most improved player, he'll have a lot more opportunities, he'll have the ball in his hands more than ever.
I have to see what he does in preseason first. Don't know what he's been working on so far this summer.
Chances are high especially with his role increasing with the situation of the team. If He can develop on what He has accomplished last year then MIP is a probability.
I think we have a few candidates, some better than others, especially if McGrady doesn't make it back or makes it back only to underperform or get injured again. 1. Ariza is certainly a candidate in my mind. He may not be an offensive wizard but he's also no Battier in terms of limitations. He could have a breakout year in this environment. 2. Brooks or Lowry - whoever wins that battle for starter in the long run, assuming we don't bring in another PG at any point. 3. Scola. He'd have to really light the world on fire because he already had solid numbers. If he can somehow approach 20/10, as unlikely as that may be, I'd say he has a shot.
not a lot of confidence in ariza on this board. aaron brooks, i think he's already done his thing. i think ariza's got a chip on his shoulder, he's been said to have had the luxury of playing with kobe, gasol, odom, and hence getting open looks and hitting them during the playoffs. he's got the tools to average 15-20 ppg and if we play well and make the playoffs without mac nor yao, he's got a big shot as well as scola who i think will average 20/10 this year.
I agree with you, mostly. I think Brooks has "done his thing", except when he has even more leeway to shoot he'll probably take 20/game and score 16-18 per game. The same could be said for Ariza, however. Between the two of them and Scola it might be a very interesting year. And, as far as Rockets, there are also some dark horse candidates like Lowry and Landry. Even though this year has the potential to stink, it will be a fun evaluation year.
not really. If its gained by the higher role on a team and increased stat by percentages then no, not really. AB already has a couple higher stats at the same minutes per game. so TA with a higher role has an easier chance to raise his percentage. which already has better field goal percentage.
You know you're a teacher when you see MIP and assume "Minor in Possession." Wow. Anyway, I think Ariza has a decent shot, but I think there are other guys in the league who have more to prove at this point.
no, i disagree. there may be some players who have to prove themselves a la AI but who has the potential to improve the most. there are a lot of players that come to mind, but ariza is going to play a major role in our offense this year, he'll get more shots and more touches, more plays will run through him. if he turns out to be as good as i think he can, because he's got all the tools, he could really be a baller, and may get MIP, depending on how we play as a team.
Ariza will be MIP, wanna know why? It's because he is the only player in Houston right now who is gettin' the media attention, aside from T-Mac and Yao's injury updates. Scola will not get a consideration since it is already expected of him and most opponents will focus defending him. He will have a harder time this season, and the West is loaded with bigs in the All-Star Brooks may get a consideration but remember that PG's must have leadership qualities that I think may be the deciding factor that will not make Brooks as the MIP. Ariza, he is the x-factor, he is dedicated in improving his game because coach Rick already promised to feature Ariza's talents in the offense. And now with the media focusing on his rise to become the All-Star type of player. The first logical step for him is to be rewarded with the MIP.
I think Ariza made a case for being the MIP in the outgoing season,thus he is less likely to get it than someone else,unless he makes a really big jump,which seems unlikely to me.
To be the MIP on the team you need to lead. No one can do that in their first season with that team, maybe except Garnett with Boston. This year it's gonna either be Battier for his ability to captain the defense or Scola/Brooks on offense.
thats true but when he was in LA he was getting a lot easier looks than he's going to get in houston, when you're playing with guys like Kobe, Gasol, and sometimes Odom on the court defenses are gonna forget you exist and give up easy shots to certain players now with houston defenses aren't gonna have any all-stars to put double coverage on, ariza will have to work harder for all his looks, I'll look for a stat raise in categories but his percentages are going to drop.
In the playoffs he shot 50% from the field and 48% from the 3. He won't be improving on that. And I don't see more than a 4-5pt increase from his 11ppg, 15 isn't really that much. So no. Also the league has an absurd tendency to give the award to sophomore players lately.
Scola should definitely average at least 10 rebounds a game this year, based on how he played in his second half last year. He was a beast. Twenty points? That's another story. He might come close, with his new role in the offense. But he was already so good it's hard to imagine enough improvement to be MIP. Brooks is a great candidate for it, though. His scoring should go through the roof. This is gonna be a fun team to watch.
scola is highly underrated here, he's the best offensive player we have going in the season, we'll get a lot more shots this year compared to the years he's been here before. i think he could average 20 points, given that he's getting more shots per game.
I believe he can be similar to a young Scottie Pippen in an offense that moves people around...hopefully he can learn how to use the back board the way Pippen did and handle the rock a little bit more. Won't have to do a whole lot off his own dribble, but as long and athletic as he is and as smart of a coach Rick Adelman is, I'm sure he'll find ways to get Ariza the ball in positions where he can score.
