i admit it, other than highlights, i've not watched a lot of rockets basketball this season- there's just not that much opportunity in NYC unless you subscribe to the (non-HD) league pass. and as "daryl morey" has noted, the rockets are rarely on national TV. tonight however, the NBA HD channel is showing rockets/magic, so i've got a brief opportunity to stud this edition, under adelman, and i love much of what i see. what great ball movement, team play, team defense- it you love the game, you have to love this team. certain types of players thrive- good post players like Landry and Scola (who can also pass); stellar defenders/spot up shooters like Battier, and penetrators like Brooks/Lowery, who again, can pass, or in the case of Brooks, shoot the three. Ariza, for all his strengths, is none of these. he's not good enough off the dribble to get his own shot reliably. he's not a great spot-up shooter. he has no post game. what he is, is an excellent defender/slasher, finisher on the break. but for all their quickness, the rockets are not a fast-break team. Ariza thrived in LA when Kobe/Gosol drew defenders and could pass off/out to him; hed do the same here w/ Yao, but not this team. He's a complimentary player, just not to this team- Wafer, who has a knock down shot, and can get to the rim, would be a better fit if he weren't a head case. but god, I love this team...
when yao gets back, ariza will get open threes. we need a first option ball handler/scorer aka tmac replacement that will take the pressure of ariza.
Lol, he's not a bad fit, Shane+Ariza is not a starting wing combo that can work. Trevor is a starting SF at best, and he needs to play desperately with a SG who can create their own shot. When Rick grows some balls, I would like to see how Trevor and Tmac play together for extended minutes.
He's pretty bad and appears to be getting worse. In this game, the more he misses the more difficult types of shots he takes. I wouldn't be shocked if he is shooting 36% by the All Star break. There's no excuse for someone that bad to be taking this many shots. I can't even get into a rant about the guy right now but I can't stand seeing him on the court.
t-mac is a stronger slasher and also a playmaker. t-mac is a better 2 guard while ariza is more of a SF forced to play SG. t-mac+ariza would be a dangerous combo on the perimeter. t-mac demands double teams from the opposition which in return would see ariza with more spot-up jumpers which is his strength.
Why would it be a dangerous combo when Ariza is not even an offensive threat? His perimeter shooting is overrated based on a fluke of hot shooting during the playoffs. His career and current season seem to be much more indicative of what to expect from him. He certainly doesn't make up for his poor shooting with his slashing or passing ability. His length disrupts offensive players while he is on defense. That's about the best thing you can say about him and still be honest.
no, he just sucks for this team. i agree, he'd make a better 3, w/ Yao, but not at the expense of Shane, and everything else Battier brings to this team.
1st Directv has NBA league pass in HD. 2nd Ariza is not a bad fit. I suggest watching more games prior to passing judgment. 3. Remember the Rockets are playing the second game of a back to back in less than 24 hrs and traveling. I'm not surprised that they are sluggish tonight.
I was never under the impression that he was McGrady's replacement. Ariza was just another "piece" to the puzzle and nothing more.
can you read? ariza's specialty is catching the pass on the wing and knocking down jumpers on the offensive side, not his passing or slashing abilities. he's forced to create his own shot off the dribble in which he struggles because that is not his game. he looks good when he has his feet set a pulls up for a jumper. ariza should not be playing 2 guard and he is not the guy you want to try to mold into an offensive weapon. he needs to play along side a scorer and true sg like mcgrady who can penetrate defenses and force the double team and dish it out to him on the wing and shoot the spot-up jumper. that's the only bright side offensively to ariza.
So, you don't watch the games and yet you are starting a thread about whether a player fits, or not? Jesus. That's lame.
I've watched all but 3-4 games all season. He certainly is a bad fit because he lacks the skills to be anything but a spot up shooter and he isn't even a very good one of those. Where does this fit in exactly? 39mpg 17ppg (on 16.4 shots a game) .388 FG% .638 FT% He does grab 5.5 rebounds per game and dish out 3.6 assists but when you're 6'8" and have the ball in your hands that much it would be hard not to have those type of numbers. and he appears to be getting worse.
