[ESPN Mag] Ariza article

durvasa · Sep 10, 2009

September 21st issue of ESPN the Magazine has a 8-page piece on Trevor Ariza by Sam Alipour.

Here's an excerpt (thanks to kkolish of clutchfans.net for transcribing):

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That script began to be rewritten at the toll of free agency, 12:01 a.m. on July 1, one minute into the day after Ariza's birthday. He was still celebrating with his family when he received a call from his agent, David Lee. "He said, 'the Lakers called, and they think you're only worth the midlevel,'" or $5.8 million a year, Ariza recounts. Technically, it wasn't even an offer. Says Lee of the Lakers GM, "Mitch Kupchak's exact quote was. 'We want Trevor on the cheap, and we're not going to make an offer. Find what the market will bear and come back to us.'"

Ariza was bummed. He'd been expecting something in the $7-to-$8 million range, but he also knew the Lakers had committed $74 million to eight players, putting them well into luxury tax territory. And free agent Lamar Odom was still unsigned. "I thought, Fine, let's talk to some teams and see if anybody values me more," Ariza says. Later that morning, he headed to Vegas to cool out with his family while fielding calls from suitors. The Cavs brought it hard. Mike Brown and Shaq phoned, LeBron texted, then met Ariza face-to-face. They eventually put five years, $33 million offer on the table.

But it was Rockets GM Daryl Morey who received the coveted dinner meeting that night. Like everyone else, Morey, was taken with Ariza's selflessness, athleticism and offensive uptick, all of which made him a snug fit in Rick Adelman's free-flowing attack. But in his analysis, Morey, the league's top number cruncher, discovered something else, too. "We found Trevor's defensive impact to be at the top of his position."

"He was always our top free agent target, but on his defense alone, he was worth the money we had available for him." As he and Ariza were leaving dinner, Morey checked his voice mail. Ron Artest was LA-bound.

A few hours later, Ariza agreed to a five-year, $33 million deal with the Rockets, similar to what the Lakers had given Artest. "We were surprised Trevor was available," Morey says. "We thought the Lakers would bring him back for sure." Ariza was pretty sure of that too. "If you'd told me I wasn't going to be a Laker, I wouldn't have believed you," he says. "You'd think they'd want to keep their team together. I mean, we won the championship, and I was a big part of it."

Kupchak insists the same thing: "It was our intention to keep the team together--and that included Trevor." But free agency is a fast-moving target, and decisions need to be made. "Early on, we weren't able to agree on a deal," he continues. "If it doesn't look like things are going the way you want them to, you have to make a quick decision and go in another direction."

The feeling in some NBA circles is that Lee--who had earlier been criticized for the public push he made to get another of his clients, the oft-injured Andrew Bynum, a max deal--overplayed his hand in a down market. Still, the whispers are that only after talks hit an impasse and Artest became available at a bargain did the Lakers change course.

Either way, the shakeout created conflicting emotions in Ariza'a now-former teammates. "Trevor's a great guy and a huge reason we won," says Jordan Farmar. "But we all know it's business, so I guess we have to enjoy what we accomplished and move on." Even as the Lakers will miss his game and goofiness, they feel Ariza is on to something. "Trevor now knows how to win, and he'll be more assertive in Houston," says Lamar Odom. "I'll be seeing him in the All-Star game soon."

That kind of bon boyage can bring a smile to anyone's face. Ariza, though, has been smiling since July 2, when he listened to this voice mail: "Hey Trevor, this is Luis Scola. I would really like for you to be my teammate." At the time, he couldn't believe his ears. "I thought Luis was a jerk," he says of the Rockets' feisty big man. "Just because of the way he plays. But he's a real cool dude." Within hours, Ariza had heard from seven other cool dudes, some by texy, like this one from an unknown number: "You beat us and won the championship. Now you can help me get one. -Shane."

Battier and the other Rockets expect their investment to pay quick dividends. Ariza again spent each summer weekday in that SDSU gym, as he put it, "dribbling through fire with gasoline drawers on." Translation: The dude wants to boost his guard skills, which will be at a premium in Houston with the continued absence of Tracy McGrady, who's still recovering from microfracture surgery. Ariza hopes to improve his shot, too, to "40-something percent" from the arc. But he draws the line at predicting next season's scoring average. "I have no idea what I'm capable of," he says. "I've never been featured in an offense."

For the first time in his career, Ariza might even be ready to assume a leadership role. This is what he has to say about a certain injured Chinese center: "Yao shouldn't even think about basketball. We're talking about his career here. He has to do what's best for him. Until he returns, we'll hold it down."

As at peace as Ariza appears to be these days, he hasn't quite let go of the events that led to his horizontal jump. "What was I supposed to do?" he says. "I didn't get an offer from the Lakers." He even claims he would have accepted the midlevel had it actually been offered. "Why wouldn't I? I love LA. I loved my teammates. I'd be closer to my family. It wasn't about money. I was offered more money than Houston gave me. The money will be there later."

He does say his decision to sign with the Rockets was partly hoops-based. "This was the best opportunity to show my abilities and expand my game." In the end, though, the main reason Ariza is spending an August weekend house hunting in Texas can be explained by a simple human need. "My whole career, all I've wanted to feel is wanted, and I have that now," he says. "It sounds crazy, but the Rockets swept me off my feet. I'm telling you, I've never felt so comfortable in my life."

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[ESPN Mag] Ariza article

durvasa JBB Rockets Fan

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[ESPN Mag] Ariza article

durvasa JBB Rockets Fan

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