How much does Trevor Ariza help us?

[Taiwan Killa]

Obviously Bynum is our main guy out right now but alot of people forget about Ariza. Our main defensive guy, he could also get alot of steals and was able to slash and dunk. He was even starting to hit the corner 3 before his injury. Do you guys think not having him will hurt us alot? I mean looking at his +- stats on 82 games the opposing team scored like 5 less points when Ariza was playing.

Can he be a make or break player come playoff time? Maybe when guarding Manu or Grant Hill or even guarding Nash like Bowen does? His energy he brings with his steals and dunks IMO are a big part of what he brings also.

[Jordan-esque]

Thing I like most about Ariza is his athleticism.

He's one of those players who play without the ball on the offensive end. He's a catch and slash type of guy; always active on the floor. Lakers need guys who drives to the basket and finishes well, and he's that.

The fact that he's been stroking it out well on the perimeter and even on the FT line too is really encouraging.

His defense although at times can be overrated, is still definitely definitely good. He gets a lot of deflections and steals. Plus he's a good defender when it comes to guarding bigger scoring guards like a Redd or what he even did to Iverson in the last game away. He's definitely the Lakers 3rd or 4th best defender behind Kobe and Bynum (and perhaps Turiaf).

He's a totally different kind of player than that of his SF counterpart Luke, which of course also has his benefits. But the Lakers are really missing Ariza's activity and movement on both ends of the floor.

[ak777]

He needs to work on his jump shot if he wants to be on the floor for longer time.....the paint would be crowded because of bynum and gasol......nad he will get tons of open looks because of these guys and kobe

[iamworthy]

He needs to work on his jump shot if he wants to be on the floor for longer time.....the paint would be crowded because of bynum and gasol......nad he will get tons of open looks because of these guys and kobe

dont agree. Phil plays him because he is a defensive stopper. If he scores thats a plus. We have all the scoring we need in Kobe, Bynum, Fish and now Gasol. If he can play good Defense and score a couple extra points we will be good.

[Danny Darko]

He's a key. We know what D means in playoff series and he's a guy who can match up with multiple positions and shadow the other teams productive players like he did vs Iverson. He still needs to improve his shot and his D. His D is good, but he can get better.

[deathbringer6]

He's a poor man's Ron Artest without the attitute problem

[ak777]

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dont agree. Phil plays him because he is a defensive stopper. If he scores thats a plus. We have all the scoring we need in Kobe, Bynum, Fish and now Gasol. If he can play good Defense and score a couple extra points we will be good.

I am not saying he has to score...I am saying is..it would be good for the team and the ball movement if he score

[islander009]

Ariza helpsus really on the defensive end. He is Kobe's sidekick from the defensive standpoint, they stand side by side and although Kobe usually picks up the most consistent scorer Ariza sometimes subs in to do that to allow kobe to regain his energy. Honestly Ariza is better than Luke and Lo in defending the 3 because he is active. Having him back and healthy before the playoffs is a must. Having him work on consistent mid range game, will make him the effective 3 we have been looking for as the whole package. Cant wait for him and Bynum to get back, but get back healthy.

[iamworthy]

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I am not saying he has to score...I am saying is..it would be good for the team and the ball movement if he score

your right! . If he scores thats a huge bonus. I like the way he slashes to the bucket.

[Slava]

Anyone else watch Battier guard Lebron James today?

[semi-sentient]

Ariza is an important piece due to his defense (Walton has been pissing me off to no end with his lame ass defense lately), and when you consider that Walton can't shoot worth a crap anyway, we lose absolutely nothing in terms of perimeter shooting by having him in there instead.

[MAMBAEMD]

Ariza will be an important asset down the stretch and into the playoffs.

He is long and atheletic and plays D. His help defense is excellent. He rebounds and does not gamble on D. He sticks to his man.

His weakness is outside shooting. I'd like to see him work on that in the offseason. If Bruce "scissorhands" Bowen can make open 3s, so can Ariza.
Better yet, he should work on his midrange shot, the kind of shot he would have all day in the triangle offense.

[ImmortalD24]

Some of you people need to wake up and stop overvaluing mediocre players, Trevor Ariza's defense wasn't all that, we saw what Mike Miller did to Ariza at Memphis, the reason he's been looking so great is because we're use to seeing Luke Walton's useless pathetic self on the floor.

Ariza gambles on defense, he's an oversized Smush Parker on the defensive end.. I really like Ariza and I was one of the few guys that was happy about the trade, but we really need to acquire a defensive SF and he is definitely not the answer to our problems.

[LLcoleJ]

Some of you people need to wake up and stop overvaluing mediocre players, Trevor Ariza's defense wasn't all that, we saw what Mike Miller did to Ariza at Memphis, the reason he's been looking so great is because we're use to seeing Luke Walton's useless pathetic self on the floor.

Ariza gambles on defense, he's an oversized Smush Parker on the defensive end.. I really like Ariza and I was one of the few guys that was happy about the trade, but we really need to acquire a defensive SF and he is definitely not the answer to our problems.

[ImmortalD24]

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But seriously, there were some who thought the trade had a negative effect on the bench mob at first.

[SashAlex]

I understand Ariza's value and impact to this team.
He's got a nice touch. I've missed such a player since Butler was traded.
Energy, sick dunking, athleticism, anticipation, defensive stopper etc.
And he's just 23...way to go !

[Sroek]

If anyone's watched all of the Trevor's games on the Lakers, you'd understand how his presence changes the dynamics of the floor. His off the ball movement is crucial because it creates offensive opportunities, being able to burn his defender and cut to the basket, catch lobs, running the floor on the break, slashing to the hoop and grabbing loose balls. On the other end of the court, playing help defense, switching and moving around screens makes him an important team defender.

[TruSkool]

ariza, i like

his new name: X-plod

[Dexmor]

He is a good bench player. Nothing more nothing less. I am not sure he works on his shooting at all though because he has the same jumper he had as a rookie in ny.