Trevor Ariza missed 15 games last season. Rockets went 14-1.

actually they weren't in the finals bc they were also missing someone like cp3. people can spin whatever scapegoat reasons they want as a reason they didnt win game 6 or 7. those don't actually define what put GS 1 loss away from going home.

and theres plenty of problems and concerns that come melo

 

yeah when GS puts up 120 pts each game next year, dont be one of the ones b****ing and whining about how mediocre houston's defense is and how they should of maintained that level a year ago

 

It means exactly what it says. Ariza is not the same defender he was. He consistently struggles staying in front of smaller and quicker guards, which is a huge chunk of the league's best players. He still has the bball, IQ and mentality, but he's just physically too slow. That's why 15 Million is ridiculous.

 

compared to who's his replacement again? oh yeah were still waiting...

for all the underwhelming ariza folks sure hope that person is comparable at least

I could easily knock PJ tucker down with your exact same logic

 

Oh, and the guy you are all losing your **** about, he was a team worst -15 in Game 7 going 0-12 from the line.

Look, I'm not happy Ariza is gone. I'd rather have been able to keep him AND get Melo. But this team would run into some serious offensive lulls. Like in game 7, all too often this team couldn't buy a bucket if Harden was a little off from downtown.

Melo is a vastly better offensive player than Melo. Maybe there is as big of a gap in Ariza's favor on defense but with Tucker, CP3, Capela, and now Ennis, I think we will be ok on defense.

Lastly, maybe the slightly lightened load on offense will cause Harden to take even ANOTHER step forward on defense.

 

You really are quite dramatic.

 

compared to you being delusional and misguided. ok

 

Man no matter what thread, it seems every thread I go to, I see the same people arguing the same thing. Damn we get it, you don't like Melo....

 

OP's thread isn't so much an indictment of Ariza as it is a testament to Coach Biglydick's system.

Luc jumped from above-average defender to "key to our defense" in just a few months. Same could be said for PJ.

Trevor has always been an above-average defender and worked well within Coach BD's system, but I trust Maori to bring in someone with the right tools to step in and get the job done.

 

might want to read a thread before posting

 

I thought Luc was a better Perimeter defender, but he didn't stay

Ariza definitely left a hole in the defense, how large remains to be seen. Maybe Ennis and Melton can do better jobs against quicker guards, maybe Melo will give us an upgrade on offense compared to Ariza.

I personally think Ariza's effectiveness on defense is generally overblown, kinda like Beverley. Also you act like what I'm saying is news, CF in general have been discussing trading Ariza because of his diminishing abilities for 2 seasons. I think many thought Luc should start over him.

I mean I love Ariza, he's probably one of my favorites, but reality is reality, he's getting old. Maybe we shouldn't be paying him that much money. and give some young guys a shot.

 

PB certainly left a hole if there was no replacement. not really overblown at all. the difference was cp3 who is better on all accounts and PJ became the pitbull of the team. theres nothing to miss there

either way with no replacement, its hard to get over where the rockets are at right now. and with very limited options we're forced to lean on more hope rather than proven reliability and production

 

I think Ariza contributed a lot to the team in the years spent here, but also feel he was starting to decline and get in to that Shane Battier level of excuses. "He doesn't provide much offense and his defense is slowing down, but he is a great leader and delivers all does darn intangibles you can't measure with stats". Hope I'm right and having Melo + Tucker + Ennis for the SF spot can give better offensive options and maintain a good overall defensive consistency.

 

I’m sorry but Ariza is overrated, he has an inconsistent shot, he cannot dribble or drive.

Yes you can’t take away his defensive effort and peskyness but he was slowly declining as a player

 

There is Luv pre-shoulder injuries and post.
We don't know which Luv we would be getting or how durable he would be for the upcoming season.

 

When did he say this?

 

This is a false statement. People need to go and actually look at history.

 

Recently.

 

If he worked out his skinny little arms. I'm sure he could play at a higher level longer. Dude didn't work out plain and simple.