Ron's impact on the Rockets getting to the 2nd round is terribly overvauled, I'm sorry but it was much more about about a better match up and Brooks, Scola and Landry stepping up their games. I'm sorry but I actually watched every single one of the games playoffs included and can't be convinced otherwise, Ron brought back my SF3 of wincing when handling the ball and shooting. Ron and Ariza had their moments but in the end neither left a lasting impression. Ron will probably be remembered more fondly because he's just a bigger personality.
If Ariza played with last years Rockets team and Artest played with this years Houston team the poll would be opposite. But since it is what it is it's Artest.
Let's make this simple. One player could dribble the ball, the other could not. One player could create shots for himself, the other could not. One player could hit jumpshots inside the arc, the other could not. One player could hit a fading jumpshot, the other could not. One player could make layups in traffic, the other could not. One player could post up smaller (and sometimes bigger) players, the other could not. One player could guard all five positions on the floor, the other could not. One player constantly elevated the team defensive rating to less than 96 points/100 possessions when he was on the floor, the other did not. One player yelled at his teammates for not passing him the ball.
Really?! This isn't a fair question since Ron-Ron got to play with Yao. Ariza could have had a career year if Yao was there. Ariza very well could have led the league in steals. He could have gambled much more with 7'6" protecting the rim rather than 6'6" in pumps. But we'll never know. Stupid question.
Ron had more to offer hands down. He was a leader on the team, too. Trevor didn't fulfill that roll, nor did he show the skillset Ron did that year. However, I am bummed that Trevor was traded so quickly. I wanted to see what he would do with Yao for a full season.
Trevor probably has the same look on his face after looking at the poll results <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vu1zMV5j0fo?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vu1zMV5j0fo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
ron artest just based on how well he played in the portland series: locked down brandon roy and made his outside shots
I think Ron's chemisty with those players is undervalued. I think Ron's biggest asset to the Rockets was his Confidence and determination. While his basketball skills may not have made players around him better his attitude and demanor did I cannot say the same for Trevor Rocket River
