’m good. Rocket fans will not be disappointed, but granted, a centre is needed. How about a 1 for 1 trade,Patrick O’Bryant for Pops?
August 21st, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Young Lebron 23 says:
the rockets REALLY suck now
August 21st, 2009 at 12:08 pm
SEANY_T says:
He’s well worth the money they will be paying him. He’ll do whatever asked of him and won’t complain. I don’t think the Rockets managment is in the business of signing junk players, they know what they are doing. Pops will be a fan favourite there and surprise all his doubters.
August 21st, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Vijay says:
well…the pops reign in t.o. is finally over I guess. (Although I def wont miss him getting three rebounds in close on one possession and either getting blocked/stripped, or just throwing up a wild shot) lol. Will miss his energy tho. Wish we could have signed him…even for a 15th nech player and at 1mill a yr, he would be worth it…forget his low iq..and think about the hustle heart and passion. plus if he played the whole game he could average at LEASt 30 rebs! Take that dwight howard. lol.
August 21st, 2009 at 12:22 pm
dapro says:
I saw Pops a few times and he was a game changer when the Raps played the Bulls earlier in the season
You have to keep a body on him at all times; he tries to dunk everything he touches
I think it’s a band-aid signing but the Rockets have to go center by committee
August 21st, 2009 at 12:27 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
Loved this guy in college…
August 21st, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Brown says:
They also have Chuck Hayes and Joey Dorse, who are essentially the same player as Landry (undesized forward). The issue isn’t depth, it’s height.
August 21st, 2009 at 12:56 pm
SWAT says:
we gotta have faith GEE…true facts are facts and of course it would hv been great to have another 7 footer but dude looks like a diamond in the rough. remember when we first took carl landry…didnt look like much and single handely won us a game in the playoffs against utah, killed the LA frontcourt last year, and just really has come along as a solid bench contributor. honestly, im not sure wht im expecting from our boys this year but with mgmt makin moves and signing cats i gotta say im excited.
August 21st, 2009 at 1:04 pm
POPPI GEE says:
@ Brown I totally agree.
@SWAT I am excited don’t get me wrong. I am really looking for the squad to prove many haters wrong. I wasn’t really “Boooing” the dude in as much as the move by the Rockets. I mean between trades, free agents, D-League, and overseas I was hoping for at least 1 more 7 footer. Granted there is tons of time left, I was still looking for it to happen sooner than later. I get what you saying though SWAT and this dude may turn out to be essential, and I hope so. He sounds like a fan fav. and with him and James White killin dudes in blow-out wins or losses, it should be interesting if nothing else.
I just want us, as most of the real contenders, to be solid in the middle.
Still sending out the warning the though, that the storm is most def. coming and you better hope your team has an umbrella.
August 21st, 2009 at 1:09 pm
toasterhands says:
Guy was a beast in college. I always knew he’d eventually end up in the league for good, especially after having a nice stint with the Raps.
Give the Rockets a nice rebounder, now all they need to do is Sign Iverson…
August 21st, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Crazyflowz says:
Energy guy, gonna play hard, tough, physical and all out. No real offensive skills other than try to dunk it hard. Is what he is, doesnt hurt, doesnt help really.
August 21st, 2009 at 1:56 pm
SWAT says:
lol! thts wht im talkin bout GEE! ur right tho…somewhere thr has to be a 7 footer waiting to be signed. i guess we are gonna try a version of small ball, seeing how only 1 dude is over 6′10. but like i said, and maybe its cuz football season is creeping up, but im excited about houston sports right now.
August 21st, 2009 at 2:02 pm
jzsmoove says:
Colangelo needed this guy to backup Bosh, what happened? Pops is definitely a fan favorite and his hustle is tremendous. The Raps could certainly use him whenever they have the White Snipes (Bargnani, Belinelli, Carroll)on the court for rebounding purposes. Unless ofcourse BC expects the Raps not to miss much.
August 21st, 2009 at 2:11 pm
IrishBaller says:
ben wallace 2.0?
August 21st, 2009 at 2:27 pm
isotope says:
it the Rox keep him, it probably means one of our PFs are out the door. Landry, Scola, Hayes, Cook. Adelman loves Hayes and Scola aint going nowhere so it looks like Landry is out. Maybe Landry, Barry, and one more player for a true SG.
August 21st, 2009 at 2:33 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ IrishBaller
Ben Wallace 2.0 is perfect
plays the same way as Ben in Washington. Tries to block everything, tries to dunk everything. Non stop motor. For a team needin toughness, Raps shoulda found a way to lock him down…
August 21st, 2009 at 3:29 pm
doc says:
Got the heart,now he gotta get the skills to match.
August 21st, 2009 at 3:36 pm
TomGfromCanada says:
he didnt play much but when he did, he played hard. you will be missed in T.O
August 21st, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Back In Black says:
Stupid move by the raps not to re-sign, he is the shit and is going to kick ass in Houston.
August 21st, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Marv44 says:
Houston fans, treat our boy right, Pops in the man
It may not have been in the NBA but in spain he averaged 26.6 points, 13 boards and 2.5 blocks per game, shooting over 60%. 15.8, 10.4 and 1.3 blocks in 30 minutes a game in the D-Leage, dude can play when given a chance. Expect at least 3 highlight dunks a game
August 21st, 2009 at 7:05 pm
M Intellect says:
London representing!
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:47 am
Sweet English says:
Yeah baby go team GB
August 23rd, 2009 at 2:29 am
Kingsley says:
Man,
Wonder why we were hoping that Rockets will at least survive the lottery next year? With Yao out for the season, this reminds me a lot of the version of Spurs 98-99…
We were not going to win anyway, might as well hope that we will do a Spurs in next year’s draft and get a Duncan 2.0 to support Yao… John Wall will be a start.
August 23rd, 2009 at 1:51 pm
baron von faulk says:
The Spurs let him go last season to sign Drew Gooden’s bitch-ass. In the 10-days he was there he became an immediate fan favorite, with several highlight reel dunks in his first game.
Boundless energy on the court, with world-class hops and athleticism. Just what the Spurs have needed for several years. Now they went for a replacement in Marcus Haislip, and I swear if Pops has more impact in Houston than Haislip does for SA, I am gonna throw fits.
Chalk up yet another guy that the Spurs let walk (eventually) to the Rockets…Scola, Flight White, now Pops. GEE, y’all are gonna love him.