This. Parsons created shots like an old man at the Y. He was a good finisher at the rim though. But He's not a creator in the sense of you give him the ball and run an offense through him. Or give him the ball and he's going to create something on a consistent basis. Parsons creating was low level creation. Like a kid playing with popsicle sticks and glue and saying they're an architect.
Also, fans need to stop confusing being a strong finisher with creating shots. Off-Topic: This Parsons fanboy leaving me reps is hilarious. Such a r****d.
I'm gonna withhold judgment about Ariza for at least a couple more games. I'm still recovering from Ariza's last stint with Houston where his playmaking just looked terrible. I don't believe Ariza can initiate the offense or run a basic PnR like Parsons could (even if Parson was not elite at it). I'm very afraid that when Harden has to sit or gets slowed by a great defender, we won't have ANYBODY to create on the perimeter. You're right that the majority of Parsons's points came off of other people, and he's not a star for that very reason. However, his ability to play off of other people was semi-elite, and his ability to step up against mismatches or initiate the offense for short periods of time gave us a bigger boost than many would admit. We will need that and I just don't see another perimeter player stepping up in the same way. Turk was really really good in that role, and Chandler was not on that level. Still, I feel that Chandler was good enough that it gave us another dimension to attack the other team without relying solely on Harden's playmaking. Ariza hasn't shown me enough to suggest he could fill in as that secondary playmaker to support Harden. Did he? Maybe I'm just forgetful, but I never felt that Parsons as a statpadder... I just remember Parsons was great on the wings for outlet passes from Lin and Harden.
If Ariza shoots 41% 3 and gets the team to play significantly better defense he is much better than Parsons.
I am pretty sure Ariza knows how to run a PnR, though a PnR heavily depends on both the player setting the pick and the ball handler. We will see though. The main difference between Ariza now and then is that he was initially brought in to be a star and he tried to be one. Now he is a 3rd option at best and has learned how to play within his role, something Parsons frequently forgot in favor of trying to do too much. We will see once the season starts though. Can't wait for that!
Yeah, while I'm sure most players knows how to run a PnR, only a few can do it at a level where you're comfortable running that play for them. Parsons was at that level. With Ariza's ballhandling/vision being much shakier than Parsons's, I'm not confident he can be relied on to maneuver around screens and make the right calls without TOs. But we'll see - my views on Ariza are admittedly biased since I only know of his last stint here and you're right on point with him being in a new role this time around. Despite the uncertainty, I'm excited. I know I was super bummed when Lin and Parsons left because they were such big parts of our perimeter attack, but there's no reason why we can't shuffle the scheme and still come out ahead. We've still got a lot of talent. Cheers to the new season!
I agree that withholding judgment is good way to approach it. I can also understand your pain from his last stint but you might be just remembering the bad memories. Remember last year when we were up big and Ariza kept draining those 3's to bring them back and we needed Harden's heroics to win? He has also been credited for getting the young Washington players to not only reach the playoffs but have some success. He might not be able to do the things CP can do but his overall contributions to a team is amazing.
I am sure from what I saw Ariza will not be pulling the disappearing act now and again like Parsons used to do. Ariza will definitely score at least as much as Parsons and with that and his superior defense he is a huge upgrade.
To be fair, Ariza shouldn't have to play the huge minutes that Parsons did since we have more depth at the position this year.
As of right now, its a wash to me. We improved our defense but pay for it on offense. When Rockets get another player besides Harden that can create on the perimeter, then Ariza will be better than Parsons. Parsons gave Harden a breather on offense. Do no underestimate the importance of a secondary perimeter creator. Now the defense will just overload on Harden's side of the floor when he has the ball. Parsons actually could have been clearly better on both ends of the floor had he continued working on his game instead of continually stroking his ego. If Carlisle can get Parsons to work on his game and he takes his game to another level then the Rockets lose. Let's hope Parsons keeps his priorities in crooked.
Parsons is trash more off the court than on it but his off court priorities will catch up with him sooner rather than later.
I think Morey chose not to resign Parsons ( I still think the report of the Rockets offering Parsons 2yrs/max is bogus.. but just my opinion) and by getting rid of Lin/Parsons this gives Harden a better opportunity to improve his playmaking skills. Signing both Parsons and Ariza made little sense unless Bosh was involved. Ariza is a more consistent spot up shooter and more effective on defense. Now if only we could get more production from our PF's..
Everything you're saying I agree with, except CP got mad handles for a guy his height. Ariza looks hella clumsy trying to dribble hence the creating debate.
See the thing that gets me down on Parsons as a shot creator and playmaker is the following that he is not explosive and has a pretty average first step, meaning he's not going to blow past most SF. While pretty smart in post play, he's not strong either so bigger players can just push him out. Now what Parsons IS however, is pretty damn intelligent and ballsy, which is why I liked him so much when we picked him even when most fans were upset. What will really dictate his ability to become a legit playmaker though, will be how he develops his ability to recognize and exploit mismatches 1v1. If the guy is small, try to post in deep. This would allow Dirk to drift outside and pull the big with him, clearing area for Parsons to try to work down low. When he is up against bigs that are slower than him, he needs to try and pull them outside to the perimeter and try to see if his first step trumps their lateral quickness. The role I was actually envisioning for Parsons when we picked him up was a Robert Horry type role as a lanky stretch 4. We ended up putting him in the 3 spot though, which still worked out. That said, on our team, I think Ariza is a much better fit with H&H and I honestly don't think Parsons was great on O to begin with. We will see though. It's going to be a big year for him as a Mav (yuck) and a very important year for our Rockets.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1JomW1t8elc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> At the 18:00 mark, Ariza gets some love.
