ESPN - Ariza verbally agrees to go to Houston

[weebo]

Maybe Ariza just wanted out of LA. You know, carve out his own name on another team instead of being in the shadows of Kobe, Gasol, Odom, and even Bynum.

[Double-Up]

Yup, his agent totally blew it. Trevor ended up taking the same amount for a less compe ive team. You know he's kicking himself knowing he could have just stayed at home with the Lakers.

Maybe we added more years to the deal than the Lakers did?

[The Franchise]

Yup, his agent totally blew it. Trevor ended up taking the same amount for a less compe ive team. You know he's kicking himself knowing he could have just stayed at home with the Lakers.

He did it to have his role expanded. People act as if Houston is just a horrible team now, but we are still going to be pretty decent. When next summer rolls around and we have at least 23 milion in cap space (thank you Tracy) we will be right back at the top as one of the better NBA teams, but a lot deeper. We are taking lumps now for a better future.

[wireonfire]

Maybe we added more years to the deal than the Lakers did?

Doubt it. He is only 24. the lakers would've wanted to lock him up for more than 3 years.

[cheney212]

Best case scenario for Rockets: Tracy comes back committed in a contract year and plays well. Yao comes back midseason like reports say and we peak come playoff time with Scola and Brooks picking up their offense with Ron's absense.

Worst case scenario for Rockets: Tracy sucks/gets injured. Yao stays out for the whole year and the whole teams contracts AIDS.

Lol we all know the answer its the worse case scenario every year

[Culburn369]

Maybe Ariza just wanted out of LA. You know, carve out his own name on another team instead of being in the shadows of Kobe, Gasol, Odom, and even Bynum.

Yeah, but, Battier is still sittin' in his seat.

[KSeal]

Maybe we added more years to the deal than the Lakers did?

I suppose but I really don't see why the Lakers wouldn't add two more years. The real problem for the Lakers was how much he'd make this year and next cause of the lux tax. Fisher, Morrison and Sasha all come off the books the next two years. This is great for Houston nonetheless, just pretty much got 6 years younger at the SF spot and got a guy that could turn out to be really good. Whereas Artest is probably better now and maybe for a year or two but then he'll start to decline and Ariza will just be coming into his prime.

[sook]

Sucks for the lakers to have signed Vuja

[Culburn369]

Geez, it's difficult to do better than NBA Champion.

[KSeal]

He did it to have his role expanded. People act as if Houston is just a horrible team now, but we are still going to be pretty decent. When next summer rolls around and we have at least 23 milion in cap space (thank you Tracy) we will be right back at the top as one of the better NBA teams, but a lot deeper. We are taking lumps now for a better future.

I never said Houston isn't a good team, but the Lakers just won the championship and will probably be favored to do so this year so that would mean Houston is "a less compe ive team" which is all I said.

You could be right about him wanting an expanding role but he's from LA went to UCLA, is a Laker fan and just won a championship, common sense would tell you he'd want to come back to that team if he's making the same amount as any other, but maybe not.

[Roxsfan]

I never said Houston isn't a good team, but the Lakers just won the championship and will probably be favored to do so this year so that would mean Houston is "a less compe ive team" which is all I said.

You could be right about him wanting an expanding role but he's from LA went to UCLA, is a Laker fan and just won a championship, common sense would tell you he'd want to come back to that team if he's making the same amount as any other, but maybe not.

If the lakers don't repeat, Ariza can say it's cause he was not there.

[sook]

I can just see it next season.

"Kobe can't win without Ariza"

[The Franchise]

I never said Houston isn't a good team, but the Lakers just won the championship and will probably be favored to do so this year so that would mean Houston is "a less compe ive team" which is all I said.

You could be right about him wanting an expanding role but he's from LA went to UCLA, is a Laker fan and just won a championship, common sense would tell you he'd want to come back to that team if he's making the same amount as any other, but maybe not.

That's not what common sense told Trevor!

[KSeal]

That's not what common sense told Trevor!

