How Did Artest/Ariza end up getting paid the same ?

Only contenders want Artest, contenders don't have cap room. Not a hard concept. Ariza actually settled for less.

 

He wanted to win a ring, plain and simple

 

Uhhhh...

Artest is not that much better than Ariza. Right now Artest is being blamed for the Lakers recent troubles.

Plain and simple, Artests days are numbered. He's a guy that cannot be even a #2 option anymore. He was brought here and the Lakers got him for defensive toughness and as its been proven lately he has gotten a lot slower.

Ariza is more about the future and his potential.

 

Artest is currently having, statistically, the worst season of his career. The mistake might have been going after either one of them.

 

Ariza is worth about 3M a year...

 

1. Yes it is.
2. No he hasn't.

 

Artest is injured in both of his feet with plantar (very painful/limiting from previous experience). He's playing through it right now trying not to make excuses. Read basketball news much?

 

Perception is reality, I suppose.

IMO, they really couldn't be more different as players. Ariza defends with length, and quick hands. Artest uses his size and strength, a la Chuck Hayes.

They both gamble way too much and give up easy buckets when their men work off of the ball.

Artest get's blown by regularly by 2's, he has indeed lost a step which was pretty evident even while he played for us. Ariza likes to take the challenge of defending the other teams best player, but that should be Shane's role. Thus freeing up more energy and attention for Ariza to put towards offense.

What it really boils down to though, is age. Who would you rather give a 5 YEAR CONTRACT to? A younger player who has some un-developed potential and a ring - Or, a older player who stops the ball on offense and has a mercurial past?

 

I still remember many fans here cheered for this deal and believed Ariza is a better player than Artest.

 

Um yes I do smart guy. Thats why I said he is breaking down. If you did you know this is something he has been dealing with for some time.

Its a classic symptom of an aging player nearing the end of his career. Why in the hell would the Rockets need a guy who probably needs to be on the injured list to get rid of constant nagging injuries?

Were already going through that with our othr "two superstars".

 

The problem with Ron is his attitude, if he believes he is the best player on the team he will screw up the chemistry because he is not as good as he thinks he is.....

Right now, Trevor is discovering that he is not even top 6 on the Rockets, and is going to have to adjust his game accordingly as well.

I put more money on Trevor adjusting than Ron.

DD

 

i was, and continue to be pro-ariza.

the reason why is simple: he was not brought here to be a #1 option. he was brought here to be a versatile role player for many years to come. one thing everyone here loses sight of is that this was "supposed" to be a throwaway year, an experimentation year, and a chance for the young nucleus to grow and expand their games. ariza was part of that. nobody thought this would be a team contending for a playoff birth, even though the team says they expected more than anyone thought they could do.

so, you bring in a young player about to enter the early prime of his career, a player that is experienced yet still has potential to develop, a defensive minded swingman that can play fast or slow, and contribute across the stat sheet, and you say "go for it, see what you can do". over the course of this year, the team is discovering that ariza's game is limited, and my assumption is that the stat team is breaking his game down and giving him his list of things to work on both in season and in the offseason in order to help him overcome those limitations. because, again, the team has invested in not just the ariza we have today, but also the ariza of tomorrow. and there is still room for him to grow into a better player down the line.

artest on the other hand, is just going to get worse.

 

How has ariza adjusted for anyone.He thinks he is the tmac of the rockets.

 

Because they are worth the same

 

I challenge anybody who thinks Ariza makes too much to find a markedly better 24yr old starting SF in the league who makes less(who isn't on a rookie deal). Seriously.

Ariza's efficiency is down because his usage is way up due to injuries among the Rockets normal starters. He's going to be just fine when he resumes the role of 3rd or 4th best offensive player and focuses more on making defensive plays. He's young still and gets frustrated easily but he is going to grow out of that....and if he doesn't, he still has trade value. Do you think anyone is going to touch Ron in two years when he has lost several more steps and is still a nutcase? Ariza will always have some value - if for nothing else because he gets steals and rebounds well for a guy at his position. Find a top 20 guy in steals who makes less money that Ariza and isn't on his rookie deal.

...and have all of you talking about rather having Artest noticed he has missed several games with the Lakers this year under strange circumstances? Did anyone believe that he honestly slipped on something at his house and fell down the stairs? The story changed a couple of times before it even landed on that excuse. Ron is being Ron (for better or worse) and frankly Houston doesn't need the headache of never knowing when something weird is going to keep him out of the lineup(the fall, the subsequent headaches) or in the limping through as a starter(plantar fascitis from his cheap shoes, etc). Isn't this why we are all ready to kick McGrady to the door? We aren't even to the All Star break and it's already obvious that several people in LA are covering up whats going on with Ron behind the scenes....and it's going to happen again. If he was going to "get it" like Houston originally hoped, it would have already happened for him...

If it was as easy as taking who you want NOW, every player would be a free agent every year. You have to consider the long term when building a team and it's debatable that Artest is significantly better than Ariza today - much less two or three years from now.

 

Ariza is playing out of position. I don't think there would be near as much criticism if he were playing at the 3, handling the ball less, and shooting a lot less. If he's moved, hopefully another team will see that value relative to his contract. We may not see it here until we get someone else playing the 2. Trevor at the 2 is a disaster.