Trevor Ariza is Quickly Becoming an All-Star in Houston

December 11, 2009 – 10:30 am by Chris Fedor

When Trevor Ariza decided to leave Los Angeles and go to Houston, I was one of those people that questioned his decision to do that.  I thought Ariza had a sensational season for the Lakers, made key plays down the stretch and was a big piece in their championship puzzle.  However, I also thought that he benefited from playing with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum.  I thought he was able to get open looks because the defense didn’t really focus on him and a lot of the attention went elsewhere.  Boy was I wrong and Trevor Ariza has been impressive early in the season.  He has shown so far through about a quarter of the regular season that he has the ability to be one of the focal points in an offense.  He is basically the go-to-guy for the Rockets with Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming on the sidelines and he is making the most of that opportunity.  I didn’t think he was that kind of player. He went to Houston to be more than just a complimentary player.  He went to Houston to become a All-Star.  And a quarter of the way through the season, that’s exactly what he’s played like.

Trevor Ariza joined KGOW in Houston with Ken Hoffman and David Nuno to talk about why he chose Houston in free agency, whether or not he felt he could be a star in the NBA and how he’s grown with the Rockets.

On why he chose the Houston Rockets during free agency: 

“Well, once I realized that I wasn’t going back to LA, I started weighing my situations.  Cleveland came in and told me that I can come in and in fit in their system.  And, Houston said that ‘we have a system here but we want to give you a little more freedom to become whatever kind of player you want to be’.  I looked at that opportunity as I can help a team that already has key pieces and that plays hard and that are up and coming now, since two of the bigger stars on their team are down.  And also I can improve my game. So me being a competitor and being the type of person I am, I want to be the best player that I can be.  So, I felt there was an opportunity here for me to be that.”

On whether or not he knew he would become a star in the NBA:
“Yeah, it is my home.  Like I said, I have a unique relationship with the people here for whatever reason.  I’m pretty sure I can give you my reasons, but I think they can put it in perspective a little better than I can.  It’s definitely on a personal level why they feel like that about me and why I feel like that about them.”
On whether or not he has grown as a player now that he is a leader in Houston:
“I think so.  I think I have grown as a player.  A lot of my teammates actually come up to me and ask me questions because they know I have been in every situation there is to be in, in this game of basketball.  From sitting on the bench, to being inactive, to being hurt, to playing in big games, to winning championships. In my six years, this is my sixth year so, from my time in the NBA I have seen everything, almost.”

Listen to Trevor Ariza on KGOW in Houston here　

 

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