With the contract offers he's gonna get.

First of all, its only been 2 PRESEASON GAMES. Second of all, we should be able to make a descent offer when his contract expires. It expires the same time Penny's, Moohchie's, TT's, and Nazr's contracts expire.

Posted by MaTT4281:

First of all, its only been 2 PRESEASON GAMES. Second of all, we should be able to make a descent offer when his contract expires. It expires the same time Penny's, Moohchie's, TT's, and Nazr's contracts expire.

He has a team option after this year; the Knicks can choose not to pick up the option and give him the full MLE instead if they want to keep him. I don't think he'll get enough playing time this year for a team to notice him and give him more than the MLE.

unreal... here's a newsflash. Layden has left the organization. Its going to be OK. Take a deep breath.

Ariza isnt going to start this year. If he plays GREAT he's going to get 15-20 minutes a night off the bench. If you have watched Penny and TT are playing very well, and they are still ahead of him. When Houston returns Ariza's minutes will take an additional hit.

If he's really that close to breaking out the Knicks wont pick up his 2nd year option and just sign him next year w/ their MLE, OR give him a 1 year extension and then they own his Bird rights.

The only reason these 2nd year players like Boozer and Arenas bolt is because their organizations are cheap and didnt make a preempitve move.

Isiah and the Knicks arent cheap

Guys...remember....MLE.....in 1 or 2 years the Knicks can offer him the full MLE, for a couple of years, which would give us his bird rights (if it exists after the CBA expires).

"Actually, I'm hoping Ariza beats out Penny for playing time. I think he's outplayed Penny so far and has more upside."

Not only Penny, he's also outplaying Tiny Tim. We have a gem here, he might not turn into a allstar, but he's going to be a solid player for years to come.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/17/sports/basketball/17knicks.html

The New York Times
October 17, 2004
KNICKS 98, SPURS 84
Knicks' Rookie Soaring His Way Onto the Team
By HOWARD BECK

When the twisting, high-flying dunks came in a near-empty gym, occupied by only teammates and team employees, it was easy to dismiss Trevor Ariza as just another precocious rookie with the gift of springy legs and elastic limbs.

When Ariza was doing the same a few months back, during summer-league play in Long Beach, Calif., it was tempting to write off his impressive play as merely the product of competing against unpolished rookies and journeymen free agents.

There are dozens of similarly superb athletes who filter through N.B.A. camps each fall, only to slide into obscurity when the season begins. Athleticism does not always equal basketball prowess.

But in Ariza's case, it is getting more difficult by the day to ignore his talent and his knack for the game.

The Knicks are playing against real competition now, and Ariza has yet to come back to earth. In two preseason games, he has collected 18 points and 11 rebounds while emerging as a potential defensive stopper. He was again the second-most exciting player on the floor (after Jamal Crawford) as the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs, 98-84, yesterday at Madison Square Garden.

"Not surprised,'' said Ariza, who played for U.C.L.A. and was the 43rd overall pick in the June draft. "I'm just excited right now. I feel like a kid in a candy store playing with these guys.''

Knicks veterans are just as happy to be playing with the 19-year-old Ariza, whose on-court composure belies his age. He is easily the Knicks' best and most creative finisher on the fast break and might already be their best open-court defender.

And he is making Shandon Anderson look more expendable every day. Ariza has played 48 minutes over two games as the first small forward off the bench behind Tim Thomas. Anderson, who had a falling-out with Knicks officials, did not play in the first preseason game and got just a few mop-up minutes yesterday.

"I'm giving him a lot of minutes, because I have great confidence in him,'' Coach Lenny Wilkens said of Ariza. "But I also want him ready. This was a good team for him to play against. And I think the more experience I can get him early, I think it'll help us, because I feel he's a guy that can come off the bench and have an impact.''

It is too early for Wilkens to set a rotation, but if the season started today, he said, Ariza would be in it.

Ariza's only obvious deficiency is a reliable jump shot. He rarely attempts a shot that is not at, or above, the rim. But Knicks officials believe he can contribute without being a perimeter threat.

"I'm getting better,'' Ariza said. "It's going to take a lot of work to get to where I want to be. But right now I'd say I'm improving.''

REBOUNDS

Jamal Crawford continues to dazzle, and he is improving as he goes. He scored 25 points in 25 minutes yesterday, leading the Knicks for the second straight game. He also took to heart Coach Lenny Wilkens's admonitions to make smarter plays. He committed only two turnovers and went 10 for 12 from the field (3 for 3 from 3-point range). His strong play is setting the Knicks up for an awkward decision once Allan Houston's knees are ready for action. "When we come to it, we'll have to address that,'' Wilkens said. ... stephon marbury left the game briefly in the third quarter after sustaining a small cut near his left eye, the result of an inadvertent smack from Kurt Thomas. The training staff closed the cut with medical glue. ... Marbury, the Knicks' scoring leader last season, has averaged 10 points in two preseason games.

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

Posted by fishmike:

he's not a gem. He's not even Darius Miles. He's got no jumper. What he is is a 19 year old kid with great hops and a decent BBall IQ. His passing is ok and he has a good handle. Right now he's not even Tayshawn Prince. Can he be better than those guys? Hell yea.. but he's not right now, and people are talking about losing him to a team that can offer him more than a 6 year $40mm deal.

Crazy.

Just relax and enjoy... I know the Layden era has made you all paraniod that anything bad that can happen will (see Brigg's 7-20 worst case scenario posts).

That era is over... relax an enjoy. Your going to get good BBall for a long time

It's clear from your answer that you believe Ariza has a lot of potential (and I agree), but I think you're under-rating Ariza's skills *right now*. I think at age 19, he's well ahead of where Darius Miles was at 19. I think that if Ariza plays the same in the regular season as he has in the preseason, 9 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 Steals, 1 Block, teams will try very hard to get this 19 yr old (even without a jumpshot, Fish). Teams way under the cap that have trouble attracting the best free agents might give him more than the MLE just like I think they would have given Marquis Daniels more than the MLE. The only realistic solution is to hide him from other teams by limiting his minutes, even if the cost is that we lose a few more games this season. I wish Isiah had used the remainder of the MLE (about $1.5 mil) to give Ariza a 3 year contract and get his Bird rights. Then we could play Ariza as much as he is ready to be played without having to worry about this.

[Edited by - Bonn1997 on 10/17/2004 10:33:54]

If all the hype is true, then penny's contract alone will be more than enough for Ariza.

from what i've been hearing of this guy coming from Isiah & the rest of the Knicks coaches & his teammates in the news articles, Ariza is head & shoulders ahead of Miles in terms of maturity & approach to the game...i think Miles has more talent & upside, but i think his lack of maturity in his 1st couple seasons has prevented him from working on the aspects of his game that would take him to the next level...i think Ariza will develop alot quicker if given the playing time.

Did anyone here watch Ariza in college? HOW is it that he averaged only 11PPG against guys who won't even make it to the CBA or NBDL??? He's outperformed his college #s already against guys like Richard Jefferson, Manu Ginobili, and Bruce Bowen. Is it simply that he's improved enormously over the past 6 months? Imagine how dominant he'd be in college this year. I bet he would have been a lottery pick in next year's draft, although he may end up getting a bigger contract in 12 months as an FA than he'd have gotten as a lottery pick anyway.