Maybe, or maybe his agent totally ed it up by trying to get more money out of the Lakers then he's worth so the Lakers then said you we'll go get Artest and off. Hope Trevor does well for you guys though.

[Matchman]

im not too high on Ariza. the only reason he was shooting this well is because Kobe passed him wide-open shots when he drew double and triple team. Ive seen Ariza during his NYK days, cant shoot for nothin'.

[Findog]

im not too high on Ariza. the only reason he was shooting this well is because Kobe passed him wide-open shots when he drew double and triple team. Ive seen Ariza during his NYK days, cant shoot for nothin'.

Somebody posted in the other thread, but this is lose-lose for Houston-LA. Artest and Ariza are both better fits with their now-former teams.

[weebo]

I never said Houston isn't a good team, but the Lakers just won the championship and will probably be favored to do so this year so that would mean Houston is "a less compe ive team" which is all I said.

You could be right about him wanting an expanding role but he's from LA went to UCLA, is a Laker fan and just won a championship, common sense would tell you he'd want to come back to that team if he's making the same amount as any other, but maybe not.

At the end of the day, now you know what mattered most for Ariza. Some Lakerfans on this board were so sure Ariza would stay because of his ties with LA.

[The Franchise]

Somebody posted in the other thread, but this is lose-lose for Houston-LA. Artest and Ariza are both better fits with their now-former teams.

I will hold judgement on that until December.

[KSeal]

At the end of the day, now you know what mattered most for Ariza. Some Lakerfans on this board were so sure Ariza would stay because of his ties with LA.

Still no proof that if LA didn't go sign Artest, Ariza wouldn't have come back to the Lakers for what both Houston and LA offered.

Ariza made his decision to leave after the Lakers said you and signed Ron.

So you're really in no place to act like Ariza didn't stay in LA due to his ties, he left cause the Lakers signed Artest.

[Brazil]

I can just see it next season.

"Kobe can't win without Ariza"

[holcs50]

Wow WTF. LOL, this all doesn't make sense to me.

1. So the lakers were willing to offer MLE to ariza, he didn't want it because they thought he could get more. So, he goes out as a FA then winds up in Houston for the MLE? Then the lakers spend the MLE on Artest. But I thought the lakers wanted to keep the team together?

2. Why the would Ariza not accept the MLE from a Laker team that is at championship level for the exact same amount on a team pretty much in shambles? And if he wanted to get out of LA why the wouldn't he accept the Cavs MLE, which I heard they were extremely interested in ariza. This is re ed, I have no clue what is going on in ariza and his agents head. I get artest wanting to go to the lakes and him taking the MLE, but Ariza seems a bit re ed to me.

[weebo]

Still no proof that if LA didn't go sign Artest, Ariza wouldn't have come back to the Lakers for what both Houston and LA offered.

Ariza made his decision to leave after the Lakers said you and signed Ron.

So you're really in no place to act like Ariza didn't stay in LA due to his ties, he left cause the Lakers signed Artest.

Ariza didn't give two s about being in LA so I do know where his loyalties lie. The Lakers went and got Artest after the fact because they knew Ariza was on his way out--but what I find funny is that most Laker fans here were absolutely sure he was coming back no matter what because he was a hometown boy.

[ploto]

Looks like they are goin after Oberto next

Noooo- that's my spot for Rasho in Houston.

[KSeal]

Ariza didn't give two s about being in LA so I do know where his loyalties lie. The Lakers went and got Artest after the fact because they knew Ariza was on his way out--but what I find funny is that most Laker fans here were absolutely sure he was coming back no matter what because he was a hometown boy.

The fact he was a hometown guy only helped the cause. I don't think people thought that was the only reason he'd come back, money was a huge part of it obviously and I guess to some degree that is why he's in Houston now.

[crc21209]

I think Ariza was a big part of why the Lakers won the ship'. I'm not so sure Artest can have the same impact Ariza did in L.A. I know Artest had bigger numbers overall, but Artest is a ing idiot at times and takes some dumbass re ed shots out of nowhere for no reason.