I don't know why, but I've just got a funny feeling this is who you guys are after...not Hedo. Again, its just a feeling. What is the media out there reporting?
If you know KP, you'd know that any name of players that is leaked by the media is usually not the guy he's targeting. It could be Ariza. It could be Millsap. We'll know in an hour and a half.
It could be Hedo but I have a feeling it is A.Miller before Hedo. I'm not sure who it is but I have a feeling it is Kidd. I'm probably the only guy that thinks it's Kidd though. I do think we have interest in Ariza and if he is still avialable after we make a couple offers and if we get turned down I would think KP would make Ariza an offer.
Ariza is perfect for the Lakers. He's the ideal role player. If he was more talented, he wouldn't work as well. The thing about the triangle is that it rewards players who know their role and don't try to do too much. If they go elsewhere (see Fisher, Derek) their limitations become obvious. I'm much more interested in Lamar Odom. Much more talented, and much more important to the Lakers. However, like Ariza, I think he's happy where he is.
I think going after Ariza wouldn't be wise for the Blazers. If we signed him to an offer sheet and the Lakers wanted to match, they could take all seven days to match meanwhile our $$$$ would be tied up and we wouldn't be able to sign anyone else (excluding trades). Then all the top free agent SF upgrades would be gone, the Lakers match and we are screwed since we didn't get anyone (I'd assume Artest and Hedo would be gone by then).
Ariza is not restricted. There is no offer sheet/matching with him. I think I'd prefer Ariza to Hedo at this point, given Ariza's youth and presumedly lower salary requirement. Ed O.
Exactly. We need a SF who can hit the open shot, play defense, and just be a solid role player. Ariza has developed into a very good role player.
Ok I wasn't sure. Some people kept saying he was a restricted free agent but I thought he was unrestricted since he wasn't drafted in the 1st round. Same situation with Sessions I believe.
Wow, if thats is truely what it would take to get him, I'd pass. He is a great role player but that is too much IMO.
I agree and if he isn't restricted I would make the offer tonight. He outplayed Hedo the finals and is much younger and plays a lot better defense. I think signing Ariza to a 5 year contract is a lot smarter then signing Hedo. I like Hedo but he isn't going to be worth the money after 2-3 years and I think Ariza is just going to get better each year.
But don't you think Batum will fit that role. The biggest problem with Ariza is that he is not a good 3pt shooter. He is however, very good inside and a good rebounder. Here's his scouting report from John Hollinger: In addition to his other skills, Ariza is a strong defender who has the size and athleticism to become a defensive stopper against small forwards. He ranked second among small forwards in steals per minute, but that cuts both ways -- he needs to gamble less. If he adopted more of a stopper's mentality his path to more meaningful playing time might be easier, but even now he's pretty good. Offensively, Ariza isn't a shooter but is a terror in transition, where he can fly up the wings to get dunks. He's also an active player off the ball who can find buckets off of other players' penetration or take it to the bucket himself on occasion. The only problem with the latter scenario is that his defender is usually playing 10 feet off of him. Signing him would have the added benefit of hurting our primary competitor in the West. Even offering him a 6.5 mil offer would be good, because it would at the very least, cause the Lakers to spend more on him. But I don't know if KP would play that way. But just imagine the reaction of most casual Portland fans, "....Ariza...the guy who decked Rudy Fernandez!?"
Ariza wants 9 million a year. If I'm KP, I'd rather offer that to Turkeyglue, who is a better player. Not saying that's who we should get, but it's better than paying Ariza 9 freaking million a year.
