honestly i wouldn't be surprised if he gets packaged in a trade. we're obviously courting all sorts of offers, and he's expendable asset at a reasonable price that can help a team, especially one with an established star or two so there's no confusion about the pecking order. and when it's obvious there's dysfunction within the starting lineup - shane sees it, as do virtually all the commentators on this thread - he might go. it's unlikely because i think in morey's eyes, focusing on his play right now might be missing the bigger picture. however, his problems seem multifaceted. he clearly has bouts of immaturity where he loses his composure and throws tantrums (and elbows). he publicly criticizes teamates who, i should add, are better than him. (maybe there's jealousy there, especially with the brooks situation, and he feels entitled because he has a ring? as a fan, it enrages me when it seems like the success of the team has a lot to do with their cohesiveness and chemistry as a unit, and Ariza, the newcomer, has the gall to criticize Battier for poor passing or Brooks for poor decision-making. these are some of Ariza's most glaring deficiencies, and for the record, not passing to Ariza actually qualifies as the wiser choice. it's like when a kid (or adult) sees their own faults in another person, and is quick to judge or criticize that person because it's like looking into a mirror.) and don't even get me started on his dribbling, or games where he completely doesn't show up, stalled offensive plays, that kind of thing. now, all that said, i do think there's room for Ariza to grow into a nice role player. his technical and mental issues can be ironed out, and they'll hopefully be less glaringly conspicuous when the team asks less of him (coming off the bench, cause i'm beginning to think Chase will warrant starting time, if he doesn't already). he also seems to be able to turn up his game, and more importantly, his defense come playoff time; 3 playoff series is not a significant enough sample size to be able to assert anything definitively, but that's something i'd bet on. in the meantime, his attitude really pisses me off. he needs to stop being the whiny, disruptive brat on the court, acting like every MJ-wannabe at the Y. start learning to hustle and play unselfish basketball from your teamates. only then will those of us who are disgruntled - not a minority of the rockets fanbase, it seems - go back to cheering you on at games. until then, he should expect to be heckled by more than a few
I also feel we have a possible problem with Ariza, he doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the team. One thing I like about this team is that it looks like everyone really enjoys playing the game, everyone except Ariza that is. Ariza always seems to be upset about something. I think Ariza thinks he should be the main "go to" guy on this team, but he's only the 5th or 6th best player on the team. He leads the team in shots taken, but is fourth in shots made. I think he would be hard to move in a trade, his weaknesses have been exposed.
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BOaFuVM9Kao&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BOaFuVM9Kao&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
quit acting like you guys never seen an nba player curse during a game before. ron artest drops the f bomb at the freethrow line all the time, and even yao ming has cursed during an nba game before.
I don't hate, I just don't blindly follow. He has a history of being a punk, does that mean he will always be one? No, not at all...... But if people think this is new, they are sadly mistaken. You should know better Reek, play well, you will hear about it, suck, and you will hear about it. Live in the now.....deal in reality..... DD
The Rox deemed it appropriate to give an athletic Shandn Andersn the Steve Francisian green light to do what he wants on the court and it is having, imo, dire results. Truly, the best way to "develop" Ariza at this point is to punch him in the ego, so to speak. There's no reason to not pull Trevor's minutes in favor of Chase. The key isn't so much to put up a lot of points, but moreso to play within yourself. Be a spoke in the wheel, and not a fly in the ointment. As long as Trev has carte blanche the problem will metastisize, though. Putting some consequence to his pouting actions just may show him that this is not, nor never will, his team. It is A team, not HIS team. Not only could that benefit Ariza (depends on his temultous mental state), but it would likely benefit Chase and the entire team. There are just too many wasted possessions of Ariza's floundering forays to the hoop or ill-advised flings. He's so far out of his element it just isn't even funny. Surely his teammates recognize this and see how the system breaks down when Ariza channels his inner Ron Ron offensively. Just as surely, they are happy to see Chase making the right pass, at the right time or the right shot, at the right time, whenever he's on the court.
Thank you, that's why in a draft or free agency, Morey goes for the best available talent. So in case that person doesn't "fit", however much talent that person possesses will interest other teams.
Dude, we're men here. (And women) We've seen worse. If you consider him a punk, then what do you consider Ron Artest? A cold-blooded killer?
Glad to see we agree on this. Ariza's causing a problem, and its not because of his poor performance on court. His attitude needs serious work. Maybe Kobe got into his head and made him a clone...except without the basketball skills!
Artest wasn't a punk, he was just crazy. Missing the team bus and going into the sponsor's bus naked isn't something punkish, that's just crazy. Artest hasn't acted a punk at all, even charging into the stands like he did wasnt punkish, it was juvenile, like something 10 year old kid would do, retaliating after someone provoked him without thought to consequences.
Relax. This guy won a ring as starting SF and being a crucial part of the success. DD, Characters like that win championships, look at the Lakers, Fish, Kobe, Odom, that Ariza... Little more respect, Morey knows what he does and has not signed a guy 5 years for being handsome.
