Tag: Trevor Ariza

Report: Trevor Ariza wanted an apology to consider Houston return

The Rockets seemingly had a recent opportunity to bring Ariza back, but he reportedly wasn’t interested without an apology.

The Houston Rockets reportedly had an opportunity to bring veteran forward Trevor Ariza back into the organization, but he wanted an apology that never came, according to a new report from The Athletic.

Ariza left the Rockets after the 2017-18 season, in which he was the starting small forward on a team with the NBA’s best record (65-17). The Rockets had Bird rights to retain him, but he left for the Phoenix Suns on a bloated one-year contract worth approximately $15 million. This past season, Ariza played in Sacramento and Portland.

According to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and Kelly Iko, the Rockets at one point (it’s unclear exactly when) had an opportunity to bring the veteran defensive stopper back into the fold. However, Ariza apparently wanted “an apology that never came” and “more respect.”

From Wednesday night’s story, they write:

Former teammates have described the culture in Houston as problematic, sources said, highlighting a situation that caters far too much to its stars. One example cited was the case of Trevor Ariza, who left the team in 2018 in search of more money, but also more respect, sources said. The Rockets attempted to bring him back down the line but Ariza, sources said, was seeking an apology that never came.

Now 35 years old, Ariza averaged 8.0 points in 28.2 minutes per game with the Kings and Blazers last season.

Ariza’s contract for the upcoming 2020-21 season is only partially guaranteed, so he could potentially hit the market again. But unless outgoing GM Daryl Morey and head coach Mike D’Antoni were the extent of his frustrations, it doesn’t seem as if a Houston reunion is likely.

Ariza scored 0 points on 0-of-12 shooting in his final game in Houston — a home loss in Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals.

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Today in 2015: Rockets complete comeback in Game 7 vs. Clippers

Led by a game-high 31 points from James Harden, the Rockets finished off a historic comeback from a 3-1 series deficit vs. the Clippers.

For the Houston Rockets, Game 6 of their 2015 second-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers was largely about the role players, led by Josh Smith and Corey Brewer. Three days later, Game 7 was about the MVP.

James Harden led the way with a game-high 31 points on May 17, 2015, leading the Rockets to a 113-100 home victory (box score) in Game 7. With the win, Houston became the first team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit to advance in the NBA playoffs since 2006. For the Rockets, it marked their first trip to the Western Conference Finals in 18 years.

Harden wasn’t on the floor for most of the fourth quarter in Game 6, when the Rockets finished the game on a 49-18 run to overcome a 19-point deficit late in the third quarter. But he redeemed himself by leading Houston in points (31) and assists (8) in Game 7. After that season, Harden was voted as the league’s MVP by his fellow players.

Trevor Ariza had 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range, including a dagger in the game’s final minute to secure the victory. Dwight Howard scored 16 points and grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds.

Future Rockets guard Chris Paul led the Clippers with 26 points and 10 assists. Though another trip to the West Finals evaded him, Paul eventually made it in 2018 after teaming up with Harden in Houston.

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Trevor Ariza tried to just justify a cheap shot on Trae Young with a lame temper tantrum

Just…. no.

Trevor Ariza didn’t want Trae Young to embarrass him. Instead, Ariza embarrassed himself.

During the Atlanta Hawks’ win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday, Young attempted to nutmeg Ariza, who responded by bodychecking Young to put a stoppage in play. Ariza was given a flagrant foul, and justifiably so — he shouldn’t aggressively foul a player for a skilled move.

After the game, Ariza approached Young, apparently to discuss the play. While the interaction seemed cordial, Ariza was apparently unhappy in the locker room after the game — and for no good reason.

“I told him, ‘Don’t do that shit again; not to me at least,’” Ariza said, via The Athletic. “I mean, I’ve never made an All-Defensive team or none of that shit, and he’s an All-Star, so he can be creative by ways to get around me. But all the, like, funnies? I’m not with the funnies. I don’t like the funnies.”

This whole display from Ariza is incredibly lame. He never should have fouled Young in the first place. There’s no rule against nutmegs — nothing written or unwritten. It is embarrassing to get nutmegged, so maybe Ariza should try not getting nutmegged? Play better defense.

That was bad enough. But then Ariza needlessly tried to justify his cheap foul with a tough-guy routine, which fell flat. Young was putting together a highlight-reel play, and Ariza messed up. There’s no reason to pretend he’s in the right for a needless foul. Young was better than Ariza on that possession. That happens in basketball. Get over it.

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Damian Lillard’s big night pushes past Lakers in honor of Kobe

The Portland star pushed past the Los Angeles Lakers but like everyone else, Kobe Bryant was on his mind on Friday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers, and the city of Los Angeles, did their best to get back to basketball on Friday night as they returned to the Staples Center for the first time since the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven others in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The night was filled with beautiful tributes, including “Amazing Grace” from Usher, and a special speech from LeBron James. But after the game was played, the Los Angeles Lakers were unable to come out victorious as Damian Lillard delivered a Mamba-esque performance of 48 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in Portland’s third straight win.

Lillard surely honored Bryant with his play but he wasn’t alone. Hassan Whiteside had 30 points and 12 rebounds, while CJ McCollum had 19 points and five assists. Before the game, Lillard shared what it meant to him to play on the day that honored Kobe.

