The Trevor Ariza potential thread.

Augman entered the league at age 23, a year younger than Ariza is right now.

 

Ariza like any other player, has his good and his bad, we all know how athletic he is, his strength is obviously at the defensive end, his arms, his anticipation to the ball, he is quick and seems to give the right effort, Don`t get me wrong, he has improved his jumpshot alot, but that`s mainly because of the open looks he had with the LA offence, im not sure he is going to get the same looks with the Rockets, I guess we will have to wait and see, but other than that, he will bring alot to the table for houston, he is young and there is alot of room for improvment thats for sure

 

lol. this is akin to saying the only thing inhibiting joey dorsey from becoming karl malone is a consistent jumpshot and a low post game.

 

might as well be a big bucket of BB IQ.

 

I like the way you think....lol

 

I think both Ariza and Taylor have the potential to be Stars in this league

 

this is a long shot although Ariza could potentially become a Most Improved Player candidate.

 

You forgot the ability to get away with fouls. Malone and Stockton had it perfected like an art.

 

I actually worry that Ariza reached his potential as a player playing that
very important role in LA of making open 3's and playing tough defense.

Typical of our luck he will come to the Rockets and be gone within 2-3 disapointing seasons.

 

I get the feeling that all of this panic surrounding Trevor's potential stems from the sentiment that if he doesn't improve offensively, his contract isn't justified. I disagree and Daryl Morey pretty much said the same thing in his latest interview.

Let's say he doesn't improve one iota but maintains his status as a top 5 perimeter defender (DM's words, not mine), knocks down 3's, runs the floor, and gets hustle points...

That's not worth $6 million?

 

It is to me but then there always people who will argue it isnt like Lee and Bob.

 

It's definitely worth 6 million. Unless you're paying 7 mil to another player for basically the exact same things, and you've got 40 million sitting on the bench in streetclothes. Then it might not be worth 6 million.

(To be clear, I'm not really against the Ariza signing, but that's one argument you could make)

 

The efficient player both on offense and defense is more valuable than the volume shooter and average defender.

I remember the Sac Kings killing the Rockets with efficiency in the Steve Francis years. No one player of theirs stood out. Hopefully Ariza can be an efficient cog in the machine.

Very few players are efficient when the focus is on them. Ariza isn't on a team where he is the focus.

 

I'm not sure I believe Morey. $6 million seems like a lot of money for a guy who is a spot up shooter (with an average jump shot) and has average handles even if he is a great defender.

I think the Rockets expect him to improve but don't want to say that publicly in order to avoid putting extra pressure on Ariza or looking like they made a bad deal if he continues to only produce 11ppg and 4rpg per game while making more than everyone not named Yao, McGrady or Battier.

On a team in desperate need of a Center and a SG it's seems odd to pay that kind of money to a guy who is basically a less effective version of the guy already starting at SF unless they expect big things from him soon. Or, of course, unless they plan on moving Battier which I know you don't think they will do.

My gut tells me that Ariza is pretty much a finished product and Rockets fans are going to be wondering out loud for the next couple of years why the $6 million man has not improved enough to earn that check. I think Morey might have made his first real mistake as the Rockets' GM. Then again, I'm not real high on him spending so much money just to have the rights to sign a handful of second rounders either.

In Morey I Trust (but with with a lot more hesitation than I had two months ago)

 

that's akin to saying that

the only thing that separate Sun Yue (recently waived by the Lakers) from a NBA all-star is a consistent jumpshop and the ability to protect the ball​

 

....Aside from the age factor. The guy's only 24, and I can see him improve somewhat more over the years. 6 million for him is a good deal - we pay Battier 7 million, and while Ariza is not quite as good defensively, he's younger and obviously better on the offensive end.

 

Quoted for truth, sir.

 

What part of him game is he realistically going to improve on?

Ball handling? I haven't seen many players that entered the league with poor handle improve their handles significantly.

Maybe I'm expecting too much for 6 million. I never saw Ariza as a player that can improve in an all-star. It's not like Harris or Granger, where people knew they can improve into one.

 

Yes, but some players are more efficient when there is a focus on a player on the team that is not them. Example? Battier. Without Yao and Tracy, Battier's efficiency on the offensive end sucks.