Ariza is not doing what is expected of him, he is doing worse than expected. If he was doing what he always has done...which is play about 20 minutes a game off the bench and slash and score no one would complain. But, he isn't......at all. DD
32 games eh. If Ariza had the skills to be a starter he would of done that his previous 300 games in the NBA. I don't care of we are undefeated or haven't won a game with Ariza. When you are playing bad and negatively effecting your team you need to adjust. Something he hasn't been doing. Aaron Brooks is probably our primary offensive weapon and is a score first point guard such as Baron Davis and others. He will probably never average a high number of assists. Brooks creates for others more than anyone else on our team....so not sure what your on.
He hardly started in the regular season, and truly began to make his impact in the playoffs. Primarily with clutch defensive plays.
The Rox are not going to win the championship this year under any conditions, but what this absence of a superstar does for the team is lets the young players develop under Adelman's system, particularly Brooks. Landry and Budinger. If Ariza's play improves, all the better. And if Morey can somehow draft or trade for a 1st option, the teams future looks good. Of course, we would all like Yao to come back healthy, but given his history that can not be counted on.
Relax everyone! Trevor is just going through some growing pains (uh, nervous breakdown). We have all been there. Honestly... something has gone terribly wrong.
It is really hard to keeping rooting for Trevor. Looking at his game by game performances, his last good game was 10 games ago (vs. Thunder 31 points). At the beginning of the season he was inconsistent, but he was still capable of playing the occasional great game. Now for 9 straight games, he has been consistently bad, not learning from his mistakes and not making adjustments. I'm not the kind of poster to criticize our players, but I think it's justifiable to say that Ariza is playing as bad anyone can play... even former whipping boys Juwan, Rafer, Tmac, or Luther would bounce back one or two games after playing badly, or find other ways to be effective. Ariza hasn't shown much hope for 9 straight games.
At least look at his stats before you state your opinion. Seriously. Just a modicum of research. Is that really too much to ask? And what would you call the last 25% of last season and the playoffs? Simple. They have different roles. Budinger is primarily a finisher. Ariza has been attempting to be a creator. So you think a tall, lanky, athletic wingman has reached his potential at the age of 24? For always being a bench guy, he sure has started a lot of games this year. The problem has less to do with Adelman's blindness and more to do with your idiocy.
I call that playing off of the best player in the NBA and a super-star player in Pau Gasol Something we don't have on this team,and probably won't for a while. He needs to adjust to that. And there is a difference between starting a game and being the go to guy like Ariza is trying to do compared to what battier does when he starts. Stay within your limits. Where do you suddenly get the idea Budinger is just a finisher...he's a rookie and has yet to prove what he can fully do in this league, and certainly has a higher ceiling than Ariza from what i've seen in just his short time in the league. I think a guy who has played nearly 350 games has reached his ceiling. Don't know to many players that have played that many games and suddenly deemed 20 shots per game when normally used to a minute amount. Thanks for that common knowledge. I'm sure most anyone who knows anything about the Rockets notices he starts. It hard to miss 15 shots coming off the bench. Irony....
He will once we get somebody in to replace him as one of the go to guys. Ariza thrives off of other superstars because he is not the focal point of the defense. He was able to slash to the basket a lot last year because LA has two guys that demand a double team. We have not one person that demands a double, and Landry is getting there but he doesn't have the passing skills of Kobe or Gasol. Now he comes to Houston and is asked to do something he is not capable of. He would have to improve his offense immensely to prove other wise because as of right now he isn't close. Once Yao comes back and we hopefully get something good in return for T-Mac he can then go back to his successful role playing position. Until then we will continue to see him try because that's what the coaching staff is asking, and he may improve a little, but he will never become a go to guy for a title contending team.
Do you think the Rockets plan for him to be the #1 option? You may not have noticed, but our #1 option is out. So is our #2 option. And all he needs is someone to create open shots for him which is something Yao is capable of doing (assuming he returns close to form). I'm getting that idea b/c from what I've seen, that's how he's being utilized. You don't see the Rockets running any isolation plays for him. You don't see him getting the ball when the offensive scheme breaks down with 6 seconds left on the shot clock. A player's age is more relevant than the number of games he's played. For instance, in his career, Bird played a total of 1,061 games (reg. season and playoffs). Kobe has played 1,157. Do you think Kobe is ready to retire? You really think a 24 year old player has reached his potential? You're an idiot. You don't know many players who have taken 20 shots per game when they've been asked to have a greater offensive role? You're an idiot. I hate to bring up your idiocy again, but if it were really common knowledge, you wouldn't be ignorant to it.
Hell no. We limited T-Mac's minutes and are try to ship him and yet we want to keep this one dimensional (whatever that dimension is) player who's shooting 38%???
Can we step back and look at the big picture here, guys? Look around at other players in the league - how many 24 year olds who can fill up every statistical category do you see making just under $6mil a year? Even struggling offensively, he still represents a decent value compared to the rest of the salaries in the league. When Houston has their first two options back, Ariza fits into this team much easier but right now Adelman is being forced to ask Ariza to do some things that Houston didn't bring him in to do. If anyone thought he would be a #1 or #2, they wouldn't have got him for just $6mil. Clearly he is brought in to be a very good role player (with some potential to get better) but with no stars on our roster right now, they have had to rely on Ariza to be a creator which he is not. ....I know he was our big acquisition last summer, but let's not be unrealistic with the expectations here. He is struggling in the same way any of us would be if we were asked to do something we don't really know how to do. Cut the guy some slack - if Ariza magically went down with an injury tomorrow, who would be the next Rocket who would be asked to carry more of the scoring burden that you guys would be ready to trade because they would fail at it? Battier? Landry? The problem isn't Ariza - it's the majority of your expectations of him. My guess is Ariza will take a lot less heat when we acquire the guy who will be brought in via trade/FA signing with the money previously occupied by Tmac. I'm going to go out on a limb and say most will be expecting that guy to be as good as Tmac was suppose to be even if it's a completely unrealistic expectation.
I don't necessarily dislike Ariza at all, but when you are shooting as bad as he is why keep taking shots ? It's obvious he can't handle the offensive load so instead of Ariza constantly bricking shots why not spread the ball around to Brooks or Landry. Players who are higher percentage shooters and better ball handlers. It just baffles me that he continually does the same things without adjusting.
Not if the chump keeps jackin' up stupid treys when we were having great success going inside to Landry or giving Brooks the shot, and still have a chance to win the game. The goofus.
Deckard, your harshness is surprising. Personally, I don't think he will finish his contract with the Rockets but only because five years a long stretch of road and because his feet have always been a concern. However, he seems to be a bright player in search of his niche. He is not a primary scorer, but I think once Yao Ming returns and we trade Shane Battier, he will be a better fit. He just has to realize that slumps come to end without shooting the ball every time he touches it. BTW, watching the game last night irritated me as well but for the short term. He should have passed the ball over to Air Bud and been content with the assist. Instead, he froze out an open Chase four or five times, maybe more.
