ClutchFans Game Thread: Celtics @ Rockets 10/7/2009 (PRESEASON)

Let's not get down too quickly on Trevor Ariza, guys.

He's not the next Tracy McGrady or Kobe Bryant. He's just a solid small forward. He could turn into something special, but it won't be right away if it does happen. The only role offensively Ariza should have is the one Chase Budinger seems to have taken hold of....

..an active, weak-side catch-and-shoot player. He can already slash and get to the basket and finish, especially in this offense, and I believe he'll get his chances to do that.

But it looks like, barring something bordering on mad scientist tinkering by Rick Adelman. Ariza's going to start the season as the two-guard. I like my two-guard being able to shoot the ball with some consistency, personally....

 

I never liked Taylor from the beginning. I have no clue why a lot of the members here fell in love with him. We definitely shouldnt have bought that pick. He played pretty good defense this game, which is an improvement, but we shall see if he can mature or not.

 

I know they only get one missing the playoffs....

I don't expect them to make the playoffs this season (so there's one) and who knows what other moves they can make. My goal for the season is to just develop the young talent we have on this year's roster and make some moves for the future. (Battier might be moved this year)

 

Thanks for replying. Good to hear. But I doubt he had gotten a chance to match up with KG / R.Wallace?

With Landry's height disadvantage... I presume they will just kill him with their mid-range js ... maybe Landry should start implementing Battier's "I-am-covering-your-eyes-with-my-large-palms-so-you-can't-aim-and-hopefully-you-will-miss" technique.

 

reading back through this thread as i didnt get to see the game, did yall see some clips of t-mac warming up, if so how did he look?

 

but again, this is a completely different role from what he has played so far with the lakers. it takes time for you to completely retool your game from a spot-up shooter to a legit 2-guard.

chase ALWAYS did this at arizona, which is why his game is tailored-made for adelman's offense.

give trevor some time. if he does this around 10-15 games into the season, then we need to be worried.

like i said since the trade went down, trevor will never be a 3rd option. he's at most a 4th option on a very good team that has a great ability to hit spot up shooter and hopefully some other type of game. i don't expect him to become an all-star or even a great starter.

but it's a year where guys will have to grow. if ariza is going to be a player for us for years to come, he's going to have to grow. hopefully, the growing pains happen in the preseason for him.

but yes, budinger has vastly outplayed him so far. it's not even close.

 

Conroy's playing his way on to the roster. JT looks NBDL-bound. Temple looks like a good player, but he can't make. Ditto Ariza-- 1/11 FG tonight. I guess we're all rooting for Ariza to find his game, like our Aussie did tonight. Bud was 3/10, and 0/5 from 3-- first time he wasn't 70+% from the floor in SL and preseason--but he snagged 8 boards.

That wasn't pretty, but we won, and we can still hope for an undefeated season. Unless Sweetney eats Aaron Brooks. My God, did y'all see that monster? Six Sandwiches Sweetney probably poops bigger than AB.

 

exactly. he's like a better version of shane on offense. he'll still prefer the spot up jumpshots, but have the ability to penetrate once tracy/brooks kicks out to him.

it's crazy that we have the expectations that he'll put up 16-18 points. that's not realistic.

 

Agree... but I think one of the main reasons why people's expectations of Ariza hyper-inflated is that one of the chron articles mentioned our director of player development (or was it our best scout that made the comment? I dont remember) saw some "Scottie Pippen" in Ariza...

with his current performance... I'd start Chase Buzzinga at the 2 over Ariza.... but I'm no expert in coaching so... hopefully Adelman will change my perspective by working some magic with Ariza

 

I believe one of the members on Clutch replied on this thread about a clip of T-Mac recently that was played before the game's tip-off. T-Mac looked good in it, running, and dunking.

Sorry I couldn't give you the exact quote coz I don't remember which page I saw it in... probably somewhere between the second to tenth page if you want to check it out personally.

 

Great Win!

 

Very pleased with:

Anderson,
Budinger

Disappointed with:

Ariza,
Taylor

As far as the rest, I think Brooks and Landry will have a great season this year. Brooks can make the all star team.

 

Well, I've been beaten up enough lately about what Carl Landry CAN'T do as a small forward, so I'll stay out on that limb and say that, as far as his activity goes, Carl's not going to have a bad all-around season......

I saw Landry move in the half court sets like a small forward. He got to spots between 15' to 17' and looked aggressive offensively. I don't recall him using a low post move once. But he went by guys and got to the basket. He even pulled a Bundinger once or twice and came off some screens and took those shots. I like the fact that, offensively, Landry's developing as a small forward.

Landry's defensive activity could possibly translate into a bit more solid perimeter defender. I don't think he can be elite, but he could possibly be functional enough to keep most 2nd-tier wings in front of him in time.

If it sounds like I'm reaching on a couple of things with Landry, 623_Rockets, it's because I expect a lot out of him. And he's shown both ability and confidence.

Landry's got the tools, I think. He's just got to go to work.....

 

thanks, i was kinda hoping that somebody could like post up a vid of it, if that is possible

 

Give him some time, Adelman's system takes time to adjust. With a running team he could give you 16-18 it's possible i think he can run, he struggles in the half court philosophy. Every team he played well on was a running team. like Orlando and L.A they played fast, but NY not so much.

 

Well, part of what scouts' jobs are is to compare players with what they know. It's completely human to say a player is like this or a player isn't like that.

The problem with that, most of the time, is that you try to place a guy into a position as player he may not yet be ready for, in my mind. Ariza is a solid small forward. He doesn't excel, apparently, at any one skill basketball-wise, but he's good enough to facilitate a lot of things for the Rockets.

Ariza's not a playmaker of a decision-maker. I hope he isn't forced into too much of that going forward. Scottie Pippen did that as well as anybody ever has, so hanging Ariza with that tag when he hasn't shown anything like that ability his whole time in the league isn't a good thing to be doing.....

I actually wouldn't be too surprised to see Chase Budinger playing the two, either. At the rate he's going, Budinger's not only going to be a rotation player, but he could push either Battier or Ariza for minutes. A summer league and two preseason games is early for that kind of talk, too, but Budinger belongs. He's got swingman written all over him......

 

I wonder if that's the last time we see Shelden Williams in an NBA uniform.

 

He made David Andersen look dominant tonight.

 

Is anyone gonna upload this game or the SA game? Rockets2k? Batkins?

 

Ariza will never be a two guard. He can defend the position but his handles are shaky and so is his shot. This isn't going to magically change over the course of the season.

Dude is a 3 that uses his length and quicks to defend. Offensively he can attack holes in a defense but does not change directions well. Doesn't have a great pull up jumper but is decent at catch-n-shooting. Very active offensively around the rim.

Expecting anything more than that from him and you will be disappointed.