It sounds like LA is just like Houston in that the majority of the talk radio hosts are not locals but rather transplanted carpetbaggers. At least ours haven't taken their New Ywork accents with them, or at least had the gall to display them with such impugnity. My Gwod.
You hear how those guys had to confirm to themselves that it was the business side that made him come to Houston? Literally they had asked him something to the effect "Just to make sure, it was the business side of basketball that made you pick Houston over L.A?" These guys have no idea. Really, Ariza had no shot at returning to the Lakers. I think Laker fans realistically thought they could sign Ariza, Odom, AND Artest. Once Artest became available to the Lakers, Ariza had to start to think about where he would go next.
Honestly, I think Ariza did get screwed over by his agent a little bit. Here's what I think ended up happening (and this is in no way an educated guess... it's just pure speculation): LA offered a similar contract that the Rockets did. Ariza's agent decided to try to make it a bidding war to see if he could get Ariza more money. He tried to force the Lakers' hand by saying that Ariza was getting offered a similar contract but the other team was giving him substantial playing time. The Lakers hesitated to offer more. Then, rumors came out that Artest wasn't resigning with the Rockets, so the Lakers decide to go after Artest instead. Ariza's agent told Trevor that the Lakers didn't offer him a contract and were going for Ron Artest, which made Ariza feel "disrespected." The next day, Artest commits to the Lakers and Ariza commits to the Rockets. And, here we are today.
this will end up like another vspan for scola type of deal. a total steal by the rockets by swapping players. lakers don't know what they are getting. good work morey.
I live near LA and signing Ariza is very promising. He is young, he hustles, he is athletic and he's got size. Go Rockets!! Also, he shot well from beyond the arc in the playoffs.
Being a Laker is the best defense Artest could play on the Lakers! woot woot.. here's to disrupting the flow of their offense..
Ariza came to Houston for the basketball, not for the money. He had said on multiple occasions including on Chron that coming to Houston would give him the best opportunity of improving his skills, and thats all he could ask for. This means he values his own personal development over sacrificing his role for the winning of the team. This is a good thing AND a bad thing. Good thing is he'll be trying to up his skills here in Houston and taking on a bigger role in the team's offense and perhaps defense, giving us a better player and perhaps maybe even making this signing for him turn out to be a bargain, as he'll improve as he focusses on his improvement. But it can also be a bad thing as knowing that we won't be competing for a title he may focus on his own personal agendas first and taking personal stats over the team winning. I actually like that while we're rebuilding, and who knows maybe by the time we're competing he'll become one of our "big-3" or big "5"... So it was clear for the beginning that Ariza would choose Houston over Cleveland and LA...I mean why would he wanna go to Cleveland and play 20 minutes per game behind LeBron and Delonte West or be stuck behind Artest and Odom and Kobe playing only 15 minutes per game when he can become a Houston Rocket and get 35 minutes per game?? His game would soar with increased playing time and that'll be awesome for the team and this signing. Either way I could never see him going to CLE or LAL being true UNLESS it was the "lebron/kobe effect" that personally persuades him to join them on their team. I MEAN THE MAN HAS HIS RING ALREADY! NOW HE DOESNT WANT TO BE THE 5TH OPTION ON A WINNING TEAM! HE WANTS TO START OFF AFRESH ON A REBUILDING TEAM AND BECOME THE CORE OF THE NEXT CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER! Ariza's younger than Aaron Brooks so he's got any much chances of improving as Aaron has
I just don't think Ariza is a feature type of guy....his skills do not translate into that. I am still waiting on someone to give the name of ONE player who came into the NBA as a slasher type of wing and developed into a guy who could create off the dribble. Just one........Ariza is young but if you can't dribble by 24 years of age you are probably not going to be that guy. DD
Ariza had 2 contracts at hand, he was trying to get more money out of LA deal. Once LA signed Artest, it's all damage control. Let's be realistic, Ariza doesn't prefer Houston over LA, he spent the majority of life there, family is there, he's been a popular figure there, he's not gonna get less money, why did he want to move? The "opportunity to improve" is just afterthought.
Why Ariza Chose Houston "First, his toddler son lives in Los Angeles with his mother and Ariza liked that Houston was a much shorter flight than Cleveland. Second, Adelman promised him the Rockets would feature him offensively while the Cavaliers refused to guarantee him a starting job. Instead, the Cavs told him he'd be given a legitimate chance to compete for the spot against last year's starter, Delonte West." http://blogs.chron.com/jeromesolomon/2009/07/lebron_james_and_shaquille_one.html
So he'd rather be a big fish on a small team, than a small fish on a big team? I don't know about Ariza. I sometimes wonder if he really wants to be here. Too soon to judge. I hope I'm talking out my as* and I'm wrong.
This is the most bizarre post of the day. Um, he basically took the same money from us that was offered by Cleveland and LA, far less than what was offered by Toronto, and you don't think he wants to be here? What the hell?
Listening to his radio interview from yesterday he seemed to say he wanted LA, and only came here because that fell through. According to Ariza, LA never officially made an offer. But look at both Cleveland and Toronto, he would have to fight for playing time in both teams. It seems like what enticed him to come here is playing time, thats it. Like I said, I hope I'm wrong.
I think you are right on the money, he wants to play a key role, and not just a support role, that is how I read it too. DD
Um, did you actually listen to the radio hosts? I've never seen a more unprofessional display of "journalism" in my entire life. They were incensed, enraged, and baffled that anyone on the planet would dare not take whatever the Lakers gave them and get on their knees and thank God for it. Every question was incredibly leading. Given that Ariza is from LA, has his main support base in LA, and was on an LA radio station with hosts that are enormous homers, what the hell is he supposed to say? Of course he's going to slant his answers in that direction. As for playing time, of course he wants ample playing time. I'm pretty sure every free agent on the planet does. I don't get what's so terrible about that.
Von Wafer's agent is freaking hilarious. The Von Hawk isn't even on the top 50 free agents available in the NBA and yet his agent acts as if he is some hot commodity that other teams are begging to pay the MLE. Get real. Get your **** together Von. Fire your bum ass agent. Show some maturity. Re-sign and grow as a player and a man. Sorry couldn't find the Von thread and didn't feel like starting one. Needed to vent.
I don't see what the issue is here. Artest couldn't create off the dribble, Von Wafer couldn't, sure they could dribble to the rim and finish but even Ariza can do that. Players who can make plays for others off the dribble are more rare than posters here seem to think. A 30 year old player like Hedo will end up getting $56M over 5 years,~$11M a year. Teams aren't looking at his 41% fg% or poor defense, it's his ability to create for others. Some of you guys need to wake up. The MLE isn't that much money in the NBA and it's going to cost much more than that to get the type of player you keep saying Ariza isn't.
