You really put Bev and Jones under a 38 year old Terry? I can some some argument for Capela due to his room for improvement (but Bev and Jones are both better than him as of right now), but Terry? Really? And Thornton may not even get playing time. You put him over a guy who got second team all defense? Never mind that Thornton and Bev were both free agents this year and you can look at what kind of contracts they signed to see how GM's around the league perceive their respective value.
Ariza, and it's not that close. Even with Beverley on the court last year Trevor was clearly the key perimeter defensive cog. He's got the unique talent of racking up a ton of steals while rarely making bad gambles, which means less scrambling for the other guys. Obviously he's one-dimensional on offense but it's a good dimension for a Harden-led team. D-Mo will get there if, and only if, he becomes an above-average defensive rebounder. I don't expect it to happen but it's still totally possible with some hard work.
Him constantly boxing out makes him at least an average defensive rebounder even if his own numbers don't reflect that. T-Jones on the other hand is abysmal on that aspect even if his numbers are slightly better.
Assuming that D-Mo recovers from his back injury fine, I would lean towards D-Mo over Ariza simply due to D-Mo's ability to create his own shot. Ariza is leaps and bounds better everywhere else though, except for passing and shooting. D-Mo is a better passer IMO and before he got hurt, shooting was a wash IMO. If D-Mo does NOT properly recovery from back injury, it will be Ariza and it wouldn't even be close.
I did. I really did. Capela is way more valuable than Jones is and will ever be. He's our Howard insurance and his room for improvement as you mentioned is huge. I put Terry where I did because he's clutch, knows how to win and he's going to be huge for us down the stretch. Last year he was counted on way too much. He wasn't supposed to play as much as he did. Best player doesn't always mean stats or what they do strictly on the court. We need an OG like Terry the younger guys respect and he will keep this team together during tough stretches. Every Championship team needs someone like Terry. As for Thornton I think a lot of people are sleeping on him. I think he will play a major role off the bench. He's going to be our instant offense off the bench and he has big incentives to play well. Signed a vet min deal for a reason with us. Cap increases next year and he gets to showcase his skills and help win on a contender. I could be wrong but I just have a really good feeling on this one. Just want to reiterate this is my personal opinion and preference. If you rank Jones and Bev higher I can see why and I can't argue against it.
Ariza, but if Jones, D-Mo, Capela, or any of our other young guys takes a step forward and passes up Ariza, it's going to be a really, really good year. Those guys all show flashes, now they need to be consistent.
The boxing out excuse is starting to become a huge joke in here. If your 7 foot tall just go grab the darn rebound before any of the opposing players do. Stop with the boxing out excuse as an attempt to defend his poor rebounding.
I prefer my PF getting 6 rebounds if that means the team gets 40 rebounds as opposed to the PF getting 8-9 rebounds while the team totals 25 rebounds.
DMo has the potential to become the second best player on this team....and an All Star to boot. I know that's bold talk for a one eyed fat man, but if he can stay healthy...and gets the chance to play alongside Dwight when it counts ...with Lawson up top...OOLALA.
Ariza Offensively he is a hit or miss, but he's more valuable on the defensive end than Moti.. Moti is 5th with Brewer being really close. Truly, when TJ plays his best, hes our 4th guy, he's just to inconsistent
For me it's Ariza . Brewer is not an NBA starter. You lose Ariza you lose games. I've seen this team without Lawson, DMo, Jones, Brewer... they did fine.
