RealGM He is #11 in PER for small forwards. Physical, not a big time scorer, but is a good defender getting 5 reb, 1.5 stl, 2 asst, in 24 minutes. It sure would be fun to take him away from the L@kers.
He is gonna resign with the Lakers. Lakers are willing to pay for him and he will be starting for a championship caliber team... Stop mentioning him dammit
Not interested. He's a product of the triangle. I think our SFs are better, just not producing the same because of our stagnant defense.
hehe. What's the matter Rizzle, getting a little warm in here for you? In any case I tend to agree that the lakers will find some way to retain him ... but if they don't then I'd be all over that; an Ariza/Batum pairing would be great defensively.
Ariza's best numbers are defensive, so I don't see how that could be a product of the triangle. If Batum could get stronger and more experienced, he brings more to the table than Ariza has. However, Ariza could step in right now about be a solid defender/glue guy. Batum may take another year or so. For my L@ker boy DaRizzle, the L@kers may not pony up the money for him if the bidding gets high enough. I'm not sure I would take him either. However, he is a free agent this summer and does have experience and skills at a position where we could use some help.
How much of an upgrade is he over someone like Batum, who plays similarly, but is younger? I would sign him though, just to fuck with the Lakers.
Ariza forced himself into the Lakers rotation last year by heart alone. The dude was flying all over the place on the offensive and defensive end. He had an ugly J but it went in more than you expected. The Lakers told him to work on his J in the offseason because they had big plans for him. He improved it dramatically this summer. The part where he shines is his defense. He seriously is one of the elite defenders in the league right now. He has been much better than Kobe in that regard this year. He will steal passes that you thought he would have no chance in hell at. The dude has such fast hands. Also, this is the first year in his career where he has been asked to shoot...He is only gonna get better with time
Ariza would be a big upgrade from Webster (not Batum, Batum stays no matter what, is what I think will happen) - so Portland trying to get him makes sense. Worst that could happen - the Lakers overpay to keep him? That's OK too.
He has gone from about 0% on his three to 33% this year on more than one attempt per game. He also is 11th in PER for small forwards, but doesn't have much of an offensive game. That should tell you how good his defense is.
I said to watch out for Ariza (if he could stay healthy) this summer. He has been on my list of backup plans since that time. http://www.sportstwo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133982
I'd be pretty happy with an Ariza signing. If Childress is healthy, I like Childress more, but Ariza would be a pretty good fall-back option, if he can be lured away from LA. His PER is solid because he's a pretty efficient scorer and rebounds well for a wing. Combine that with his very good defense, and he'd make a very nice starter for the team. When/if Batum surpasses him, Ariza would be a great luxury as a reserve.
I've been throwing Ariza's name out there for a while now, but I don't see any way that he leaves the Lakers. He went to UCLA, and gets to play a significant role on a contender. And they can match whatever salary we offer to keep him. So... But yeah he and Sessions were two guys I was targeting but I doubt we'll get either one. Frustrating.
Then why was he traded for scrubs? He's always been a good defensive player but his offensive production is a result of Phil's offense and Kobe.
Ariza isn't likely only because Buss is actually willing to pay for him. Buss is willing to pay $100M including lux taxes yearly, so Ariza can be resigned to an MLE deal pretty easily and be guaranteed a starting position in LA. Born and raised in LA, played for UCLA, is very comfortable on the Lakers, etc. Just too many things going for him in LA. Portland would have to offer a full MLE deal, which is all they can give, and Buss would have to lowball him, for Ariza to become a Blazer. I don't see it happening unless they prioritize resigning LO over Ariza. I don't see LO pushing out Ariza by making exorbitant contract demands, but anything is possible I suppose.
