spot on! for years the Rockets have forced small forwards into the shooting guard position. This trade strengthens the shooting guard spot behind Martin and frees the log jam at small forward. While Lee might not get the steals that Ariza registers, he is also not the gambler on defence and is more of a focussed lock down defender. The other numbers, particularly outside shooting are relatively comparable between the two players and there is no reason to think Lee can't replicate or improve on Ariza's stats in the Houston system. I see a fare more balanced roster (2 deep at each position) now with better ball handling in the back court and less expectations on Jermaine Taylor as the primary back up two-guard. A great move when compounded with the TPE
Bottom line is Ariza will be starting next season and Lee won't be. Probably be that way for the foreseeable future if not forever.
That's your opinion, which you have no way of verifying. The fact is Ariza will be playing 30+ minutes next season starting for the Hornets while Lee will be lucky to get 20 minutes coming off the bench with the Rockets.
Everything is right on except for the fact he does not mention the TE. Which is a valid argument for the trade. Trevor Ariza would have been starting for us next year. Anyone who doesn't believe that is crazy.
Just like Rafer playing 30+ minutes starting for the Magic while Lowry was lucky to get 20 minutes coming off the bench with the Rockets. Brilliant!
We were arguing who is the more likely NBA starter going forward...Lee or Ariza. Has nothing to do with the trade.
The Rockets will be a better team with Battier and Budinger playing those minutes than they would if Ariza was playing 30+ minutes a game. And with 3 players all in need of minutes at that spot, there was not going to be enough minutes for all 3. So, they did the right thing and sent Trevor to New Orleans. The team is better because of it, and so is Trevor a win win situation. DD
I don't know what's worse, RealGM articles or BleacherReport articles. For all the talk of banning BleacherReport links on ClutchFans, I'd sooner see RealGM banned first. I've been following RealGM for a long time and their writing now isn't any less amateurish than it was five years ago. The second article on the front page about the trade is just as bad. The writer can't even be bothered to do his homework thoroughly (he states the Rockets save $5 million this year when in fact the number is $10 million due to luxury tax, for example). And then he points to their similar PERs as the reason why Morey found the swap attractive. What? I don't know why people ever take RealGM seriously. I really don't. Everything that comes from that site reads like it was written by a 14 year old that thinks he's smarter than he really is.
The interenet and a lack of editors is the problem, more than anything else. Just put on your "internet" goggles. DD
The point is who cares who is the more likely NBA starter. Lowry is a backup and I'm damn glad we traded a "starter" for him.
Everyone listen: This is a move to get Chase Budinger big time minutes. Morey said it himself on 610 after the trade..something along the lines of "it's a big vote of confidence in Chase". Whether or not you believe it's smart to rely on Chase more is up for debate but that is what our braintrust (who isn't wrong..ever) has decided. We've solidified a skilled offensive and skilled defensive player at EVERY position 1-5. We acquired a solid 2-way player who can backup Martin. We have a blooming 2-way player in Budinger who will get more minutes backing up Battier or possibly starting. Our 4s and 5s are deep now assuming Yao can be Yao for 20 min a game. Everyone relax...it's going to be an entertaining season..especially when we acquire Carmelo Anthony or Danny Granger at the trade deadline :grin: .
He mentioned SEVERAL times that this was a move like the Lowry one, where they were clearing room for a young and up and coming player. DD
This is pretty bad. All you need to know in order to see how great this deal was is: A. The Rockets had no real backup SG (much less one who can defend) and a starting SG who is going to miss 20 games a season B. The Rockets had a logjam at SF where two of the three players were redundant (Battriza) Even without my personal feelings toward Ariza's attitude or how he did not fit in here I still see this trade as a no-brainer.
