It doesn't matter. Martin is now taking (and making) all those shots Ariza was clanking last year. No way Trevor is taking those shots away from Martin. Ariza would have been reduced to a Battier-esque role on offense (fifth option no matter WHO is on the court with him) this season. We lost virtually nothing on offense with this trade.
Look at trevor's stats after the Martin trade, are you telling me Battier could have done the same thing?
Disagree. Even with Trevor playing as a fifth option, he still would have gotten a few more fast breaks, few more rebounds, few more finishes at the rim, few more assists, etc. All that adds up.
I don't give too much weight to Battier's stat drop offs last season. The way the starting lineup was composed, it just wasn't catered to Battier's strengths. Offensively, he deferred completely to Brooks and Ariza, and I don't have a problem with that: they were our best offensive options with Yao out. Defensively, it was hard for anyone to shine with the disadvantage in the frontcourt last season. Battier's brand of perimeter and help defense is just much more effective when he's paired with a big man like Yao. (He even said that this was the case.) I know you can say that about just about any player, but it's just more so with Shane. He's really a master at complementing Yao. Couple that with the fact that he was working through some minor injuries, I see last year as an anomaly for Battier.
To me, Ariza always seemed like he didn't fit in rick's system. He looked lost and found himself improvising a lot of the times. When he improvised, it wasn't a pretty sight. Then again, he was asked to play a role he was not used to playing. And management made it seem like we were getting 'calls' about ariza, as in something better than Lee, like Rudy combined with batum. oh well. i don't like trade. I don't hate the trade. Go Rockets!
To: Those who say les is cheap, say this is a terrible trade, this trade is eh? WE WIN AGAIN!! With Ariza's Trade it saves us 28M over 4 years for Lee's 3.5M over 2 years w/ a TO. While Lee, who has a greater upside shooter and also a great defender. However, my main point is not about lee, but about next years potential to sign a SUPERSTAR in THE 2011 NBA FREE AGENCY! 2011 Expirings = Lee 2.3M (TO) Taylor <1M (TO) Budinger <1M (TO) Hill 2.3M (TO) Yao 17.6M Battier 7.3M Jefferies 6.8M Hayes 2.3M Brooks 2M (QF) Thats 36M OFF THE BOOKS in 2011!! w/o TO contracts included! Carmelo2Houston.com or what? Les wasn't being cheap. He was being smart!
the problem with that is it looks like Carmelo is going to New York, and I doubt Houston is on his list anyway.
If the Teflon Don gets injured we start Kevin Martin and C-Lee becomes the starting SF. Being 6'5, Lee is 3 inches shorter, but this is what Draftexpress has to say about his D: "On the defensive end (which will be examined further in Part 5), Lee is often asked to guard the opposing team’s best perimeter player. His size at 6’5 and slight frame was a concern coming in to the league, but Lee’s toughness and good lateral quickness has turned him into a defensive hound." http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Courtney-Lee-471/ If Battier gets injured IMHO a starting lineup of KM/Lee backed by Lowry/Bud isn't that bad.
I think Les is more interested than winning then costs to be honest. They wouldn't trade Ariza away just to get under the cap. They'd do it because the believe Lee will make them better. I don't think he will since he can't play the 3 and he's going to be a back-up...and after being a starter it might be hard for him to adjust. Ariza was playing well once we got Martin. Ariza just needed a 2 guard to draw off the defense a bit and give him more space. Ashame we didn't let him have another year - people would have seen him blossom off of Martin's game.
So, with this trade you are putting Lee as our first backup to both Martin and Battier? What has he done to make you think he's a legit NBA starter or much less can even play SF (I'm honestly not sure if he ever has)? I felt more comfortable when our backup option at both positions was Shane.
Ariza may have found his role when we got KMart (being the shooting guard's b****?), but before that he was really pissing me off. It wasn't just the poor shooting percentages as that was merely the coaching staff encouraging him to let 'em fly. It was his attitude. I remember sitting court side a couple of times at the Toyota center and watching Trevor look like somebody had spilled his milk every time somebody stole one of his rebounds or wouldn't pass to him when he wanted them to. Just a bad attitude at the beginning. I think Ariza is the better player than Lee, but I'm glad Trevor's gone. I don't think he liked playing for us anyway.
According to articles, C Lee has good defense. I don't see why everyone thinks our defense has dropped in this trade? While Ariza is more talented than Lee, this trade fits perfectly. We were stacked at SF, and needed a backup SG (unlessy ou think JT is up to the challenge).
This is how I feel about the trade.... Lets start with fit. Check this graphic I threw together merging the hotspots of our players. Yao's hotspots not available for whatever reason. Anyone wanna go ahead and guess what spot on the floor where he is most effecient? I'll bet you serious cash its the left low block. If you can't see the genius of what Morey has done here, then you are BLIND. Getting players in the positions where they are most comfortable and most effective is invaluable. The Rockets could potentially have an unstoppable half court offense next year with multiple options on the wings. You want to double Yao? Fine, a 40+ % three point shooter is wide open as a consequence. You want to load up on the left block, no problem, let Scola and Brooks take thier defenders one v one. You want to play some zone defense? Good luck, long bombs from every angle. Oh oh oh, what happens when we get in the penalty: Battier: 75% Brooks: 84% Budinger: 77% Martin: 86% Yao: 83% Scola: 74% Lee: 85% For reference, the league leaders last year were Dallas at 82%. And for the people b****ing about losing Ariza: He just flat out doesnt fit. His 66% FT shooting will not be missed, nor his high volume, low percentage chucking. And don't even get me started on his gambling defense. Steals are nice, but watching uncontested layups after missed steals is infuriating! But but but we got worse defensively! BS BS BS. Battier is a far superior defender to Ariza and Lee gives a legit defender to pair alongisde Shane, as opposed to the offensively inept Batriza combo last year. Lee can slide in and defend SG's and bigger guards such as Williams, which was a weakness for us last year, while still being able to muster up some form of offense. People can trash Shane all they want, but he is the perfect fit for a Yao centric offense...he spreads the floor and plays tough defense. Sliding him back into the starting lineup and inserting Lee into the high energy running second unit with Lowry/Budinger/Patterson/Hill has the makings of great synergy. All in all....I freaking love this trade.
Courtney Lee is low profile upgrade. I think he's a little better than Ariza, because he can create his own shot and is a defensive stopper. Had he never been traded for to the Nets he would be getting all types of pub in Orlando.
I believe Morey, I don't think this was a salary dump (exclusively). They have been going after Lee for some time. Think about what the board thought when we picked up Lowry. This will turn our similarly. Those who watch the games will love Lee. Ariza and Taylor aren't really team players. One player can disrupt chemistry. We're looking to get the most out of our team, by fielding a team that will play together well. I think we'll have something special.
Good post, larsv8. I believe Yao's favorite spot is the left block, which would make him the final piece of your hot spot puzzle. Interesting.
I agree with you, but I think it's worth pointing out that the sample size for some of those is pretty small. Take Lee's 19 attempts from straight away - that number can change drastically next year. I'm just sayin...
