Trevor Ariza exposed

[KG5MVP]

1/11 FG
0/4 3FG


nothing more than just a good roleplayer who's dependent on assists

[SpaceCityHakeem]

its the preseason duke.......slow ya role

[KenneBell]

Now I know the season has started. :oldlol:

On topic: It's preseason. Most of these guys are playing at 30%.

[KG5MVP]

its the preseason duke.......slow ya role


only took 2 preseason games to expose him

[ZMonkey11]

wow. overeactions like whoa. who said he was an all star?

[qrich]

So is DeAndre Jordan one of the best centers in the game? Considering he got 22/10 on 8-8 shooting?

[JustinJDW]

Although I do think Ariza is overrated, it's still only the Pre-Season.

[ihatetimthomas]

Get out with this crap. Its one game.

I don't know about exposed because I think he is a very good player. But I think anyone who plays with Kobe and Gasol is going to get a lot more open looks.

[ElPigto]

1/11 FG
0/4 3FG


nothing more than just a good roleplayer who's dependent on assists

I hope you realize he was brought here to be more of a defensive player. I'm sure if he doesn't work out, the Rockets won't be hurting. We already know we won't be all that great this season, so I hope you don't try to use this as an argument. Also he has a pretty cheap contract unless he completely gives up on basketball, then I'm pretty sure he'll be worth it.

[B-Low]

Players do better when they're surrounded by better players. This is news? I thought you of all people would know that considering the way KG didnt do jack $hit til he got 2 potential HOF'ers. "No KG did great on his own!" :oldlol:

[plowking]

Pre season has always been good for measuring talent and how well a player will play this coming season. A few other things the preseason has told us:

Neither Kobe, Wade or Lebron will average more than 20ppg
Vince Carter will shoot a solid 20 something percent from the field for the season
Brandon Roy will also shoot around 25%.

All these players. EXPOSED. They've never been stars.

[ZeN]

So is DeAndre Jordan one of the best centers in the game? Considering he got 22/10 on 8-8 shooting?
:roll:

[FinalCountdown]

Preseason games determine your past present and future. I thought it was obvious

mind raped

[04mzwach]

So is DeAndre Jordan one of the best centers in the game? Considering he got 22/10 on 8-8 shooting?
No, it means he was the best center of the game.

[HighFlyer23]

ISH: where preseason games matter more than the regular season and playoffs

[RoseCity07]

1/11 FG
0/4 3FG


nothing more than just a good roleplayer who's dependent on assists

I was thinking the same thing. Only an idiot would think he was anything more than a role player.

[ihatetimthomas]

I hope you realize he was brought here to be more of a defensive player. I'm sure if he doesn't work out, the Rockets won't be hurting. We already know we won't be all that great this season, so I hope you don't try to use this as an argument. Also he has a pretty cheap contract unless he completely gives up on basketball, then I'm pretty sure he'll be worth it.

Yea, he clearly was not signed for his offense. He made a name for himself last year bc of his defensive intensity, not his offense. When he was on the Lakers, his offense was a bonus. Its his D is what we counted on

[Raider007]

Notice how some preseason games are about as exciting as a box of carpet?


:rolleyes:

[ihatetimthomas]

I was thinking the same thing. Only an idiot would think he was anything more than a role player.

Yea and how many idiots actually think he is more than a role player? Obv he is a role player, thats common sense

[Fatal9]

Looks like 'The Kobe Effect' is already visible.

[kumquat]

It's like playing Horry as anything more than a role player.

[plowking]

Looks like 'The Kobe Effect' is already visible.

You'd really like to think that. :oldlol:

[Knicks101]

EXPOSED! Good job OP.

[Fatal9]

You'd really like to think that. :oldlol:
Yea, like I didn't watch nearly every Laker game last season. Everyone already knows how important Kobe's presence was for Ariza. I guess it's just magic that anyone paired with Kobe sees a rise in their efficiency (for Ariza, he literally made his career) :confusedshrug:

[FinalCountdown]

Yea, like I didn't watch nearly every Laker game last season. Everyone already knows how important Kobe's presence was for Ariza. I guess it's just magic that anyone paired with Kobe sees a rise in their efficiency (for Ariza, he literally made his career) :confusedshrug:
Guess it kinda works for how Jordan made Pippen too? Huh. :rolleyes:

[SpaceCityHakeem]

Yea, like I didn't watch nearly every Laker game last season. Everyone already knows how important Kobe's presence was for Ariza. I guess it's just magic that anyone paired with Kobe sees a rise in their efficiency (for Ariza, he literally made his career) :confusedshrug:
Yea because last year with kobe gasol odom is the same as preseason with fkn cook budinger and brooks.

