http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ba...e-of-the-Hornets-Rockets-Nets-?urn=nba-262271 Excerpts.... But Ariza just isn't as nearly as good as teams keep making him out to be. There's a reason Houston was ready to dump the guy with only the suddenly-looking-much-older Shane Battier(notes) in reserve at small forward along with Chase Budinger(notes), only picking up a shooting guard that will have to find spot minutes behind Kevin Martin(notes). There's a reason Mitch Kupchak told Ariza to stick it, following his agent's laughable attempt at playing hardball with the Lakers last summer. He's a great defender and purely a spot-up shooter that has shot 32 percent from long range over his career, 33 percent last year, 32 percent the year before that, and (wait for it) 47. 6 percent from behind the three-point during the 2009 playoffs; the lasting image before his free agent turn. Ariza is a fantastic athlete that can finish on the break, but he can't dribble, can't set up a good shot from inside the arc, and didn't really seem to understand this last season. I'm having a hard time thinking of a person whose shot selection was as poor as Ariza's last year. Maybe Kobe Bryant(notes), for some bad stretches, but then Kobe more than made up for that during the other 75 percent of the time by being Kobe. Ariza just shot and shot and shot and shot and never seemed to realize that players shooting a below-average 33.4 percent from deep shouldn't be taking 5.7 attempts a game, and players shooting 39.4 percent from the field shouldn't be shooting nearly 14 times a game. Which is why the Rockets.... ... Houston dodged a bullet with Ariza, so they save a little face in this situation. Artest-to-Ariza-to-Lee isn't exactly selling high, but the Rockets are still full of assets and Lee will fit in. Click the rest here and get a page hit
What he had to say about Courtney Lee: [rquoter] And this week, Ariza split. For New Orleans, and as a result of Houston's role in the four-team deal, the Rockets get Courtney Lee(notes) from New Jersey as a result. And, again, the downturn in talent from Ariza to Lee is all about making up for a mistake. Because Lee just isn't a starter at this level, and the point of this transaction was to clear Ariza's shot-happy ways from the Houston rotation, and clear off the guaranteed $28 million and four years Trevor has left on his contract. If the Rockets aren't quite smitten with Lee's game, they could just have him around for the last guaranteed year of his rookie contract, paying him over $1.3 million this year before letting the former Magic and Net defender go. More than likely, though, they'll keep him around for 2011-12 with a team option at over $2.25 million, and take in good-enough production for that rate. He's a defender who can back up Kevin Martin, while occasionally hitting the outside shot. Lee is going to be 25 this fall, so he is what he is despite it just being his third year in the NBA; and it's a nice asset to have in a deal that was all about losing Ariza's contract. ... The Nets gave up Courtney Lee in the deal, which is probably good news for Lee and New Jersey. The former Magic guard really never recovered from going to the penthouse to the outhouse last season, and he was revealed a bit (at least to those who weren't ardent Orlando-watchers during his rookie season) as a borderline-offensive liability at times alongside his good defense. Sort of a step up from Trenton Hassell(notes), but don't step too far. [/rquoter] A small step up from Trenton Hassell. A borderline offensive liability, but solid defender. This read was sort of a bummer.
I didn't know enough about Courtney Lee at the time of the trade...I've really warmed up to this the more I've learned.
I've been looking forward to hearing KD's take on the trade. Trey Kirby made an attempt at it, but KD is the hoop genius of Ball Don't Lie. I think he got married last week, and I wasn't expecting to see anything from him for a while.
Yeah, he decided to start him at SG over their other option at the time. JJ Reddick. This makes him a bonafide NBA starter.
BTW, yawn. Doesn't even mention the improved shot selection and efficiency numbers Ariza put up when Martin joined the team.
I try not to be too homer-ish, but (IMO), that was a pretty near-sighted take on the trade by KD. At least as far as the Rockets are concerned. No mention of the $6.3 million TE, and the possibilities that come with that; nor the long-term benefits of saving that $10 million. On the surface, it's just a money saving move with a relatively lateral talent exchange. Yes, on that level, the Rockets did a decent job. When you delve deeper, you see that the Rockets now have three 6-7 million dollar "expiring contracts" to send out in a trade (Jeffries, Battier, and the immediate cap relief of the trade exception). This is essential when you consider that our most valuable trade assets are either on rookie contracts (Brooks, Hill, Patterson, Budinger, Taylor...hell, even Lee now), or no contract at all (draft picks). Combine that with an extra 10 million that Les didn't necessarily expect to have available to him, and Houston's in prime position to take on additional salary in a trade, which should be helpful in a year with CBA uncertainty looming.
People need to relax on Lee. He's a better ball handling/defening version of Luther Head. Nothing wrong with that. The savings and TPE are the only steal here
Agreed - he did play better after Martin arrived, but this supports KD's assessment of Ariza's inability to dribble and create. But if you consider this aspect about Ariza you will have to consider it when Lee joins the team, and then compare Lee's Nets days to his Rockets days. His stats should improve also IMO.
LOL - are you going to now go follow the Hornets? Give it up man, you don't see me pining for Von or VSpan...... Are you a Rockets fan or not? The Rockets decided Trevor was not good enough and sent him packing...... Can you live with that? Maybe, maybe not, but we sure jettisoned a long contract of a guy that was not worth that contract. DD
He said Ariza was a great defender, but according to people on here Ariza is overrated defensively. Then he knocks on his shot selection, which is only a result of him trying to do too much. With Yao back, it shouldn't be a problem, was his shot selection bad in LA? His shooting % improved at the end of the year when we got Martin, it would only improve more with Yao back. So according to Dwyer, we gave up a starter, a great defender, and a guy who will not have poor shot selection and a respectable FG% for a guy who isn't starter material. GREAT!
Luther Head couldn't handle or defend at all. That's like saying Yao is a better low post scoring/rebounding version of Michael Doleac
I love this. You make an excellent point in that you drooled over Von and VSpan on a level most of us can't even understand - but when they were gone, they were gone. And you continue to root for the Rockets and trust that Morey is doing what's best for the team. Nobody can say otherwise. Of course, you did make a lot of noise about resigning Von when he came back from Europe. :grin:
I was a bit down on the trade for basketball reasons (happy about it for contract reasons though). But the more I hear about his defensive orientation, the better I feel about this. Now we have a good defender at each position: 1-Lowry 2-Lee 3-Battier 4-Scola/Hayes 5-Yao I would like to see someone who gets under the skin of the other team. This is something that's always helpful. The lakers already have a team full of them: Fisher, Artest, Barnes, Kobe, even Vujasnitch. I love the fact that our guys are good character guys. But I'd just like one wild card to mix it up every once in a while.
In Summary Its a salary dump for the Rockets, nothing more. It wasn't about C. Lee upside, because clearly he will remain a bench player.
Live with it? Yes. Agree with it? At the moment, not by a long shot. But, I'll see what they do with the trade exception and cap flexibility before making a final judgment. Regardless, I think the deal is a bit reckless unless the Rockets had a clear and likely second act to follow this deal. I'm not sure if that exists.