From ESPN chat with John Hollinger yesterday: [rquoter] Jeff (Denver) What do you think of Simmons hypothetical JR for Battier trade John Hollinger (12:23 PM) I think J.R. for Ariza makes as much or more sense. The basic logic -- a wing stopper who can shoot a little for Denver, a wing who can create offense for Houston -- is airtight and the contracts match.[/rquoter] What do you guys think?
I would make this trade in a heart beat. We need offense and it is obvious that Trevor can not do that consistently.
Yes. When JR Smith gets hot the net starts burning. When Trevor Ariza gets hot the rim is just thankful it survived for the moment.
You wouldn't think DM, in is getting younger crusade, wouldn't try to trade Shane? I'd do an Ariza for Smith as well though, I just see Denver liking the idea of having Shane on the wing defending rather than Ariza, plus he's a lot smarter than Trevor.
JR Smith is literally my least favorite player in the league. It has nothing to do with his talent (which I expect he'll eventually find a way to completely squander), and everything to do with who he is as a person. We're talking about a guy who has already killed one of his best friends while driving recklessly and has also been arrested for choking a woman in a night club. We don't even need to talk about him throwing gang signs on the court. This guy makes Mad Max look like a role model.
for Ariza, I'd be on the phone right now, trying to finalize the deal. for Battier, no "f...uc....freaking" way. Though, I'd be inclined to give them another piece for Smith (not being Scola, Brooks, Lowry, Hayes, and Landry).
You bring him off the bench. If he's hot he plays big minutes. If he's not he doesn't. He's hot about half the time which is far, far more than Ariza is.
When you watch JR plays closely as a Rockets, I believe he will drive you crazy most of the time. You think JR is better because his bad plays never bother you and what attracted your eyeballs are his crazy numbers a couple of times each season.
We acquired Ariza as a long term piece. I believe that Battier is on the decline. Morey has said that he is adding pieces not only for today, but that will fit into our long term plans. Thus, I would give up Battier who does not provide long term, on the court value. I think Battier's time is now and the Rockets time is to come.
In fairness: It's also obvious that Battier is useless on offense too. He's actually shot the ball worse than Ariza lately, and Ariza has actually had a few games where's put of a good number of assists.
Ariza is also 24 and is avg. 16 ppg. And Kobe Bryant is 31. You should probably re-think your reasoning. I'm just sayin'. :grin: I'm not debating one over the other. I'm just asking that you think through your reasoning before making a statement like this.