[Fatal9]

Guess it kinda works for how Jordan made Pippen too? Huh. :rolleyes:
Yea, because all Pippen was doing was camping around the 3pt line waiting for Jordan to feed him a shot. There were seasons where Pippen probably held the ball MORE than MJ. Completely irrelevant comparison being made by an idiot.

[Bodhi]

You'd really like to think that. :oldlol:

Well it pretty clearly happened with Smush Parker. Look at his stats on the Lakers compared to every other team he played for.

And so far it looks like Ariza isn't going to be able to shoot the way he did on the Lakers.

[#1SportsFan86]

Wow! are people really bashing Ariza over a PRE-SEASON game?....I mean let's wait to see what he does in the season before we say he was a product of Kobe Bryant.

[FinalCountdown]

Yea, because all Pippen was doing was camping around the 3pt line waiting for Jordan to feed him a shot. There were seasons where Pippen probably held the ball MORE than MJ. Completely irrelevant comparison being made by an idiot.
You're doing a piss job being a closet Kobe fan.

[phoenix18]

I told Ariza to put his clothes on in the players only room. Now they got pics of your junk floating around the internet. Shame on you Trevor.

[soadrules]

Celtics exposed: Lose to Rockets in 96-90.

IT'S THE PRE-SEASON. Jesus.

[Al Thornton]

So is DeAndre Jordan one of the best centers in the game? Considering he got 22/10 on 8-8 shooting?

hell yeah DJ >>> Dwight Howard

[All Net]

ISH

Where trolls happen

[artificial]

I don't see why everyone is so negative about this thread.

I mean, c'mon, this troll finally made a non-KG thread!! w00t w00t!

:party:

[ronnymac]

Rocketsgreatness, itruwarrior, redziggyzag, dreamshake, yaokobe=kgmvp

[HylianNightmare]

Yeah ariza is a scrub

[1~Gibson~1]

Trevor Ariza was nothing special to begin with. He's a good defender that can knock down the open jumpers, but basically all of the LA fans overhyped him like they do every other player that comes to LA.

We all know what you're getting when you choose Ariza. And that's:

Good Defense
A guy that can knock down the open three
A guy that isnt afraid of the dirty work

That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

[TruthKGRay3412]

Players do better when they're surrounded by better players. This is news? I thought you of all people would know that considering the way KG didnt do jack $hit til he got 2 potential HOF'ers. "No KG did great on his own!" :oldlol:

KG became a HOF player,MVP,multiple All NBA teams,all star appearances etc before he got 2 potential HOF's..WTF are you talking about b?

[Gundress]

Is T-Mac on Rockets or what? because Trevor Ariza wears number 1...that's T-Mac. What happened?

[JohnnySic]

Ariza did not get exposed; he is a serviceable rotation player, nothing more.

[ukballer]

Is T-Mac on Rockets or what? because Trevor Ariza wears number 1...that's T-Mac. What happened?

From a random internet article I found.

[QUOTE]Rockets guard Tracy McGrady will change his uniform number to No. 3 to promote his

[Bodhi]

Trevor Ariza was nothing special to begin with. He's a good defender that can knock down the open jumpers, but basically all of the LA fans overhyped him like they do every other player that comes to LA.

We all know what you're getting when you choose Ariza. And that's:

Good Defense
A guy that can knock down the open three
A guy that isnt afraid of the dirty work

That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

I don't think it was just LA fans overhyping him. When Ariza left for the Rockets, a lot of people were trying to argue that he was a better player than Artest.

[imdaman99]

Oh please son. Ariza CARRIED Kobe to the championship. Therefore Kobe has 0 championships as the best player.

[imdaman99]

I don't think it was just LA fans overhyping him. When Ariza left for the Rockets, a lot of people were trying to argue that he was a better player than Artest.
I don't think he's inidividually a better player than Artest. But he was an awesome fit with the Lakers. He was a catalyst that could get some tremendous steals that could sway a game or basically get that steal to clinch a game. I don't see Artest doing that, he just doesn't have those young legs for it.

