I doubt he'll play enough to merit it. Besides he'll be stepping into a nice cozy limited role, as opposed to the awkward role the Rockets tried to fit Ariza.
I think the fact that Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks actually played together that year was more the cause of getting to the second round than Artest. Ron was hardly stellar in the 2009 playoffs.
The way I see it Morey grabbed Ariza hoping that he could become something more than a spot up shooting, sometimes-good-defender but deep down knew that was a gamble. Luckily, Morey knew that many NBA GM's are not any smarter than some fans here and should Ariza be the bust that he was it wouldn't be that hard to ship him out because people still remember that he got a ring and that he got hot from three point land during the 2009 playoffs. Good to see Morey get rid of a guy that I said didn't belong here from the minute he became a Rocket.
This is what you don't understand, the reason we didn't like Ariza was because he refused to acknowledge his weaknesses and embrace his strengths. He also gave piss poor effort on many nights. Chuck Hayes has no jump shot but I don't have a problem with that because Chuck Hayes knows better than to take jump shots. Aaron Brooks can't post up bigger guards and that's ok because he doesn't try to post up bigger guards. Trevor Ariza can't dribble but he never stopped trying to dribble drive into the lane. Trevor Ariza can't hit anything but spot up shots but he continued to try to make pull up, off-balance jumpers. See the difference? Lee gives a good, honest effort every single night. Lee also does what he does well and doesn't try to do what he does not do well. That's all I ever asked from Trevor Ariza but he was too selfish and/or stupid to be that type of player. Now he is gone because of that.
Did you stick around for the games after the All-Star break? You would have noticed he did change his game and put up far more impressive and all-around numbers than Courtney Love ever will. Playing with Yao would have further solidified this role. Also, the Rockets brass holds some responsibility in him trying to do too much early in the season. They corrected it before the season was over.
it's like Morey trades away all the players we've grown to hate: T-Mac, Rafer, Artest, and now Ariza THANK YOU MOREY
What about his March-April numbers did you like best? His scorching 41.6% FG or his Steve Nash-esque 62.3% FT? Oh wait, he did shoot 38.7% from three point land which isn't even as good as Courtney Lee shot the three for his entire rookie season. The post All-Star, post Martin trade numbers have been exaggerated over and over on this forum. He was horrible before the trade and just plain old not that good after the trade. No doubt. If we surrounded Trevor with a team loaded with talent he would, by the fact of not ever touching the ball, be a better player for this team. I love Ariza fan boys. You keep telling us how awesome he would be if he just had more talent around him. Do you see how stupid that argument is? Do I have to explain it? I will if you want.
Of which he scored 8 points per game. Of course you're going to score more efficiently when you're only a passive shooter taking wide open shots. How did his field goal percentage change when his team needed him to pick up some of the scoring load and be more aggressive? As for three throws, Lee draws one shooting foul per game in 33 minutes of play. His better FT% does not amount to very much. Meanwhile Ariza is a better passer, better rebounder, has more length, gets more steals, gets more blocks. You're ignoring all that cause Courtney Lee shot 2% better 3 pointers two years ago. LOL. Your explanation will be poor, so don't bother. It's simple. When Trevor settled into a supportive role (i.e., a role player), which is what he is, he started playing better. At the beginning of the season he failed much like Courtney Lee did with the Nets. They're both role players who were asked to do too much. The difference is Ariza can fill more roles than Lee, while also possessing some natural gifts (height, length, athleticism) that Lee lacks.
We've also traded away Landry, one of my favorite Rockets. I have a feeling that Morey would trade his sister to Minn if it meant improving our roster.
You're confusing the hell out of me now. First, Ariza put up numbers Courtney Lee will never duplicate and now you're telling me it was only 8ppg on below 42% shooting and 62% FT. Awesome. Yes, Courtney Lee will never rebound like Trevor. Neither Will Aaron Brooks so I guess Ariza is better than him too. Don't even get me started on the steals. I really watched the games and saw for every steal the bum got he gave up three layups. Look, the proof is in the pudding and Trevor's pudding is now being delivered to N.O. because Morey realized he had made a mistake by bring the guy to Houston. Kick back and relax and you'll see that Lee is actually a better, more sound defender. So when Trevor was asked to do less he was a better player? I agree that's why I said from day one he was an overpaid 5th option who thought he was a first option. Morey must have agreed to because he shipped his ass out and will get the same production (except more efficiently) for 1/5 of the cost. Natural gifts don't mean jack if you can't put the ball in the hole or concentrate for an entire game. Or should we trade Scola and bring back Stromile Swift?
Ariza isn't T-mac, and it wasn't fair to put him into that role. Ariza by the way did live up to expectations once we acquired K-mart. Ariza is a role player, not a star. And I don't think he is worse that Lee - if anything, I would prefer Ariza over Lee along side K-mart.
I'm happy to see Ariza go, but I don't remember him giving a poor effort. I remember him getting frustrated and acting rather immature, but I thought he hustled. I don't think Ariza was going to be happy being the fifth option on offense, so it was best for everyone that he got traded. I don't think he was going to be worth 6-7 million per year.
