Posted 30 April 2017 - 04:42 AM
Logical analysis points toward us upgrading the SF position as a MUST to unlock our full potential. I feel Rahat's pain as well as others whenever Ariza runs a PnR and/or attempts to dribble past his defender. I literally yell at Harden through the TV to go get the damn ball everytime. (I even wonder to myself why he sometimes doesn't attempt to get it back knowing that possession is being wasted). Unfortunately, Ariza's impact and importance on this team is not shown through his basketball skills as it once was. But the underrated aspect Ariza brings is his professionalism and chemistry, which as we witnessed this season, is crucial to team success and we shouldn't take that for granted (2015-2016 season). This article further emphasizes that point, which is why despite Ariza's flaws, you can live with them based on the leadership he brings. The Harden, Ariza, Patbev trio has solid chemistry and have been together for quite some time now too. Going after (long-shot) Gordon Hayward may seem like the best possible chance to improve, but Ariza's going to for sure make it a tough decision. I'm sure we can probably snag up a Gallinari type while keeping Ariza, but then we would have no chance to re-sign Nene. It's going to be an interesting summer for sure depending how our postseason run goes, but best guess says we keep our roster together. A big part of me wants to improve the team to its highest ceiling, and the other part of me can't envision a championship without Ariza. It just wouldn't feel right, especially because he's been through all the ups and downs with us. Tough call, great article.