Now the Lakers are gonna have to depend on Shannon Brown to make them exciting steals or dunks or blocks.

[justin43]

Lets wait for a few more games before we say that Ariza has being exposed.

[SCY]

This preseason game has no bearing on the situation, but he's simply not going to be the player many Rockets fans are expecting. He will most likely never be as good as he was in the last postseason, where he played way above his talent level, but fans think he will improve on that. He simply doesn't have the shot, handle, or body control to be a good offensive player, so he better consistently be one of the top 2-3 wing defenders in order to justify that contract.

[brantonli]

I'm not worried. Morey said that Ariza was worth the money thrown at him for his defence alone, and I'll be very surprised if the Rockets were expecting him to be a 1st option. I just hope he can stay within his limits.

[justin43]

This preseason game has no bearing on the situation, but he's simply not going to be the player many Rockets fans are expecting. He will most likely never be as good as he was in the last postseason, where he played way above his talent level, but fans think he will improve on that. He simply doesn't have the shot, handle, or body control to be a good offensive player, so he better consistently be one of the top 2-3 wing defenders in order to justify that contract.

I agree, but I don't think this preseason game is representative on how Ariza will fare with the rockets.

[Rashard]

Some of you guys are right, Ariza just isnt going to cut it as a Rocket. That being the case, he is more than welcome to come back home to LA and back up Artest at the 3. The Rockets could have their choice of Morrison, Sasha or Luke. Im sure the Lakers would even be willing to throw Farmar and or Powell into the deal. Let's all hope a deal like this can get done.

[steeph28]

reading the thread title makes me think this is some tabloid story haha

[DKLaker]

Some of you guys are right, Ariza just isnt going to cut it as a Rocket. That being the case, he is more than welcome to come back home to LA and back up Artest at the 3. The Rockets could have their choice of Morrison, Sasha or Luke. Im sure the Lakers would even be willing to throw Farmar and or Powell into the deal. Let's all hope a deal like this can get done.

:applause: :applause: :applause: :cheers: :cheers:

[fatboy11]

1/11 FG
0/4 3FG


nothing more than just a good roleplayer who's dependent on assistsExposed as what? Something we already knew he was?

[cotdt]

TMax will create open shots for Ariza when he comes back.

[BankShot]

We're talking about ONE game in the PRESEASON :rolleyes:

[SCdac]

We're talking about ONE game in the PRESEASON :rolleyes:

Haha we're also talking about ISH... the land of knee-jerk reactions.

[dyna]

They think that this is going to be T Mac sign in Orlando Part 2.

:rolleyes:

[BankShot]

They think that this is going to be T Mac sign in Orlando Part 2.

:rolleyes:

Seriously?? T-Mac took a weak supporting cast to the playoffs in Orlando

[beasly15]

i don't really watch the preseason games. i don't think it's that important right now..

[Extempo]

There's nothing to be "exposed" here. Nobody heard of Ariza before he came to LA and he will go back to being non-existent now that he left. People who thought he would be as efficient a shooter in Houston as he was in LA are kidding themselves. So 1/11 FG, 0/4 3FG sounds about right.

[SCdac]

There's nothing to be "exposed" here. Nobody heard of Ariza before he came to LA and he will go back to being non-existent now that he left. People who thought he would be as efficient a shooter in Houston as he was in LA are kidding themselves. So 1/11 FG, 0/4 3FG sounds about right.

Do you think he's going to average 0% from three point land, and less than .10 FG% throughout the season?

He averaged .53% from the field his last season in Orlando in 22 mpg.

[KenneBell]

Ariza just needs to adjust. He'll figure it out.

[LA_Showtime]

There's nothing to be "exposed" here. Nobody heard of Ariza before he came to LA and he will go back to being non-existent now that he left. People who thought he would be as efficient a shooter in Houston as he was in LA are kidding themselves. So 1/11 FG, 0/4 3FG sounds about right.

Gotta love the loyal fans. :banghead:

[jbot]

for 1, everyone has bad games. 2, it's preseason. 3, just keep going over 1 and 2 for now when u have the urge to create another bogus thread about a player's performance.

