Yes I agree its time to see what Troy can consistently bring to the team. He had a 27 point performance against the Phoenix Suns last season so you know he isn't going to be shy. Someone has to tell that to Mike D'Antoni though.
I don't know about you guys but I'm not sure WTF MDA is doing.... I also sometimes question DM's moves when it comes to FA's. To start, the guys on the roster are: Harden (Starter) CP3 (Starter) Ariza (Starter) Tucker (Bench) LMM (Bench) Anderson (Starter) Capela (Starter) Nene (Bench) Black (3rd Center) Gordon (Bench) Williams (11th guy) Qi (Rookie) Jackson (Not sure why he's on the team) Canaan (Not sure why we signed him) Brown (12th man) Onuwaku (G-League Lifer) This roster has 5 PG's if you count Harden. We just signed Canaan who became our 5th PG who has also not proven anything in this league who DM chose over Ellis (who I bet OKC signs because why not) and Barbosa (who's a proven player and champion). I also don't understand why TF it's so hard for MDA to implement something more than just the same old BS Harden read and react crap that got us bounced in the 2nd round of the PO. When everyone comes back healthy, and I really do hope they all do, I hope MDA can get his ****ing head out his ass and start to consider some more cutting to the basket than just the 3 point crap we throw up every night. Anderson can't ****ing shoot to save his life, Ariza is just garbage, and Harden will just be Harden; lazy passes, not running back on D, and letting his man beat him every time. Why is it so hard for MDA to do the following: 1st Quarter Harden (plays the whole 1st Q) CP (plays for 6min) Ariza (plays first 7min) Anderson (plays first 6min) Capela (plays the whole 1st) Gordon (comes in for CP at the 6min mark) LMM (comes in for Ariza at the 5min mark) Tucker (comes in for Anderson at the 6min mark)
14th season in the league. Lotta miles on those tires. His defense isn’t what it once was because his speed and athleticism have dropped off. His shot was/is always inconsistent and he never learned to dribble, create for himself or others and finish. To top it all off he’s being asked to do too much (again) and he’s been abysmal in return. I think some people have the perception that he’s the same guy from 2014. He’s not. Better hope CP3 can help him get going once he returns.
Too bad we waived Covington. If we would’ve kept and groomed him he’d be the perfect starter for us and allow for Ariza to come off the bench and we wouldn’t have that scrub Mbmuate.
i agree on covington, but mbah a moute is no scrub by any means and imo one of the best value contracts in the entire league
Mbah on Defense is what Covington would be on Offense, have not watched him since the Rox days but I assume his Defense got better?
You’re right. He’s no scrub. He’s a journeyman scrub that’s shooting 15% from 3 and averaging 2 TO’s a game. I don’t care how good his defense is or how many positions he can guard. He can’t shoot, score, rebound, create or make plays and his defense isn’t nearly good enough to warrant the 28 mpg he’s averaging. But that’s just like my own opinion man.
As blatant as it may sound, he wasn't supposed to score and shoot that much. Injuries forced our hands yet again. All he was supposed to do was fill in the minutes for Ariza and Co. As much as people like Tucker here, he will only do so much on Offense consistently. Like Luc. We surely shored up our D but our Offense just isn't as good as the best stretches of last Season!
also averaging 72% on 2's and 48% on FGs overall. only taken 13 threes so far....small sample size especially when you consider he shot 39% just last season. for the vet minimum he's absolutely a steal and for a vet 99er, your post is well below par.
Nah I think you're sleeping on Luc. He can handle the rock better than Ariza and seems to also have a higher basketball IQ. His defense is above average too. He's been one of the best value signings of the offseason so far.
https://www.thedreamshake.com/2017/10/27/16553450/trevor-ariza-injury-houston-rockets "....After a scorching hot preseason in which he was 17-30 from beyond the arc, Ariza came out equally as cold to start the regular season. In the four games before injury, Trev was averaging just 5 points per game on 22 percent shooting from the field, and he was a rock-bottom 3-19 from three. His offensive plus-minus sits at -3.8. Perhaps the only comparable stretch I can recall from Ariza was the 2016 playoff defeat to the Golden State Warriors, in which Trev quite literally shot the Rockets out of the series, shooting 25 percent from the field and going just 4 for 28 from deep."
This happens every year. When Trevor isn't playing to some fans' expectations, there are calls to trade him and questions about his ability to produce. Then, when Trev starts knocking down 18 points one night and 24 the next, all of this goes away. It's weird though--This backlash doesn't happen as much to other Rockets who go through similar fluctuations. Actually, if we're honest, every damn player goes through stretches that aren't the best. That's part of the game. I guess it's also easy to forget that Trevor is injured. I wonder if that has any influence on his stats/mobility/defense/offense. Hmmm... It must be very easy to forget that he's assigned to guard the opposing team's best scorer on most nights AND knock down threes and shots in transition. It must be easiest to forget the amount of minutes Trevor plays each game and each season, clearly one of the most durable Rockets that we've had in a long, long time. God forbid if he goes through an alleged rough patch. Unless guys like Harden, CP3, EGO and Ne don't want to play with Trev, and unless MDA has a personality conflict with him, Ariza will be suiting up for the Rockets. He's part of the reason CP3 is here and one of the mainstays in the locker room. Outside of the start of the season, any player and coach will tell you that Trev is one of those dependable vets that produces on both ends of the court. You don't find that as much anymore. For what he does at his salary, you're not going to find a better deal. You're also not going to find a guy who meshes as well with James both on the court and off of it. And, when he's healthy again and starts nailing those buckets in the clutch, this will all disappear for awhile, until fans need a scapegoat who is not named Ryan Anderson.
Meh, I don't think I'm looking to change anyone's mind, and I certainly don't believe I'd ever be successful in doing so. I think I just take exception to "player bashing," when it is not warranted. If we were discussing a guy who never helped us win big games or play at a high level, season after season, then the bashing, in my mind, would be understandable. But, this is a guy who wanted to come back to Houston after we tried to make him a TMac-type, and while it wasn't his game, he was a professional the entire time. And, since he'e been here, I think the stats and player/coach observations/opinions suggest that he is part of the reason the Rockets have done so well. I value his consistency, dependability and determination to play hard, regardless of the score and his personal stats. He's missed his share of shots, but this isn't even close to Eddie House jacking up shots, missing, and not playing defense.
Ariza is going to be incredible this season. Look at his stats the past 5 seasons when we have 2+ days rest, he's close to an All Star. This guy loves playing basketball till he can't play anymore, and coaches love that about him, but it hurts his game more than it hurts the average NBA player. And it's been getting worse as he gets older but has kept those minutes up. It's going to be great seeing his minutes dip at least during the regular season so he can stay fresher and more focused. I think he's going to have an excellent season when it's all said and done. Tucker and Moute are going to give us excellent minutes at SF/PF as they get adjusted to the system, and Paul's presence will obviously give all the role players extra breathing space. But Paul needs to get integrated too. This team is in a bit of a mess right now defensively, offensively, chemistry wise, shooting wise, passing. Nothing is popping. The only thing we're doing insanely well is attacking the basket and getting points inside. And we're still 4-1. Take a chill pill, this is going to be an incredible season.
he might still be hurt, so i'm not gonna harp too much on his horrible game on both ends of the floor tonight. however, that fastbreak drive where he dribbled the ball off his foot -- it happens just like that even when he's healthy.
I've supported Ariza since he came back in '14. But man, he has been straight garbage lately and I wouldn't be sad if he was traded.
No team in this league in their right mind would let a player of Ariza's caliber jack up that many threes night in and night out. Something's really wrong with this team.
