Hey guys, I think Ariza is a good player, but in terms of losing Artest and gaining Ariza I'm unsure.. Looking at it objectively Ariza was a 9/4 guy. He does have an upside though and I'm hoping for the best, but I find it hard to believe that so many of you guys are happy about the unofficial swap.
I'm happy because if we had to lose Artest (which was pretty inevitable considering the $$ issues and losing Yao), then Ariza is really the perfect guy to acquire as a replacement. Artest is near 30, has slowed down the past couple of years and will only continue to decline in athleticism. Ariza on the other hand, will continue to peak as a player in the next few years and his best will likely be during the time he is with the Rockets. Rockets should now focus on what to do with TMAC's contract and adding a decent center.
Cue Paul Harvey: he played on a team where the ball is dominated by Kobe and with Pau Gasol as the #2 option. Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher have great experience. I'd say that 9/4 on that squad is better than you think!
Ariza has been second string on any team he's been on and that includes a sad sack team like the Knicks so if anything you can make the argument that a great team like the Lakers made him better. I like Ariza's size, athleticism and defense but he'll never be be a better outside shooter than Ron. Not sure what Morey was thinking because getting Ron did translate into a successful season and conventional wisdom would say you resign him, Ariza is not head and shoulders better than Artest so we'll say how he translates on the court.
Maybe. But to be fair, the Lakers were the 3RD highest scoring NBA team @ just under 107 PPG. And you're alot more likely to be left unguarded on the court with Kobe, Gasol and Odom than you will be with Battier, Hayes and Scola.
Ariza was clutch in the playoffs and Finals. Artest was, well, not. I don't see how you can say a 24 year old will never be a better outside shooter than a streaky volume shooter. I'm not saying Ariza will be better than Artest, but this is still an incredibly silly statement.
Conventional wisdom went out the window once we learned about Yao's foot a week ago. Artest is a "win now" kind of player given his age. With $40 million of payroll sidelined, we are no longer in a "win now" mode. We are rebuilding so going for youth with upside makes all the sense in the world. I expect more Ariza type moves over the next year or two.
24 years old is plenty old enough to fully develop your outside shot, he's a career 29% 3pt shooter. Plus, I have misgivings that mediocre FT shooters like Ariza can become good outside shooters.
No! Everyone needs to make a new thread for everything. Hell, I might go make a thread just to respond to your question again and make sure you and everyone else hears what I have to say.
There is a clear and significant upward trend in all 3 shooting %'s as Ariza's minutes go up. Considering he'll likely get big minutes with us, I'm not concerned. Some guys just need more game time to get their offensive rhythm.
I think the best game to look at is the Western Conference Semi Finals. .............g gs MPG fg%...3p%..FT% off.. def..rpg apg spg bpg to ...pf .. ppg Ariza LAL 7 7 26.9 0.500 0.409 0.522 0.7 2.9 3.6 2.0 1.6 0.6 1.86 2.30 10.1 Art Hou 7 7 38.1 0.381 0.277 0.625 0.9 4.4 5.3 4.0 1.1 0.3 2.57 2.90 15.6 The big difference in the two during these games was Artest was the Star and Ariza was a role player . If Ariza got the same time on the court the numbers would be closer. I belive we got a steal. We got the more athletic player with the less amount of baggage.
I like Ariza but he and Shane are similar types - solid role players that are not creators. Does this mean Shane would be traded soon? Would have wanted to see a 2 year deal with Rasheed - would be a great fit as back up C for Yao and 3 pt threat beside Yao. Also, a solid defender