[Thom.Yorke]

As stated there's nothing to expose. Hes amazing role player but he can't run a team. I could see him being a 18ppg down the line if Mcgrady doesn't return.

He did improve his game overall, I do believe he got inspired by playing the lakers plus he had a lot of time to work on his shot due to his foot being broken and not being used on the off season on the 07-08 season.

he ain't an all star but he's far from a scrub. i still like ariza hey houston we'll give you walton for ariza lol

[BallersTalk]

Ariza's the ultimate off-ball player. He can hit open jumpers, has crazy long arms that allows him to pick off any passes, good enough hops and quickness to chase down players for blocks...but with all that said, he has VERY POOR AAU-level handles. So he'll never be able to create for himself. That's just how it is. The Lakers used him right and played to his strengths. But you can't have him running around trying to make plays. That's not his game. He's a great team player, but handles are developed at a young age. If you don't develop it by then you'll never develop it. It's not something like shooting where you can shoot 1000s of jumpers and eventually have a serviceable jumpshot. Most PGs don't even think about handling the ball. It's like the ball is an extension of their body. It's instinctual.

[plat1numX]

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o142/eodeeznuts/ThreadFail.jpg

[AznTacoLover]

Hey it's the preseason.. its true that playing with kobe and gasol get him a lot of open looks. Ballatalk is stating the truth.. Ariza has horrible handles... sometimes when he drives in lookes like he had no control of what to do.

[BankShot]

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o142/eodeeznuts/ThreadFail.jpg

Stupid response.

Not kidding, Fail.

[plat1numX]

Stupid response.

Not kidding, Fail.

This **** of a thread doesnt deserve a good response, sorry.

[phoenix18]

Hey it's the preseason.. its true that playing with kobe and gasol get him a lot of open looks. Ballatalk is stating the truth.. Ariza has horrible handles... sometimes when he drives in lookes like he had no control of what to do.
If he ate more tacos he would have better handles. Its only common sense.

[Samurai Swoosh]

Not that preseason is a great judge of how well someone might do ... this has always been the case. Ariza is a role player. A decent one at that who just so happened to be elevated given the talent he played off of last year. Anyone who tells you different is a retard.

[MiseryCityTexas]

I hope you realize he was brought here to be more of a defensive player. I'm sure if he doesn't work out, the Rockets won't be hurting. We already know we won't be all that great this season, so I hope you don't try to use this as an argument. Also he has a pretty cheap contract unless he completely gives up on basketball, then I'm pretty sure he'll be worth it.


shandon anderson all over again

[Lebron23]

33 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

:applause: :applause: :applause:

[blizzardman]

haha some of you people dismissed ariza way too soon. i guess he surprised a lot of people with these stats.

[U got Served]

Isn't KG5MVP = Redziggyzag ?

First he makes a "trevor ariza exposed" thread bashing him, then he makes a thread stating Ariza will be this season's MIP. :confusedshrug:

[snipes12]

so the rockets have 80 games more to prove this freakin morons what is the value of ariza .

[ronnymac]

Isn't KG5MVP = Redziggyzag ?

First he makes a "trevor ariza exposed" thread bashing him, then he makes a thread stating Ariza will be this season's MIP. :confusedshrug:
Redziggyzag=finalcountdown, itruwarrior, rocketsgreatness, kg5mvp, laker fan yo, bizzlerockets, clutchcityreturns, clutchcity 1993,dreamshake, soadrules, roxfosho......

[strifed169]

Redziggyzag=finalcountdown, itruwarrior, rocketsgreatness, kg5mvp, laker fan yo, bizzlerockets, clutchcityreturns, clutchcity 1993,dreamshake, soadrules, roxfosho......

thats depressing

[soadrules]

Redziggyzag=finalcountdown, itruwarrior, rocketsgreatness, kg5mvp, laker fan yo, bizzlerockets, clutchcityreturns, clutchcity 1993,dreamshake, soadrules, roxfosho......

Nah, I'm not RedZiggyZag.

I actually appreciate T-Mac and believe he has a chance at being a big part of this team this year.

You can check some of my other posts, Ronny.

[SCREWstonRockets]

Honestly, I never put high expectations on Ariza so performances like these (2 so far), put a big smile to my face. For folks who have watched him, does he have potential to be a break out all-star AKA more than a role player?

