Whom would you choose to keep? They are very similar players - both 3 and D, but for me, Brewer is a better all around player - while it is a luxury having them both, it sure would be nice if we had one of them and an offensively oriented guy as a contrast. So who would you pick if you could only keep one? And why? And if you want to discuss it, who could we bring in as an offensively oriented SF? DD
Good post. I agree with you DD. I would prefer Brewer, I feel like I know what I am getting everyday with Brew but Ariza is very streaky.
Ariza is the much better defensive player. Both are streaky 3 point shooters. Brewer is better at finishing around the rim. I'd still take Ariza. He guards the oppositions best wing on a nightly basis and often times PG's
Comparing Brewer's defense with Ariza's defense is like comparing KMart's offense with Harden's offense. There are similarities, but overall the comparison is terrible.
Ariza. He is more expensive, but he's a more consistent shooter and a better defender. Brewer's advantages over Ariza are his cheaper deal(for now anyway) and his ability to finish on the break. I sure would love to keep both beyond this season. That's a pretty solid rotation at the 3 spot(although I do wish Ariza shot the ball better).
I like how they can overlap positions for defense if needed. Brewer- can cover 1-3 Ariza- can cover 2-4 I'd go with Brewer if I had to choose the two, only because he's younger and I feel he could do a little more on offense if his 3's aren't hitting.
How quickly some of you forget the transcendence of Ariza's defense and what it means to our starting lineup
I'm pretty sure they remember. It's more of a hypothetical if you had to choose between the two. And sadly, that could be the case this offseason depending on where Morey and Les decide to spend money on the roster.
Ariza. We need a good wing on-ball defender. Brewer is not that. He's good at generating steals and TOs, but when he's unsuccessful in that effort he doesn't have enough sand in his pants to prevent anyone from getting whatever shot they want.
I'd vote Ariza as well, but I love the way Brewer gets up and down the court. He and Josh's chemistry on the second team is why I still hold out hope for a deep run if Howard can come back healthy and anchor the interior D.
I chose Brewer... For contract purposes, and the fact that Brewer gives our bench more than Ariza gives our starting line-up.. I'd like to make a trade that allows Brewer to stay on the bench..
Not really fair to Ariza. He's just coming out of a morbid slump and Brewer is playing literally the best ball of his entire life at the moment. Plus Ariza plays against starters and Brewer plays against backups, mostly. Overall, I stick with Ariza. I trust his 3pt shot more as well as his defense. Brewer is more active and makes much better choices with his shots/passing/off ball movement. But we need Ariza's defense more. I am convinced Ariza is a big factor in Harden's MVP season.
I've never loved either player but Ariza can fit alongside good 2's. Brewer is the type of player that becomes more of a liability the more minutes he gets, like a Beverley only more extreme.
Good question...one that I hope we do not face. I like them both...but would have to go with Brewer in our system. His flexibility to take on the PG is really a big plus...but I love Ariza's defense also. With the dev of DMo and the addition of Josh "heck I can shoot threes" Smith, Ariza's role on offense is somewhat diminished. Nope, keep them both...look at another roster spot for space.
If you are looking solely at their play on the court (not their contract or their age or what you would be able to get in a trade for them) I would go with Ariza. And the choice would be really easy for me. I really like Brewer. He is the perfect high energy, spark plug kind of player off the bench. But he is best suited as a bench player. His effectiveness would be diminished a lot as a started. Ariza is a much better defender. Brewer isn't a bad defender but Ariza is much better. Ariza does a lot of things that don't show up in the box score. He is able to take the other team's best offensive player and let Harden relax a little bit more on defense. I also really like lineups with both of them playing. They are both long and athletic and able to get into passing lanes. I think the two of them make a pretty solid wing rotation and hope we don't trade either one. Although I know that if the right deal presented itself Morey would in a second.
Ariza is a better defender and he's even a better 3pt shooter this year even though it doesn't seem like it. Corey is all hustle and great on the fast break. Prefer him on the bench. Don't really see us putting Corey on the bigger wings for a whole game.
