Wow @ thinking $6 million is too much for an athletic swingman who was a key piece to a championship team, can hit spot-up threes, and is a great perimeter defender, and is young.
ARIZA - 32 min. 44% FG, 24 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg, 2 spg. All-Star appearance plus Most Improved Player!!!
They were not a championship team, before Ariza was signed for $6 mil. It has more to do with 40+ mil that's sitting on the bench in street clothes for the last 4 years, than the Ariza signing.
that is when he had no playing time did you see last year what he did for the lakers if he got playing time. i can see him being a great sign for the rockets in the future. i think he can improve his game and he will be a good player for the rockets
His 3 point shooting isn't really that good and that's most of his offensive game. Yeah, he's young but he has been in the league a while so I don't think he has this huge upside others believe he has. He caught fire from the 3 point line in the playoffs but couldn't hit the broad side of a barn anywhere inside the line in the Finals. His free throw shooting is also below average. Is he a good defender? Yeah but I don't think he's great. I think he's decent player who got the benefit of playing with Kobe, Gasol and Odom who got him all kinds of wide open looks. Derek Fisher was also a "key piece" of the recent Championship team but you would be hard pressed to find a worse starting PG in the league. Ariza's contributions are overblown and overstated. He's an 11/4 guy who doesn't lead and doesn't use his athleticism nearly enough. He's overpaid.
+1 Here are some other guys. Turkoglu - Kings and Spurs to Orlando(5th yr) Jermaine O'Neal - Portland to Indiana(5th yr) Stephen Jackson - San Antonio to Atlanta(4th yr) Devin Harris - Dallas to New Jersey (4th yr)
Mike Dunleavy went from 11 pts a game to 19 pts the next season with Indiana, but he was injured last year. It's hard to tell if it's just a blip. There is also John Salmons from Philadelphia to Sacramento. He blossomed from a 4-8 ppg into a 18ppg player at Sacramento.
Both teams happen to be one of the worst in the NBA. I don't think these two players can score as much on a contending team.
Rockets are not a contending team with Brooks and Scola replacing Yao and T-Mac's scoring. If you think they are a playoff contender, good for you.
i think the ceiling for ariza is a 'gerald wallace' type player. we'll find out what we're getting on opening night. he'll see plenty of touches. we'll see how aggressive he is.
What I like best about Ariza is that he came here because he liked our team. He liked our scrappy team. From his press conference it seemed clear to me that he was impressed with our showing without TMAc and Yao. The one with Scola, Landry, AB, Battier, Lowry, Hayes. Ariza sees himself as THAT type of player. The player that plays HARD, NEVER GIVES UP. Defensive minded. Team player. He wants to be a part of it. He thinks he can add to it. He thinks they can beat the "big" teams, the media darlings. I know this thread is about Ariza's offensive potential, and thats why I am writing this. Playing HARD, NEVER GIVING UP, and playing TEAM basketball are not phenomena that only happen on the defensive end of the court. Our team this upcoming year will play both ends of the court with grit and determination. We will impress. Book it.