View this post on Instagram

In his name we play. @bruceely :🤳🏾

A post shared by Damian Lillard (@damianlillard) on

Anthony Davis tried to match Lillard shot-for-shot on the night as he had 37 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists. LeBron James had 22 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds but the Lakers were unable to slow down Portland the way they needed to to get a victory.

The best bit of news for the Lakers is their next game isn’t far away as they will fly north tonight for a game tomorrow against the Sacramento Kings.

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Westbrook’s 39 in vain as Blazers top Rockets in road trip finale

Playing their third road game in four nights, the Rockets (29-18) weren’t competitive after the first quarter in a 125-112 loss at Portland.

Russell Westbrook scored 30 or more points for the eighth time in his last nine games, but it wasn’t enough for the Houston Rockets in a 125-112 loss on Wednesday night at Portland (box score).

Westbrook’s 39 points came on 16-of-29 (55.2%) shooting from the field, and he also had 10 rebounds and six assists.

Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers (21-27) in the victory with 36 points on blistering 6-of-12 efficiency (50.0%) from 3-point range. He also had 11 assists and 10 rebounds, making for the first triple-double of his career.

Former Rockets forward Trevor Ariza tied his 2019-20 season high with 21 points on 9-of-13 (64.3%) shooting. Overall, the Trail Blazers had six different players with double figures in scoring.

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For the game, Portland shot 51.7% from the field and 36.1% on 3-pointers against a lethargic and overmatched Houston defense. The Trail Blazers outscored the Rockets in the second quarter, 41-24, and never looked back. From there, the home team never trailed in the second half.

With the defeat, the Rockets (29-18) finished their four-game Western Conference road trip at 2-2. They will now play five of seven games in Houston leading into the mid-February All-Star break.

Houston led by six points after the first quarter and by as many as 12 early, but tired legs seemed to catch up with them on their fourth game in a fourth city over six nights, and a third in four nights.

James Harden (bruised left thigh) and Clint Capela (right heel contusion) returned after missing Monday’s win in Utah due to injury, but neither starter quite looked like his usual self. Harden scored 15 points on 5-of-18 (27.8%) shooting, continuing his recent slump, while Capela had just two points and seven rebounds in only 17 minutes.

With Capela struggling, Portland outrebounded the Rockets by a commanding 50-39 margin in Wednesday’s game.

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Ben McLemore scored 17 points in a new bench role, making 5-of-9 shots (55.6%) from 3-point range. Eric Gordon replaced McLemore in the starting lineup after scoring 50 points Monday, but Gordon had just eight points in Portland on 2-of-10 (20%) shooting from the field.

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The Rockets return to action Friday night with a home game against the Dallas Mavericks, with tip-off scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central from Toyota Center. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

Both the Rockets and Mavs will enter Friday’s game with identical 29-18 records, tied for No. 5 in the Western Conference playoff race.

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Moments of the decade: Top Houston Rockets transactions

With the 2010s coming to a close, we look back at the best moves from Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey over the past decade.

Though they haven’t won an NBA title, the decade of the 2010s will likely be remembered fondly in the history of Houston Rockets basketball.

Dating back to 2010, the Rockets have the fourth-most wins among the NBA’s 30 franchises. They’ve advanced to the Western Conference Finals twice in the past five years, which they hadn’t previously done since 1997.

They also added one of the top players in team history — and likely NBA history — in 2018 MVP and reigning scoring champion James Harden.

Led by renowned GM Daryl Morey, here’s a look back at some of the franchise’s most influential moves over the past decade.

(Editor’s note: There will be a separate list of the team’s top games of the decade, since it would be tough to compare any individual game to a transaction — with the latter often shaping the roster for years.)

Honorable Mention

The Russell Westbrook trade — For now, the July 2019 trade of Chris Paul and draft considerations to Oklahoma City for former league MVP Russell Westbrook leads the “honorable mention” category. That’s not to diminish his potential impact, however. Rather, it reflects the limited sample, with Westbrook having played just 28 games with the Rockets.

It’s been a largely successful start to the Harden-Westbrook partnership, with the Rockets at 21-10 and Westbrook averaging 24.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. But this trade will ultimately be judged by what the duo does and leads the team to in future playoff runs.

It could eventually be remembered as the decade’s most meaningful move, if it leads the Rockets to their first NBA title since 1995. It could also be remembered as a disaster, if Houston struggles in the postseason and the draft picks given up to the Thunder end up being high ones due to a future rebuild. As the decade concludes, it’s far too soon to tell.

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Hiring Mike D’Antoni — Houston’s current head coach prefers the focus to be on his players. However, he deserves ample credit for his own role in their success. Since taking the team’s reins in the 2016-17 season, the Rockets have the highest winning percentage of any NBA team.

It’s easy to forget, but before D’Antoni was hired in the 2016 offseason, the Rockets were at a bit of a crossroads as a franchise. The 41-41 record of the 2015-16 season remains the only season of the Harden era that Houston did not finish with a winning record, and many around the league believed Morey should make a philosophical change to a more traditional approach. The hire was not well received by many at the time.

As it turned out, the D’Antoni hire doubled down on the team’s three-point-heavy and analytics-oriented approach and brought total alignment to the organization. Since then, nearly the entire NBA has dramatically shifted its shot charts, with the success of D’Antoni’s Rockets blazing a trail that others have since followed.

D’Antoni won the NBA’s 2016-17 Coach of the Year award as Houston improved from 41-41 to 55-27, and he now has the highest regular-season and postseason winning percentages in Rockets history.

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