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My theory is that Ariza knew he was never coming back since last year (after we drafted Porter he made some comments about "the writing is on the wall" or something like that). The only reason he took so long to 'make up his mind' is because he was waiting to see what played out with the Heat. Dude is a laidback, warm weather cat all the way.. he didn't want to stay in DC
I don't know if this is what you're alluding to, but in Ariza's exit interview he was like "Otto is gonna be really good" which I thought was weird given that he'd only seen him in practice. So he must have truly seen the potential, and knew that Otto breaking out would lead to somebody (either him or Web) being traded
He also probably got a verbal agreement from Houston to be the starter.. ie Morey tipped him off that they weren't gonna match Parsons
Exactly. This is why I really wasn't trippin' when he wasn't retained. Gortat was a priority. It would be nearly impossible to fill his shoes had he left. Ariza...well, he was great last year, but a lot of that success is attributed to what Wall was doing. No disrespect to Ariza, but I always felt that his contributions could be duplicated by bringing in cheaper options. Well, EG did just that by signing Pierce. Not to mention that Otto was waiting in the wings. I'm really excited to see what he can do when he gets minutes. The b-ball IQ is there...it's just the other aspects of his game that need fine-tuning. He was the #3 pick for a reason, now he has to show it.
GRJr has a hell of a opportunity in front of him. He's primed to get at least 15 mpg. He's a guy who can fill up the stat sheet. What I've liked seeing from him is his aggressiveness. Dude has no fear going to the rack and loves the contact. I'm sure he'll have his infuriating moments, but the upside is there. We can always use scoring off the bench, and I think he can provide a spark.
*edit*
Garrett Temple re-signed.
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