[TMac&Luther]

Just like I told Laker fans before........Ariza > than Ron Artest. But they already blew their load over that signing so they aren't going to listen.

Ariza can actually play within a offense and he can actaully still DEFEND!. Artest is overrated as **** as a defender, he isn't a good defender anymore...(especially against quick athletic players) and the guy is one of the biggest ballstoppers/chuckers in the NBA and is EXTREMELY INEFFICIENT. He doesn't know how to play within a offense and at times he'll make you want to blow your brains out with the way he'll go into his "dribble mode"....regardless if he's being guarded by 4 players...after all in his mind "he's better than LeBron James". :rolleyes:


LA is going to miss Ariza, he's a better fit for them than Artest is.

[Allstar24]

LMAO @ the OP, he got owned big time. This is why you don't make judgments based on one game. And that's why people shouldn't make judgments on whether Artest will fit in with the Lakers or not. It's only been 2 games.

[Dave3]

LMAO @ the OP, he got owned big time. This is why you don't make judgments based on one game. And that's why people shouldn't make judgments on whether Artest will fit in with the Lakers or not. It's only been 2 games.
People will never learn. The amount of stupid threads the past 5 days has been ridiculous.

[NoGunzJustSkillz]

how did ariza do tonight? this rockets team has heart. 3 years in a row they impress without tmac and yao.

[TMac&Luther]

on whether Artest will fit in with the Lakers or not. It's only been 2 games.

Actually I made those statements well before the season started. (not based on what has happened this season) I'm not saying the Lakers are going to suck or anything (they will still be a damn good team, because of the overall talent they have...but they also had alot of talent last year), I'm just saying they were better with Ariza......mainly because he knew his role. Players that "KNOW THEIR ROLE" are very important on championship caliber teams.. Artest doesn't know his role and he'll struggle to figure it out.

He isn't a good defender (not even close to what people think he is) and he thinks he is a better basketball player than he really is. (Again the whole "role thing", in his twisted mind he was LeBron before LeBron). Ariza was a better glue guy to stick around those stars while Artest thinks he is a main peice inside his head. Oh...he'll tell you differently....we heard it in Houston too, but it doesn't change the fact that he thinks he is a major peice and deserves the big/last shots in games...the scary thing is that he's crazy enough to actually think he's a better option than Kobe Bryant on some plays. :oldlol: Chemistry is a scary thing to **** with on a team like that. Bringing Artest on to a championship caliber team is risky, I don't care how you try to slice it...and this is coming from someone who watched him last season (the only reason it worked for Houston was because McGrady had to sit out the season, before that him and Artest weren't happy campers).

The Lakers with Ariza > than the Lakers with Artest. That much will be proven true by the end of the year.

[Lyin]

Ariza is good and all but the Artest signing is gonna PAY OFF deep in the playoffs when we face the Carmelo's, Pierce's and Bron's. Last year Ariza got DESTROYED by Melo. Bullied. Kobe had to take over and did a better job than Ariza.

[snipes12]

i remeber flip murray averaging 30+ points before

[TMac&Luther]

Ariza is good and all but the Artest signing is gonna PAY OFF deep in the playoffs when we face the Carmelo's, Pierce's and Bron's. Last year Ariza got DESTROYED by Melo. Bullied. Kobe had to take over and did a better job than Ariza.

Battier was the best defender vs LeBron......NOT ARTEST. (Again...skating by on reputation)

He may help against Carmelo, buy not enough to offset all his bricks and poor shot selection. Again people are latching on to a name here... "It's Ron Artest! a tough SOB who can defend"....Artest isn't that player anymore (he's a average defender AT BEST), which is why Houston was more than happy to see him walk..wasn't worth a multi year contract. Honestly Houston knocked off Portland last year inspite of Ron Artest...he hurt them in that series, but they were able to overcome it. Pray to god your season doesn't come down to Artest guarding someone like Brandon Roy.

[All Net]

Artest will be very important come playoff time. Think what you want but he is still an elite defender. Not as good as he was? sure he he is still a good defender and due to his size and strength will be better suited guarding the top swingmen better than Ariza could.

Artest is still learning his role in L.A...he will get it togeather and be a big factor. There is no doubt about that. Was always going to take him a while to get used to things.

