Posted by MS:

This Ariza fascination has to stop right here...The guy did well in summer league...Does anyone remember Demarco Johnson, we drafted him awhile back and he was putting up 18 & 10. Frank Williams dropped 35 last year, Lampe was considered the steal of the draft during summer league. So let relax

I don't think it's just about the summer league. The guy had a rep as a great defensive player in college. From his scouting report:

http://www.draftcity.com/trevorariza.htm

Trevor’s greatest assets are his defense and his understanding of the game. At 6-8 he can handle the ball from end to end like a point, and he sees the court well and passes nicely and crisply, although not so creatively (but still efficiently). He’s a very strong rebounder for his size and likes to mix it up on both ends going up for boards. Plays the passing lanes with excellent instincts and will rarely be seen over-committing on a play. Along with Andre Igoudala, Trevor is one of the top perimeter defenders in the Pac-10 (and the entire NCAA), and almost always matches up with the other team’s best scoring wing. Trevor is also a great hustle player, he goes after every loose ball and is willing to do the dirty work to get the job done. One thing that really separates Trevor from other athletic players though, is his body control. On one play this year he caught an alley-oop pass on one side of the basket and proceeded to traverse his body in air and lay the ball in on the other side of the basket, all while in air. His body control is somewhat reminiscent of Kobe’s, although it’s not quite at that level (I don’t think any NBA player’s is). Shooting is a strength and a weakness for Ariza. He’s an excellent groove-shooter, and when he’s on, he can get his spot-up J going, but he’s streaky and inconsistent. And last but not least, Trevor does what just about every top prospect does well these days, run and jump like a maniac on a pogo stick (I’d put his vertical on the better side of 35’’).

and maybe in 2 years he can help when Penny's contract runs out

Posted by Marv:

Posted by MS:

This Ariza fascination has to stop right here...The guy did well in summer league...Does anyone remember Demarco Johnson, we drafted him awhile back and he was putting up 18 & 10. Frank Williams dropped 35 last year, Lampe was considered the steal of the draft during summer league. So let relax

I don't think it's just about the summer league. The guy had a rep as a great defensive player in college. From his scouting report:

http://www.draftcity.com/trevorariza.htm

Trevor’s greatest assets are his defense and his understanding of the game. At 6-8 he can handle the ball from end to end like a point, and he sees the court well and passes nicely and crisply, although not so creatively (but still efficiently). He’s a very strong rebounder for his size and likes to mix it up on both ends going up for boards. Plays the passing lanes with excellent instincts and will rarely be seen over-committing on a play. Along with Andre Igoudala, Trevor is one of the top perimeter defenders in the Pac-10 (and the entire NCAA), and almost always matches up with the other team’s best scoring wing. Trevor is also a great hustle player, he goes after every loose ball and is willing to do the dirty work to get the job done. One thing that really separates Trevor from other athletic players though, is his body control. On one play this year he caught an alley-oop pass on one side of the basket and proceeded to traverse his body in air and lay the ball in on the other side of the basket, all while in air. His body control is somewhat reminiscent of Kobe’s, although it’s not quite at that level (I don’t think any NBA player’s is). Shooting is a strength and a weakness for Ariza. He’s an excellent groove-shooter, and when he’s on, he can get his spot-up J going, but he’s streaky and inconsistent. And last but not least, Trevor does what just about every top prospect does well these days, run and jump like a maniac on a pogo stick (I’d put his vertical on the better side of 35’’).

When you click the link you provided, you can hit the "Strengths" tab and get exactly what you quoted. And if you found 30 profiles of 30 2nd rd draft picks who've done absolutely nothing in the NBA I'm sure you'd find a lot of really positive comments in their "Strengths" tab as well. It would mean a little more if it weren't a writer whose job it was to find good things to say about a certain player, but I guess this is just part of the whole Ariza fascination.

I know Isiah and his HOF staff were high enough to try and trade into the first round to get him

Posted by islesfan:

Most teams might have thought he was a first rounder but most, if not all, teams defintely passed on him in the first round and more than few passed on him in the second round.

I know Isiah and his HOF staff were high enough to try and trade into the first round to get him

And how do you know this? Were you in the room? Don't tell me that you actually take Isiah at his word. That would be pretty funny. How many times do you hear GM's talk up later round draft picks and how lucky they were to get them where they got them because they wanted to trade up to get them earlier? I'm sure that Isiah would be above trying to make himself look smarter than other GM's though, right?