NEW ORLEANS (AP) -Bonzi Wells doesn’t eat seafood or pork, which pretty much rules out gumbo, jambalaya, crawfish and soft-shell crab – the dishes for which New Orleans is known.
He says he’ll settle for a good steak and otherwise focus on basketball, which shouldn’t be hard to do with the Hornets playing about as well as any team in the NBA.
“It’s a great situation,” Wells said Friday, when he and guard Mike James arrived from Houston. “I think myself and Mike will fit in well here.”
The Hornets acquired the pair in a three-team trade that sent popular reserve guard Bobby Jackson and rookie Adam Haluska to the Rockets shortly before Thursday’s NBA trading deadline.
While the Rockets were in New Orleans on Friday night, Jackson was back in Houston for a physical, which was needed to make the trade official.
That meant James’ and Wells’ first night as Hornets was limited to sitting at the end of the bench in street clothes, watching and learning their new team’s plays.
Both said they were initially surprised to learn they had been traded from a team that was on a nine-game winning streak before they left.
James said he will miss his wife and children, who live in Houston, but won’t miss sitting on the bench, which he felt he spent too much time doing with the Rockets.
“At first it was mixed emotions because change is always tough,” James said. “But other than that it’s about the game now. I’m still in the prime of my career. I’ve got a lot left in me … Not to be utilized, it definitely hurt a lot.
“I never was given (an explanation). Just one day playing, one day not. One of those: sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t,” James continued.
James played with Morris Peterson in Toronto, which is where James had the best season of his career, averaging 20.3 points in 2005-06. Peterson walked over to James’ locker and spoke with him for several minutes before Friday night’s game.
“That’s my little brother right there,” Peterson said, smiling at several reporters.
Wells has at times been a regular starter in his career, but also has a reputation for questionable behavior. He has been suspended several times for things such as cursing his coach in public or making an obscene gesture at fans.
“I’m not really that emotional. I’m just an aggressive type player,” Wells said. “You know how it is when sometimes things don’t go your way you seem to snap every now and then, but that was when I was younger and dumber. I’m older now and I’ve learned how to channel my energy in a different way.”
Hornets coach Byron Scott said he told Wells he starts with a clean slate in New Orleans.
“We’ve got a great locker room, a strong locker room, and we’ve got a strong coaching staff,” Scott said. “So I don’t worry about that stuff. As long as he comes in here, does his job and is very professional about it, we’ll have no problems.”
Wells said he has no preconceived notion about his role on the Hornets and is simply looking to fit in on a team that has been playing well.
“Whether it’s two minutes or 30 minutes, I don’t really care. I just want to be a good teammate and hopefully continue the winning ways around here.”
James echoed those sentiments. But unlike Wells, he was looking forward to some local fare.
“I could eat anything from crawfish to steak to a pork chop, so I’ll be good.”
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