[apesta]

its going to be interesting to see how T-mac will play along side Ariza. Im thinking T-mac might run the point.

[Hiei]

Ariza is not better than Artest... Lakers still have not played their intended rotation due to Pau's injury. One of the big reasons they wanted Artest was because unlike Ariza he can take up Kobe's role when he goes to the bench and force a double team. When Kobe/Pau/Fisher/Bynum go to the bench Artest would stay up with Odom coming off the bench, which should be an improvement over last year. Laker bench is known to be weak other than for Odom and getting Artest was convenient in every way. He has been missing some easy shots and FTs, but as everyone says its only been 2 games. Artest's career stats are very good, including last year and its not as if he magically became horrible over the summer.

[TMac&Luther]

Artest will be very important come playoff time. Think what you want but he is still an elite defender. Not as good as he was? sure he he is still a good defender and due to his size and strength will be better suited guarding the top swingmen better than Ariza could.

Artest is still learning his role in L.A...he will get it togeather and be a big factor. There is no doubt about that. Was always going to take him a while to get used to things.

Umm......Artest is NOT a elite defender :oldlol:, he wasn't even the best defender on his own team last year. He also isn't a guy you can throw at "top elite swingman"......."top elite swingman" will burn his ass. That's the reason why he's NOT a elite defender.

[All Net]

Umm......Artest is NOT a elite defender :oldlol:, he wasn't even the best defender on his own team last year. He also isn't a guy you can throw at "top elite swingman"......."top elite swingman" will burn his ass. That's the reason why he's NOT a elite defender.

Just because Battier was better doesn't mean Artest wasn't elite...he is clearly still one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. I think it is pretty obvious to most.

[TMac&Luther]

Artest's career stats are very good, including last year and its not as if he magically became horrible over the summer.

Last year Artest played on a team that didn't have many scoring options (unlike LA) and he was one of the most inefficient player is the league. I'm not saying the guy is going to be horrible......just saying the guy isn't near the player that you think y'all are getting. Feel free to bump this thread when Artest is chucking and dribbling out of control...

[wTFaMonkey]

Ariza is not better than Artest... Lakers still have not played their intended rotation due to Pau's injury. One of the big reasons they wanted Artest was because unlike Ariza he can take up Kobe's role when he goes to the bench and force a double team. When Kobe/Pau/Fisher/Bynum go to the bench Artest would stay up with Odom coming off the bench, which should be an improvement over last year. Laker bench is known to be weak other than for Odom and getting Artest was convenient in every way. He has been missing some easy shots and FTs, but as everyone says its only been 2 games. Artest's career stats are very good, including last year and its not as if he magically became horrible over the summer.

lmao. artest drawing 2 defenders is rare. roflll

[All Net]

Last year Artest played on a team that didn't have many scoring options (unlike LA) and he was one of the most inefficient player is the league. I'm not saying the guy is going to be horrible......just saying the guy isn't near the player that you think y'all are getting. Feel free to bump this thread when Artest is chucking and dribbling out of control...

Guess we will see come june. I'm very confident we will see plenty of good from Artest. Even Trevor struggled the first half of the season last year.

[TMac&Luther]

Just because Battier was better doesn't mean Artest wasn't elite...he is clearly still one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. I think it is pretty obvious to most.

It's not just that "Battier was better"...it was more that "Artest isn't what was advertised and has become a liability in some matchups". Artest is "Clearly NOT one of the best perimeter defenders in the league".....that's the entire point I'm trying to get across. Y'all think y'all are getting Bruce Bowen with some offensive skills.....that shit isn't happening (you might as well put that crack pipe down right now)...Artest is NOT a "elite defender".

[TMac&Luther]

Guess we will see come june. I'm very confident we will see plenty of good from Artest. Even Trevor struggled the first half of the season last year.

Pull up Artest's stats.....he didn't really improve. This isn't about who "struggled" early on. It's about a guy who is tossed around from team to team (and for good reason), because the "NEXT" team thinks he is a great defender while the current team realizes he's NOT.

I know it's hard for basketball fans to except, but from watching the guy first hand.....Artest IS NOT A ELITE DEFENDER....HE SUCKS AT MAN TO MAN DEFENSE AGAINST THE TOP TIER WINGMAN. I'm simply speaking the truth here.

