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A New Hope For Ariza
Topic Started: Feb 24 2006, 04:19 PM (343 Views)
MAGICMANEVAN
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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/bask...story?track=rss
Quote:
 
New Orlando forward Ariza happy to escape New York

Trevor Ariza was sitting in a barber's chair in Harlem getting a haircut when his cell phone beeped.

His agent, David Lee, told him he had been traded by the New York Knicks to the Orlando Magic. Then Isiah Thomas, the Knicks' president of basketball operations, called to wish him well.

How excited was Ariza to be leaving the Knicks' bench for playing time in Orlando?

"I tipped the barber $80,'' Ariza said, laughing.

Ariza and Penny Hardaway were dealt to Orlando for Steve Francis on Wednesday, but Magic fans only will be able to watch Ariza. (You can see Hardaway in a Magic uniform on ESPN Classic.)

Magic Assistant General Manager Otis Smith said Hardaway -- a former Magic guard from the franchise's mid-'90 heydays -- likely will be waived today and forward Bo Outlaw will return to the club.

Outlaw was waived to make room for Hardaway's expiring contract.

Ariza will have to work for his court time, especially with forwards Hedo Turkoglu and Grant Hill coming back from injuries, probably sooner than expected.

Smith said that Hill (strained lower abdomen) will not play tonight against the Seattle SuperSonics at TD Waterhouse Centre, but he likely will return sometime during the club's upcoming West Coast trip, which begins Tuesday in Los Angeles against the Lakers.

Smith said Turkoglu (sprained left ankle) might be available tonight.

Smith also said the club "looked at a couple of things'' before Thursday's 3 p.m. trading deadline, most of their attention focusing on adding a shooting guard.

Turkoglu was receiving the most interest, but Smith said, "We decided to stand pat.''

While the Magic (19-34) are rebuilding on the fly and in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, none of it fazes Ariza.

He played in New York, remember, and for Larry Brown, the NBA's mad professor, the first half of the season.

Brown, who arrived this season in New York after leading the Detroit Pistons to a title in 2004, had sentenced Ariza to the bench.

Brown even called Ariza "delusional'' after the second-year forward claimed Brown never told him he was being dropped from the rotation in early January. Brown also advised Ariza to "grow up.''

When asked about Brown, Ariza took the high road.

"We talked, we communicated, we understood each other,'' he said. "I understood what he wanted, and he understood how I was, how I have a passion to win.

On the back page of Thursday's New York Daily News, the woeful Knicks were called "The Biggest Mess in Sports.''

"It is a hard time right now [with the Knicks]. Everybody is a little jumpy,'' Ariza said. "Nobody really knows [what is going to happen]. . . . I was in it with those guys. So I really know what it feels like. It is hard. It is really, really hard.''

Ariza could not practice with the Magic on Thursday because he hadn't taken a physical yet.

Smith said he believes that the 20-year-old Ariza is "a diamond in the rough'' despite Brown's assessment.

"He had to get out of that barrage in New York,'' Smith said.

Ariza, 6 feet 7 and 200 pounds, was taken in the second round by the Knicks in the 2004 draft and is considered a strong defender. He averaged 4.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 36 games.

"There was no way I was going to get an opportunity to play [in New York],'' he said. "I think the Knicks did a good thing by giving me a chance to go someplace where they see fit that I play.''
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Black and Blue
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Welcome Ariza!

Fun to be a Magic fan right now because we get to watch these unproven guys get their shot
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MagicMadness
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Do any of you old timers remember the poster that went by the name "ArizaTheFuture"?

I wonder if he'll start posting here again...
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Solid Snake
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Legend
Ariza is in a much better situation now. He is not on a mess of a team anymore. We are bad but I wouldnt call us a mess. Knicks are just killing there future and just throwing every disgruntled star/former star together. Ariza can now join a team that is young with a lot of potential. Looking at the knicks roster, there is no one he can learn from. I like the fact he can learn from Augmon (for defensive purposes, of course) and Hill.
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gomagic33
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We need a stopper. If Ariza becomes that, it would be an awesome trade. He can be our Bruce Bowen, or Tayshaun Prince.
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MAGICMANEVAN
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MagicMadness
Feb. 24 2006 03:53 PM
Do any of you old timers remember the poster that went by the name "ArizaTheFuture"?

I wonder if he'll start posting here again...

i remember him. now would be a good time to come back, plus im sure he cant tell us a little bit about ariza.
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adamosthegreek
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Kings of Europe
That guy hasn't posted here in months, so I wouldn't expect him to make a miraculous return.

GREATEST QUOTE OF THE YEAR:
How excited was Ariza to be leaving the Knicks' bench for playing time in Orlando?
"I tipped the barber $80,'' Ariza said, laughing.

Ariza reminds me a lot of T-MAC just before we got him from Toronto (minus the quitter's state-of-mind). :yes:
Great athletes (Ariza even better), superb defenders (Ariza again better), and young enough so that Ariza can have a good jumper within a few years. :yes: :D
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MAGICMANEVAN
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well ariza is just basically a poor mans deshawn stevenson.
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NYCMagicFan
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MagicMadness
Feb. 24 2006 03:53 PM
Do any of you old timers remember the poster that went by the name "ArizaTheFuture"?

I wonder if he'll start posting here again...

I was just thinking about that guy before. He will probably come around soon.
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