Yes, another Ariza thread. But I don’t aim to bash or praise him. Timeline: June 25th 2009: NBA draft in which we bagged Chase Budinger June ~30th 2009: It is confirmed that Yao Ming will sit out the 09-10 season July ~1st 2009: Ron Artest signs with the Lakers for a 5 year, ~$33 million contract (wikipedia) July 3rd 2009: Trevor Ariza and Rockets reach an agreement for a 5 year, ~$33 million contract (wikipedia) Summary: DM drafted Chase, a potential SF for the 09-10 season, then we learned we would definitely not have Yao, which prompts Artest to sign with the Lakers, spurring Ariza to sign with the Rockets about a week later. We lured him here with the promise of long & meaningful minutes, in which he would have the opportunity to develop other facets of his game, trying to become a more complete basketball player. Which other facets of his game? Probably dribbling, passing, decision-making and offense in general. The things for which he is currently criticized the most. Prior to signing him, what did the average Rockets fan know about him? We knew he wasn’t a great shooter but could hit Kobe’s kick-outs for 3 fairly efficiently, was pretty athletic and slashed to the basket every so often, and a good defender. He was performing in the 09 playoffs, defending very well (impressed me when compared to a [seemingly] slowing Artest). So, why did we sign him? I think the options are fairly clear, but I’ll discuss them some: A) w/o Artest for 09’10, any SF would do. I don’t buy this argument. We had Shane and had just drafted Budinger, and he’s a rookie nobody minds giving minutes to. B) We got him solely to trade him. He’s athletic, young (24), and a lot of teams including the Cavs were interested in signing him this summer. Did DM want to get him first so we could flip him for another player? C) Age & Athleticism We simply wanted a physically gifted player on our roster and that’s all. I don’t buy this argument either, since DM hasn’t worked that way so far. D) DM was impressed by 09 playoffs performance Our FO ‘fell for it’ when Ariza stepped up his play in the playoffs. They believed he had taken a big step to becoming a star, or close to a star, player. Did he screw up? I doubt it. Our FO seems too smart now to let something like this happen. E) For his defense, to play alongside Battier Our double-wing defense with Artest and Battier worked great last year, and Ariza is a good replacement just for Ron’s defense. Note: Morey said he would be happy with Ariza’s contract if he simply played as well on defense as he had with the Lakers till then. F) For his defense, to replace Battier Shane is getting older and losing a step, so DM thinks Ariza can replace him, and that alone makes his contract worth it (see note in E) G) Ariza is a Morey-ball player Ariza’s ‘Quality’ & ‘Production/capita’ is high enough to entice DM to lock him in for 5 years H) Future Star DM and the FO really thought he could be the next Joe Johnson. What do you think? There’s no right or wrong answer, hence the multiple option poll. I’ve tried to make the options cover a reasonable spectrum of the possibilities. Me? I think DM intends to keep him as a Rocket for a while, at least for 3 of 5 yrs. I don’t think he’s a Battier replacement, at least not this year; the intention is for them to stop opposing wings together, and his style of defense contributes well to our fast-break based offense. With his athleticism and age, I think DM definitely sees potential for Ariza to become a better version of Mikael Pietrus, who hits the 3 at a decent percentage, and can slash successfully when needed. That would certainly be a useful piece alongside Yao.
I'm thinking F, but that doesn't really make sense to me at the moment. More if Ariza took Battier's spot when Yao was around next year hitting open 3's from the corner or occasionally slashing to the basket (something Shane isn't really gifted at). So maybe next year things start to take a different shape with Big Yao anchoring the paint. To date Shane and Trevor are redundant offensively and that may actually be a generous comparison in Trevor's case. StevieRebel mentioned Ariza is here for the year, so I take that as gospel that he won't be moving in a trade this month unless something special is coming our way.
overrated because of ring desperate for a 2/3 since von and artest and tmac would be gone didnt know that cbud would be a stud
They value his championship-experience, they felt his age/athleticism were indicators of growth potential, they felt he was very motivated to improve, and they felt he would be a solid contributor regardless of the development of his offense because of his defensive abilities so there wasn't much risk involved.
Ariza probably averages one steal, break away dunk a game. That a 3 pt swing right there (2 pt * 50% shooting + 2 pt basket) He can really play the passing lane, much like CP3 style defense.
We got him because he was the best "asset" available last summer all things considered. I'm considering things like age, athleticism, price, championship experience, attractiveness to other teams etc.
As calculating and analytical as Morey is, I think he got sucked in by Ariza's hot streak in the playoffs. Look at his career numbers and even his regular season with the Lakers last year. He just wasn't very good. He caught fire at the right time and made a few key plays in high profile games and got himself a fat contract off of it at the Rockets' expense.
Ariza's stock was its highest last season. i dont think he's going to get another contract higher than the MLE tbh.
we got him simply cuz we were desperate after Artest left, but also cuz they felt he could 'blossom' into a star.. hahaha we need to stop kiddin ourselves and bench either him or battier and start Air Bud, but imo i say bench trevor battier is our glue guy
we needed someone younger and artest was dribbling to much when it came to late in the 4th quarter in a close game.we lost alot of close games that year though...
Ariza is totally out of his element. Continues to baffle me why the coaching staff doesn't seem to realize that. Are they just insisting that he try to become an offensive force/creator??????? I wish they would start CBud and bring Ariza off the bench to play D and take spot up wide open jumpers. His shooting percentage is so awful because he takes terrible shots.
For those who are still upset with the MLE Ariza signing, just take a look at what Toronto is paying Turkoglu. Many believed Ariza could of had a similar deal with another team (i.e. Portland), but chose to sign with us on the cheap instead...
