K. Dallas Martin has made Traveler Ariza better, I think

His game was a lot more under control last season in a system with players that suited his talents

Buddinger is already a better offensive player than Ariza and is only a rook. \

I stand by what I said.

 

Good thing there's only offense is the only aspect of basketball.

 

yup ariza dribbled that ball off his leg and almost lost it. then running out of time he look a long 3. not a TERRIBLE shot... he had clear separation from the defender (because the defender had bent down trying to grab the ball). but it wasn't an ideal sequence

I've thought that once Yao comes back, and Ariza isn't trying to do too much, he'd be much better at doing what he is good at... defense, getting in passing lanes and hitting the open jumper. I think he'll be okay

 

he took a ton of stupid shots tonight. That 3 he made lets him off though.

 

Really?

You're a goose if you think Ariza should play LESS minutes for us than he did when he was an integral part of a championship team.

You ever had a job coaching the clippers or warriors or something like that? Sounds like you have as little idea as those goons do.

And I'll stand by what I just said.

 

He needs to play SF. Too many Forwards in this league forced to play SG.

 

And too many SGs forced to play PG.

 

I guess all the battier lovers are running around not knowing what to do. Battier isn't a starter in this league anymore on any team unless he is surround by a supremely talented team. Guys like shane are easy to come by and cheap and generally play 20-25 mins per. Shane will give the team the same thing in 24 mins as he will in 40 mins. In memphis , one year posey put him on the bench. Shane is a good role player, just not 1 worth what he's makin nor what the rockets gave up. As I said before, they have been trying to upgrade his spot for a while now and it seems the job is almost done. The chuck hayes and shane battiers of the old jvg era rockets are a thing of the past.

 

The Martin trade is looking smarter and smarter every day. He fits this team beautifully. I think the Rockets will make a run at another top player this summer, but even if they don't get one, and add only a good backup center, they'll be a contender next year.

 

I agree with Leebigez. Bruce Bowen is the same thing and he was much cheaper and that defensive 3 point shooter is indeed a dime a dozen.

We probably need to grab 2 more guys that would be in the top 5 talent wise in our 9 man rotation.

Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks can probably be 2 and 2A on a team but Scola is the only other guy I would plug in that range.

Although I think our 6-9 is great talent wise.

 

LOL, funny how we have been "trying to replace" him for years but he is one of only 3 guys still here from 2005.

 

I love these guys. Not only is this guy smarter/knows more about basketball than Adelman, but clearly he is also smarter than Daryl Morey, who was so foolish as to sign Ariza to an MLE deal.

 

Let's just pray he isn't toying with us here......

If Martin's arrival means a reduced yet somewhat boosted role for Ariza (in terms of what we actually want him to do out there), just imagine what playing next to the big fella is going to.

 

He"s on the way out and thats not such a bad thing. He is what he is and thats ok. Ariza was brought in to take his place. Now that martin has taken over as a scorer along with brooks and scola, ariza can do what shane do plus some because he has room for growth and a ring already.

 

I don't think trevor knew how much energy it took and the sheer stregnth that was needed to play or up his game like he thought. I never thought of him as more than a upgrade to shane. I expected him to be jerome kersey like in his production. 12-15 ppg 5 rebs,1.5 steals and a blk or so. Fill the lane, cut to the basket,make a open 3. Those who thought of him as more despite him making only mle money was foolish.

 

I'm with ya. I don't think its us, fans, that were the ones that had it all wrong. That dubious honor goes to Ariza himself thinking he's some sort of go-to-guy that can play a McGrady-esque game. I need not remind everybody of how painful this experience has been.

Bottom line: Ariza needs to revert back to his LA days of being an opportunistic scorer instead of this wannabe-pseudo-go-to-guy thing he's masquerading as. What I mean by that is this: waiting for kick-outs, setting your feet, taking smart shots, NOT FORCING DRIVES THAT AREN'T THERE, no more dribble pull-up's, etc. He's also excellent at playing the passing lanes and essentially becoming a one man fastbreak off of a steal. It's all about valuing possessions and taking the highest percentage shot available. I like his passing and unselfishness lately as well. Perhaps another strong sign of progress?

Enter: Kevin Martin. A Brooks/Martin backcourt is going to create a ton of chaos and having a spot-up shooter that can nail the open shot -AND- surprise people by putting the ball on the floor too every once in a while is going to be key for spacing and making life easier for our new backcourt. If Ariza can't learn to punish teams in this reduced yet refined role then we'll simply have to find somebody else that can. Hopefully, these past couple games are an indication of what's to come from here on out.

 

Pretty much. He can and i hope he grows his game. Not trying to grow it to the point he thinks himself as the dude, but if he gets stronger and works on his handles. he can get to the rim better in better balance, finish those drives and be more consistent are a play finisher inside.

BTW, I heard the steelers see iupati as faneca over again.

 

You are trying to play off what you believe to be true as a fact, which is foolish.

 

I don't know what you do for a career, but when they hire for your position and cut you hours, that would tell me i might not be here long. Don't believe me, go ask chuck hayes.

 

Ariza should play within his limits. He can eventually shoot more but he has to work on his efficiency and ball-handling in the summer, much like K-Mart does. We can't fault a guy for wanting to be a better player. But he has to earn it.

Anyone who thinks we don't need Shane anymore needs to watch this game again. It is a luxury for us to have two premier perimeter defenders. Our defense toughened up in the 4th quarter only because we had Shane and Trevor in there.

Actually I'm quite happy with our group of guys already. Just add Yao. Whatever happens, I don't want to lose Shane or Luis or AB. This game is another proof of that.