developing young players require them to learn from their mistakes, and try to improve each and every game. ariza is doing the OPPOSITE. he's getting worse each game. the more i see him dribble, the worse he gets. the more i see him try to do some type of jumpshot off of an isolation, the more it barely grazes the rim. and so on... it's fine to be inconsistent when you're trying to develop, as long as you have some very good games in between the bad games that show the glimpses of what you can be. ariza has been consistently VERY BAD offensively. the reason hes still playing is because he has been very good defensively, particularly in the passing lanes. and he is our most athletic wing player who can run the floor. but in the halfcourt set, ugh, even rafer can say with a straight face: "i can do better than that." hopefully, adelman can reel him in soon and tell him it's time to stop experimenting. only until then, can ariza continue improve his good points: 1) spot up jumpshooting (even he has struggled at that lately) 2) penetrate off of passes and be able to make layups in traffic 3) using the screens better and try to get open shots off of those types of plays he will NEVER be a 1-on-1 player. he will NEVER be a 2nd or even a 3rd option of a championship team. so develop what? what ariza needs to do is perfect what he's already good at. when yao returns, he'll put them to use A LOT. the more he thinks he has the green light, the harder it is for him to revert back to being the role player that he is supposed to always be.
i think both you and i know dribbling through two guys isn't a good move and that shooting a three with a guy in your face less than 10 secs into the shot clock is also a bad move...he should also know that after being in the NBA for a few yrs. I don't have a problem with him trying moves when the opportunity present itself, but he doesnt need to be forcing things when he's got talented guys like scola and landry in the post.
1. The best way to develop a player is to allow him to test his limits. 2. Ariza was never meant to be our primary offensive threat, but he's been temporarily thrust into the role. 3. Morey believes he can develop his offensive game. 4. This is a not a contending year. The primary focus on this year is to develop the younger players. These four points counter your entire argument. Btw, since his numbers are similar to McGrady's, I find it ironic that you describe Ariza as "very bad offensively".
It's irrelevant whether or not he's been in the league for a few years because he's learning a new role. And yes, he's been taking some stupid shots, but I view them as part of the learning curve. Kobe, Wade, Lebron, and a few others can all dribble through multiple defenders. Ariza has tried and failed, but I can't fault him for trying. Especially since he's testing his limits and the Rockets' goal as a team is to develop its young players. If he wanted to sit back and feed other players, he could've stayed in LA and won another ring.
I agree. we've been through close to 15 games now, and I suppose we've all seen enough of what he can and cannot do. Developing young talent is fine. I'm sure if Ariza's able to develop his offensive game, the team will definitely be better off for it. Rick and Morey have told the guys to take more 3s, but I don't think Ariza jacking up off-balance, leaning, half-contested 3s is a good way to develop his offensive game. Some of them are just plain ugly and let's face it, won't ever have a half-decent chance of going in. Shot selection's definitely next for our guy.
he needs more time. andersen needs more time. the new players are getting accustomed to RA's system, which isn't simple. there are many young players also. it'll take time for them to reach their potential, but eventually it'll all come together. i'd like to see scola and landry start.
He failed. And failed. And failed. Yet he keeps trying to dribble through defenders? It's only a learning curve if you're actually learning. And of course it's relevant, if you and i know it, and we are no more than amateur ball players, why can't a professional ball player realize it? 12 games is more than enough time to realize it. He doesn't have to sit back all game. There's a grey area somewhere in there. He doesn't have to sit back or launch 20 shots. He can stick with good quality looks and that'll give him 10-13 shots a game.
so you don't care about winning this season, I think that is lame And by young players you mean their 6 year vets like Ariza?
You should take into account that Adelman's been playing Ariza monster minutes. Despite the grueling early schedule, he's averaging 38:30, by far the most on the team. Brooks plays the second most minutes, but he only averages 33:36. Everyone else is 32 minutes or fewer. Ariza needs some rest to get his legs back.
I'm not necessarily referring to dribbling through defenders (partly b/c I think you're exaggerating the frequency), but learning is a process, and it's a process that takes longer than 15 games. You need to realize that the Rockets signed him as an offensively raw player with the intent to develop him. No offense, but that's just a ridiculous notion. There have been many players who have had a slow start to their career but then blossomed when given the opportunity. You're missing my point. If he wanted stick with good quality looks that'll yield him 10-13 shots a game, he would've stayed in LA and won another ring. The reason he came to Houston was to expand his offensive game, and that means the freedom to create. I don't care if he's taking bad shots right now b/c he's getting acclimated to the offense. And to be honest, I really don't see him taking too many bad shots (fwiw, I only saw bits and pieces of the game tday)...its more like he's missing shots badly.
You're free to think what you want. You may not like it, but my way is the logical approach. Youth is defined by age, not the number of years played. Would you call Scola a young player? After all, this is only his third season. Ariza is 24 years old. That's young.
Thats closer to his minutes-adjusted career numbers than 28 point games. I'd rather Ariza around 14-15 PPG shooting around 45-50%, %'s he's shot in recent years. Than an 18-19 PPG volume shooting ball handling Ariza. And neglecting all the other areas like rebounding and defense. Might as well start asking Luis Scola to do more face-up dribble driving. Then again, besides 2 rookies who on the team at the SG/SF position is dynamic enough to spark some offense? Team as constructed, he really might as well fling up 4-5 extra shots.
Ariza has never been in a situation where he is the first option on a team. Its unlikely he has ever even practiced the things he is trying to do now before he came to the rockets - ie. put the ball on the floor and create. At every other team, im pretty sure the coaches told Ariza to practice his spot up shooting and his defense and thats about it. Its a completely new role for him. Give him some time. WHat did you guys expect from him? His on MLE money for christ sake. My expectations coming into the season were pretty low for trevor just because i thought i had seen him do all he could do at LA - spot up and defend. However he has surprised me alot. Does anyone remember the poll "will Trevor average 18ppg this season."? Almost everyone on he board laughed at the OP, including myself. Well atm thats what he is averaging. Sure he isnt doing it all that efficiently, but he has shown me enough to make me believe he can improve ESPECIALLY when we get a proper first option player. I actually think he has improved at his role on the team throughout the first 14 games. His shot selection has slowly improved and he is starting to attack the ring more rather then pull up for a contested jumper. Right now, defenses are playing trevor as a first option. He isnt that, thats for sure. But the kid has the tools to be a good second perimieter option. On a team that includes Yao and a fully fledged pereimeter player, Ariza can fill in as a terrific 2nd/3rd option, scoring efficiently whilst playing defense on the other end. Lets just give him this year to iron out the kinks in his game, work out what he does well and what he is comfortable with, and then next year he can be the ideal role player scoring 13-15ppg and playing some D. PS. On his D. Trevor has played some HORRIBLE defense this year, mixed in with some INCREDIBLE defense as well. The D he played on Kobe and Johnson was the best ive see either player played all year. I think when he is given the task of defending the oppositions best wing player, he excels, otherwise he tends to cheat and look for steal and gets lazy. Next year he will be the guy who defends the best wing player on the other team, and that bodes well for us i think. The future looks bright for TA. Give him some time. Remember, he isnt going to be the first option next year (hopefully) Matty101
Except Scola has been a pro for 10+ years. Being a pro for 6 years at 24 is significantly different from being a 24 year old who just left the game of college ball.
How is it significantly different? He's only 24 years old and still offensively raw which means there is plenty of room to develop. I'm not trying to be mean or condescending here, but there's no way you can win this argument. You should just drop it.
