2 things that you definitely can't take away from Ariza is his steals and the way he finishes at the rim. We could use both of those skills at the 3 right now. I think management decided Bud was the future at the 3 and he may well be. If you don't trade Ariza that stunts Buds growth. Without hindsight Bud wil never be the defensive player Ariza is but he will be a much better offensive option. Yao is not the defensive player he was before the injury. And with Scola as the other big we really need a good defender at the wing. Battier looks slower this year which all makes Ariza look better. With that being said I still think it was probably the right move. It cleared a logjam at the 3 and since I am of the opinion we need to make an upgrade trade on this team and the SF spot is probably the best option to upgrade at. It may eventually be a very smart move of the offseason. Perhaps the smartest.
I was VERY cool with the trade for Lee so don't get me wrong BUT I think Ariza got "it" at the end of last season and understood his role with Kev. His defense would have helped and if he understood his role better, he would have helped overall.
airball + 2 bad fouls leading Lebron 2 FT line - this is what ariza is all about. He has 15|41 from the field and 6|19 from 3 this season Do you really miss this all-star parody?
Heh...I really don't care what anyone says, Ariza just made two big plays for them to win the game...as usual.
He just hit a 3 to put the game away and the possession before he stripped Haslem off the ball and it went off Wade. 1) He's shooting unimpressive % like last year but he's taking half as many shots (until today he took 13) 2) His defense is still solid and he still makes timely defensive/hustle/energy plays. Morey messed up.
Also those two times he sent Lebron to the line not his fault. If he doesn't foul Bron, Lebron is flying through the air for a jam.
How is he playing within the offense? He is chucking up bricks at a high clip. He's missed 8 of his 12 shots, tonight so far.
Don't care what anyone says. The trade is not looking good RIGHT NOW. Compared to what Lee has brought to the team to what Ariza did. I'd rather have Ariza right now.
like i said earlier he's taking half as many shots but more importantly making timely ones. Sure his role is smaller but his defense/hustle/energy is still good as last year and thats exactly what we're missing right now
