Please Don't start with the Knee jerk Ariza bashing...

Too high the expectations are, the much disappointment we're gonna get for him.

He's done pretty well a job here by helping this team, well not so much on the offensive end because he's a streaky shooter. Being efficient should be his first and only priority and no need to think too much.

He has forced a lot of things to happen of late maybe too much pressure on him as he tried to do too much on the court, he's definitely not our go-to guy or our Mr.Clutch down the stretch when the game is on the line, gotta learn how to inspire our guys when we're down instead of throwing his elbow at the opposing player with his frustration getting the best of him.

 

Then why isn't he playing that complimentary role instead of trying to act like a max player? You and Pete aren't even closely listening to the complaints about Ariza. The complaint is: He's trying to do too much, not: He's not a superstar! wahh wahhh. People actually WANT him to do less, not more.

 

Seriously. Do you think, that couple of steals per game is the symbol of great work in the defensive end? Remember how he played as a Laker, how he was moving through screens, contesting shots etc. Not even close in a Rockets uniform. why? cause he is a great-great-great scorer, one of the best in NBA history and he should use his energy on missing threes and not on hardworking on D.

 

lol really? Aaron and Landry and Scola should be offensive options ahead of Ariza.... Ariza is averaging SEVENTEEN shots a game, you'd think by now he'd tone it down and distribute some of his shots to Brooks, Landry, or Scola or even Budinger.

 

YEAH DANG IT !!!!

It is only 1 game.

SHEESH....

The guy has been shooting lights out....all year....I mean well above 45%......don't blame him for this ONE aberation of a shooting game.

Or the one game where he can't dribble the ball, or split double teams or make a jumper, or gets caught reaching instead of playing good solid man defense.

He has been GREAT this year.

DD

 

He is a MLE player! What on earth do you expect the guy to do? Are his shooting percentages low? Yes they are. Why are they low? because he is not an All-Star talent. He can be a great third option where selected designed plays can be run for him (like screens, baseline cuts, etc). He would also work well as a spot up 3-point shooter. His poor shooting is a result of him playing out of his comfort zone. You bring a good go-to-guy back (like, well, i dunno maybe Tracy) and he will flourish. With Carl emerging and Brooks playing a bit better now, he will start playing better as he has to do less.

 

... and lose the ball with travels and silly passes. He is fantastic creator too, Magic Johnson kind of player...

 

We need offense help indeed, but he's not so versatile and creative on the offensive like other super stars, and also he could'nt even get his own shot off on his own, much less creating wide open shot opportunities for his teammates. What he did on the floor is dribble and stop and fake a shot and search for his teammate to pass the ball.

 

Exactly !!!

There are no MLE players in the league that can be expected to shoot the ball well, or move around on offense off the ball, or dribble, those are all players that make MORE than that.

Well said sir.....we are expecting him to be more, and MLE players should barely be above Moochie Norris....

DD

 

ariza needs to play a role like andre kirilenko does for the jazz. just be a role player and let our ball handlers feed you the ball.

 

so if brian cooks starts jacking up shots when he gets in the game, you're fine with that?

what about jermaine taylor? what about chuck hayes?

they don't (well outside of cookie in his limited minutes ) b/c they know their limitations.

you have got to recognize your weaknesses and ariza has a lot of them. however, he can still be effective by doing the little things: cut without the ball more, use the screens to get his open shots ala cbud... if he gets his shots in those ways, i would be satisfied b/c he's not creating for himself, but letting others create for him.

 

Ariza hasn't been jacking up shots recently. Despite him struggling today, I actually thought he took mostly good shots. he just missed them, it happens. During the last few games Ariza has done MUCH less playmaking then he did at the beginning, and I think he is starting to find is niche in the Rockets offense. Can he still score 17 a game? Sure, but he doesn't need to do it by taking 23 shots. He should NEVER take 23 shots. He had a bad game today, it happens. He is a great piece for us, better than Artest was.

 

Now we agree.

DD

 

Um, I don't know what game you all were watching, but Ariza was amazing today.

28 true points
13 true rebounds
9 true assists
4 true steals
2 true turnovers
.600 true true shooting percentage
+22 true plus/minus (or minus/plus, if you will)

Not to mention he hit the true gamewinner at the buzzer to give us the true victory. How much more do you want from the guy? I guess you're all basing your opinions of Ariza on traditional box score stats.

Come on people, it's the 21st century. Get with the times. Stats that don't include the prefix "true" went out with powdered wigs. Has nobody around here ever heard of moneyball?

 

you're right. it's not completely ariza's fault. adelman actually publicly stated ariza has all-star potential via the chron a few days ago. however, morey never said that (morey said during the offseason that they expected ariza to be what he was with the lakers and that's why they gave him the MLE).

he's our biggest signing so i guess... but don't you know when you're not a good offensive player? well that's a dumb question b/c rafer never did