Another tidbit: Smith is off the books after next Summer (at $6.4 million a year) vs. Ariza ($5.8 million) into a 4 year deal. I didn't think Ariza was the guy, during the summer, and still don't now. Would like to see a deal with Philly or Washington that would either ship him out or bring in more talent at SG or SF (A.I. or Butler deal with Young and/or Foye). Then stick Ariza to the bench in favor of more talented wing player.
I feeling that Denver would insist on Ariza being part of the trade, and the Rockets will prefer not to give him up. Which would make the current poll results rather ironic.
You know, I have always been against bringing in bad players. As a fan, if my team can't win with "good guys" then I didn't want to win at all. Then, Morey brought in Trevor Ariza. My outlook has changed drastically. Bring in JR Smith!!!
I can't see why the Nuggets would do the trade. I don't think their bench could survive losing Smith's scoring punch. For the Rockets, we need an offensively efficient SG/SF who can start for us and I don't think Smith is the answer there either. His game is built to come off the bench IMO, and we need offensive help in the starting lineup, not the second unit. I'd rather see Morey hold out for a true starting-caliber wing and have either Ariza or Battier come off the bench, where their defense would perfectly fit the team's needs.
I respectfully disagree. I think Ariza has been mis-casted. Ariza is not a go-to scorer. I believe he is best off the fast break and when he is attacking the basket. If we got JR Smith, He could be the go-to scorer and Ariza could settle into his role. I think DaDakota is right when he says that Battier and Ariza are redundant. I think we all would agree that Battier is not a go-to scorer. He is best when sitting in the corner waiting to shoot the 3. However, those times I have seen Battier trying to beat his man off the dribble has been painful to watch. Its not his game. I think you will see Ariza's value when we get a go to scorer.
I'm sick of us (and other teams) getting the Lakers garbage. Ariza is not garbage, and can improve as player, but they are better wings out there. We could definitely get at shooting guard somewhere with the T-Mac trade or in the off-season who is probably just as capable as Ariza defensively and much superior on offense.
Another comment from Hollinger in the same chat: [rquoter] Adam (Houston) John, any word on whether Daryl Morey wants to make any moves? I keep on hearing Houston mentioned in rumors, but it kind of seems they just want to stay the course and let T-Mac's contract come off the books. Thanks! John Hollinger (1:03 PM) Here's the calculus in Houston: They'll take on a player with a contract for next year if they value having that player more than having roughly $8 mil in cap this summer. For Bosh, obviously, that's a yes; for the likes of Caron Butler the answer is less clear.[/rquoter]
Great. So Battier isn't a go to scorer and neither is Ariza. I agree. So I'll keep the guy who is the better passer, defender and who doesn't try to do things he is unable to do. That's Battier. I'm tired of the "let's wait until Ariza doesn't have to do anything before we judge him" crowd. Everyone has been asked to do extra this season due to Yao and McGrady being out yet only Ariza looks like a complete imbecile on the court. There's a reason for that.