[ganja0710]

Ariza is not better than Artest... Lakers still have not played their intended rotation due to Pau's injury. One of the big reasons they wanted Artest was because unlike Ariza he can take up Kobe's role when he goes to the bench and force a double team. When Kobe/Pau/Fisher/Bynum go to the bench Artest would stay up with Odom coming off the bench, which should be an improvement over last year. Laker bench is known to be weak other than for Odom and getting Artest was convenient in every way. He has been missing some easy shots and FTs, but as everyone says its only been 2 games. Artest's career stats are very good, including last year and its not as if he magically became horrible over the summer.
The thing is, Artest wants the ball. He needs the ball actually, to be effective. He cant be the number one guy anymore, he's on a team with Kobe and Gasol. The reason why he was so productive last season was because he took the spotlight offensively. McGrady was out for a big chunk of the season.

[LA_Showtime]

Pull up Artest's stats.....he didn't really improve. This isn't about who "struggled" early on. It's about a guy who is tossed around from team to team (and for good reason), because the "NEXT" team thinks he is a great defender while the current team realizes he's NOT.

I know it's hard for basketball fans to except, but from watching the guy first hand.....Artest IS NOT A ELITE DEFENDER....HE SUCKS AT MAN TO MAN DEFENSE AGAINST THE TOP TIER WINGMAN. I'm simply speaking the truth here.

a lot of defenders are overrated these days. hell, tim duncan has slowed down the past couple of years and nobody has the balls to admit it. artest isn't what he used to be, i'm pretty sure everyone will admit that. but still, can you name 5 small forwards you'd rather have defending the other teams best player? doubt it.

[LA_Showtime]

The thing is, Artest wants the ball. He needs the ball actually, to be effective. He cant be the number one guy anymore, he's on a team with Kobe and Gasol. The reason why he was so productive last season was because he took the spotlight offensively. McGrady was out for a big chunk of the season.

that has nothing to do with artest's struggles this season. if anything, artest has been too self conscious about hogging the basketball. he needs to be more aggressive and turn himself into a threat on offense.

[ganja0710]

a lot of defenders are overrated these days. hell, tim duncan has slowed down the past couple of years and nobody has the balls to admit it. artest isn't what he used to be, i'm pretty sure everyone will admit that. but still, can you name 5 small forwards you'd rather have defending the other teams best player? doubt it.
Ariza, Battier, Kirilenko, Bron, Prince

[inclinerator]

that has nothing to do with artest's struggles this season. if anything, artest has been too self conscious about hogging the basketball. he needs to be more aggressive and turn himself into a threat on offense.
melo, bron, iggy, granger, pierce, prince, etc.

[meh]

that has nothing to do with artest's struggles this season. if anything, artest has been too self conscious about hogging the basketball. he needs to be more aggressive and turn himself into a threat on offense.

Isn't that what he's saying? Because Artest is playing "controlled", he's having trouble?

Players who dominate the ball usually aren't very good at playing off of others. The most extreme example being the Dream teams who had trouble in international play despite overwhelming talent advantage. Artest didn't have to defer in Indiana. He was the main low-post option in Sacramento. In Houston he had trouble early in the season before T-Mac was out for the year. And afterwards he could go back to dominating the ball again.

While it's possible that Artest can adjust to his new role, you can't automatically assume he would.

[LA_Showtime]

melo, bron, iggy, granger, pierce, prince, etc.

Carmelo Anthony? Granger? Do you watch the NBA?

Tayshaun Prince is overrated. He's not a great man to man defender. Although he's an excellent weak side defender.

Iggy hasn't played great defense since his sophomore year in the NBA.

Pierce - Yes, at this point I think it's far to say he's a better defender than Artest.

I don't think LeBron James is a great man to man defender. He would get exposed in the pick and roll. But like Prince, he's an excellent weak side defender and he's brings an intimidation factor.

[TMac&Luther]

a lot of defenders are overrated these days. hell, tim duncan has slowed down the past couple of years and nobody has the balls to admit it. artest isn't what he used to be, i'm pretty sure everyone will admit that. but still, can you name 5 small forwards you'd rather have defending the other teams best player? doubt it.


Ha Ha...apparently you didn't watch Artest get butt raped last year, by just about every elite scorer. (I was just like you....thought the guy was all that....he's not)