Ron Artest 08-09 G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 69 55 35.5 .401 .399 .748 .9 4.3 5.2 3.3 1.5 .3 2.03 17.1 Trevor Ariza 08-09 G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 82 20 24.4 .46 .319 .710 1.4 2.9 4.3 1.8 1.7 0.3 1.06 8.9 These stats are from last regular season and may discourage some rockets fans on the recent trade...however notice the jumps arizas stats had from the regular season to his promising playoff and finals debut last season Trevor Ariza 09 Playoffs G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 23 23 31.4 .497 .476 .563 1.0 3.3 4.2 2.3 1.6 .4 1.6 11.3 notice when given artests regualr season minutes with the rockets, ariza truly performed and was focused...of course with the rockets not having a kobe bryant caliber player, ariza will be able to score and penetrate to the hoop more increasing minutes, starts, points, and fg% and 3p% ...now look at how artest performed in the playoffs as a rocket last year Ron Artest 09 Playoffs G GS MPG FG% 3p% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG 13 13 37.5 .394 .277 .714 .9 3.4 4.3 4.2 1.1 .2 2.46 15.6 a few things to look at...notice the much lower fg% and 3p% in the playoffs, also the increased turnovers and lower ppg....and WE DIDNT HAVE KOBE probably the only plus with artest over ariza is the ability to talk to media and his FT%, i am absolutely pleased with the signing of ariza and cant wait to see him succeed as a rocket, of course i will always wish artest the best with his new bff kobe and the lakers he seemed to always hate?? no one can truly figure out the guy...he is a tru warier
In other words Ariza got hot in the playoffs and is reaping the benefits of a large contract when in fact he is hardly as good as advertised. CD let Posey walk at a similar stage in his career, he was a similar player with similar appeal.
ariza did not recieve as much playing time in the regular season as he was allowed in the playoffs...look at the minutes comparison
I'm hoping that the difference in playing time accounts for the huge 3pt shooting percentage change. Either way, still a little scary at 32%.
Ariza just turned 24 and has already had the fortune of seeing firsthand what it takes to win a championship. That experience has some value even if he was merely an important role player. He has already learned the importance of defense and has the tools to be an elite perimeter defender who can even do some damage inside because of his length. He is extremely long and athletic. We need that badly. Even a player like Von Wafer who has been struggling just to find his way in this league showed us what a little infusion of athleticism can do. I'm not saying athleticism is everything but you have to have some of it on your team, just like you need a certain amount of skill, basketball IQ, etc... Some people are almost averse to athleticism like it's a bad word these days.
im sure he will improve his defense in houston, he is finally being given a chance to become a star on a new team, he knows how to be focused..just read his twitter from the finals
He appears to be Von Wafer's replacement plus defense for the cost of the entire MLE. DM seems to have overpaid him IMO. If he does play intelligently,it can work out but that remains to be seen.
You said the magic word, "efficient", but you didn't say it three times, so he won't necessarily appear. And yes, this thread is encouraging me, becuase we definitely get more efficient and Ariza won't be throwing up crazy shots like Artest was towards the end of the season. Hopefully Ariza will make good decisions with the ball, also. Efficiency is huge...not wasting posessions is huge, especially when lacking a star player (which we will be for part of the season). Efficient efficient efficient!
Austin Croshere stats for the playoffs in 2000 GAMES: 23 MPG: 21 FG% 0.418 3G% 0.405 FT% 0.839 RPG: 4.7 TPG: 1.09 PPG: 9.4 He was really good in the finals that year too I think he got a big contract out of that didn't he?
{topfive, writing in the voice of DaDakota} Getting rid of Artest was more important than bringing in Ariza. That was Step 1 of my offseason plan for the Rockets. Step 2 is re-signing Von-Von Wafer. Step 3, of course, is luring Vassilis Spanoulis back from Greece. DD
i dont understand why we didnt offer this deal to artest. artest is better than ariza. other than age, i dont see how ariza is an advantage.
He'll be a good player, but calling him a star is a stretch. A previous poster made a good comparison with Posey. I'l like that comparison as Posey was a great role player and contributor to his team. Ariza will fit that mold however maybe jsut slightly better. I don't see him becoming an allstar, however I am more than happy to see him prove me wrong.
Ariza: Younger MUCH more athletic Fits better with Rockets w/o Yao Artest: Not getting younger Brawn, not too athletic Fits better with a Rockets team WITH Yao. The dealbreaker (Ladies), is that Artest is still a head case. No matter what, he may explode at any time. Ariza? Not so much.
wow did you seriously say that artest is brawn and not too athletic...are you sure your looking at RON ARTEST and not steve novak????
