I've watched almost every minute of every game this year. Bud's clearly better than Ariza in almost every aspect of the game, IMHO. The only logical reason I can come up with for why Adelman plays Ariza >>> minutes than Bud is that we're tanking. Unless Ariza's got some sort of Mafia contract that requires PT from Adelman, tanking has to be the explanation for this travest-sham-mockery of minute allocation! I'm with those who've noticed Bud's good, and Ariza not so much.
Sixth man Fire power agreed. Everyone could see this coming. perfect balance from Starters to Bench Mob.
As of now he's not even a liability. He's actually a decent defender, which is far beyond anything I thought he was capable of at Arizona. Getting burned once in a while doesn't mean anything. He consistently keeps his man in front of him and challenges shots. The fact that Adelman put him on Carter speaks volumes.
Horry was a huge clutch shooter. Ariza isn't one. That accounts for part of the discrepancy between their percentages.
Yeah, but didn't you see how the Rockets scored 110 points? Battier and Ariza would never allow us to do that. CBud >>>> Battriza obviously. Casual fans just don't give a damn about defense.
Agree. With that starting lineup, we need more of a distributor to keep the ball moving. I like the addition of Lowry's defense in that lineup, too. Brooks might make a great scorer off the bench. I know everyone here has the mentality of "the best players must start because they deserve it," but I like having a potent scorer off the bench, and if the bench player is getting the minutes, what difference does it make?
Love Budinger and he is further along as a rookie then Landry or Brooks were, but he isn't a starter yet. He isn't anywhere near solid enough offensively to make up for his lack of defense and we should all know that Ariza, while struggling to get his offensive game, is still a more versatile option at SF. We brought him to the team to take over that role in the future, and I think he will work out when we have more consistency with the lineup.
IMO Chase will be a much improved player next year. Currently, again IMO, he has hit the rookie wall as evidenced by several horrific air balls in the past two games. By then I believe Brooks and Lowry (or Temple or whomever) will have become more familiar -- and more confident -- in Bud's game. Too often in recent games has he been standing all alone waiting to deliver another silver bullet only to see one of his teammates take an ill-advised shot in the thick of the opposition.
na dont look at the future future can be deceiving. All we do is talk about future. We been talking about the future since francis got traded for tmac. Nothing happened.
No it doesn't ....it proves that you need good shot blocking and length on the front court to play good team defense. DD
Agree on part 1. But I think the Rockets do have a shot at getting Bosh. Problem is, it probably would cost them some of the other players in this lineup.
Starters: Lowry Martin Budinger Scola (Bosh?) Yao Bench: Brooks Ariza Jordan Hill or rookie that Morey picks in the 2010 draft Thats a championship contending lineup.
Bosh equals bye bye to Battier/Chuck + Bud + Brooks/Lowry/or Ariza because the only way we can get him is through sign and trade I think Bud will become an Ariza (the role player), but with better passing, worse defense, stronger finishes, and more efficient spot up shooting.
Assuming Battier isn't traded, I think he's the best option to play SF alongside the Brooks/Martin backcourt. He doesn't need shots to be effective, so will let Brooks and Martin do what they're best at - score a lot of points. On the defensive end, he not only takes on the tough assignments, but also keeps everyone focused on playing team defense. I think Ariza is a good defender, but I don't think he understands the whole defensive scheme and communicates that information to teammates like Battier seems to do. By coming off the bench, guys like Budinger and Ariza will get to play a more central offensive role than they would as starters. Ariza can especially benefit by playing off the bench if he's willing to accept the change.
This year to me really revealed Battiers true defensive skill. Although he may be a good perimeter defender without his 7'6 get out of jail free card hes much weaker than we thought. Ariza was given expectations that sadly he couldnt fill but out of the two to pick to leave i would probably go with ariza. Shane is a veteran with the ability to hit the 3 when given to him. His defense combined with yao in the center is extremely valuable. Ariza should be packaged for a sign and trade deal for bosh. But on a sidenote can someone explain the whole process of sign and trade for bosh???
Feel the same way, although, it will probably rest on whether Ariza is willing to come off the bench or not. Part of the reason he signed with us was to become a feature player, granted I think we all knew he was/is meant to eventually give room to trade Battier, but it will be interesting to see how Adelman handles the lineup when, Lowry and Ariza get back. He can limit their minutes early on because they are coming off injury but time will tell what will happen with the rotation.
