I know what you're saying and agree with some, but Ariza is only 31. He's had a tough year because of our schedule and the minutes we force him to play. I'm betting that the remaining 24 games he plays better and we're glad he wasn't shipped off. Ariza has been very durable, while Chandler has not. Like Bev, Ariza plays a key role for this team and his ability to make a key steal has been a difference maker several times this year. Let's not send him to the glue factory just yet.
To add to that, Ariza has ALWAYS been a better second half fantasy player. Meaning he is more productive towards end of year, I expect the same this year.
For those suggesting it, Chandler for Ariza is, at best, probably a lateral move. And at worst, they lose arguably their best perimeter defender and a great chemistry guy in the locker room. It's easy to say Chandler is the better player when you consider the guy's scoring, but Ariza is the more efficient scorer and arguably more impactful player when taking advanced statistics into consideration. PER favors Chandler, but TS%, WS/48, BPM and VORP all favor Ariza. Even if Chandler is a slightly better player than Ariza, he makes significantly more money, and the gap between them will absolutely not be the difference in the Rockets winning a title or not. If Morey can add Chandler to the team, I'm for it, but not at the expense of Ariza. And, personally, I think there are much greater needs on the roster at this point than another wing scorer, especially after the Lou Williams acquisition.
agree to disagree. you bring up the stats but ariza's numbers are inflated due to this offense and spacing. put chandler in his place his numbers will blow ariza out of the water. ariza only shoots 40% from the field overall despite all the open looks he gets, and his terrible when he puts the ball on the floor. chandler is so much more versatile, can score from outside, inside, and midrange. he is shooting 45 from the field ariza is a streaky chucker, and sadly the rockets go as he goes a lot of times. when hes making shots its an easy win, when hes off its usually a close game since hes usually the one defenses dare to beat them. his defense is also overrated IMO. its not like he ever locks anyone down.
I think a rim protecting big is more important than a wing at this stage. Both would be ideal but that's should be the order of concern
That's a good point I didn't consider - what does being younger matter if you miss large patches of games? Ariza has been fortunate to be mostly healthy while with us. I take it back - let's stick with Ariza. Got to hedge our bets since we already have Gordon, Anderson, Bev, and Capella in and out of the lineup.
Morey is not going to mess with the starting line-up for a guy like Chandler, no way, no how. If he does then it's a big risk. This is one of those cases where you cannot afford to go lateral or maybe even backwards because there's a question mark. You only make a deal involving a starter if you are guaranteed it will be for a way better player, like Brewer for Lou.
Order of priority. 1. Starting Caliber Big 2. A 3 and D wing We have enough perimeter scoring to hang with any team. What we need is defense and rebounding.
Basic field goal percentage doesn't matter to me. That's not a great indicator of a player's scoring efficiency. If basic FG% was the sole barometer by how we judge a player's shooting, then Harden would hardly be one of the most efficient scorers in the league. He'd be below average. Ariza is more efficient because he takes a ton of 3s and hits them at a higher clip than Chandler, who has never been a good 3-point shooter. I agree that Ariza is streaky, but give me a streaky guy who can hit 3s at an above average clip on this team over a guy who can't hit a 3-pointer and traditionally has never been able to do so. Chandler would be every bit as streaky beyond the arc, and those are the shots he'll be expected to hit on this team. And you can disagree with the stats. But I don't see how you can disagree that the upgrade from Ariza to Chandler is not a huge improvement. Bottom line, the talent upgrade from Ariza to Chandler will not make the difference in the Rockets playoff aspirations, and it might end up being a chemistry killer they don't need right now.
