Ariza’s Rise, Before the Fall
By Amanda Norvell | January 12, 2006
As Trevor Ariza grimaced in pain and fell to the court Wednesday night, the spirit of the Magic following fell a little as well. In his seventh start of the season, the up and coming Ariza had to be carried off the court after spraining the MCL (medial collateral ligament) of his right knee.
Ariza awkwardly fell with under a minute remaining in the first half of the eventual 91-76 win over the Golden State Warriors. He tried to play through the pain, but pulled-up and eventually collapsed to the floor. After undergoing an MRI it was determined a Grade 2 sprain of his MCL. While no surgery will be required, Ariza will be out for 6-8 weeks.
As the Magic have caught fire once again, starting out the month of January 4-0 after a 6-10 injury-plagued December, no player has provided more of a spark for this resurging fire than Ariza.
Since mid-December, Ariza’s averages have done more than steadily increase, they’ve doubled in almost every category. He went from averaging 5.1 points per game over his first 15 games to 13.8 ppg over his last nine games. Where’s it coming from?
“I’m getting more opportunities,” said Ariza. “The basket is just opening up to me. My confidence is definitely rising and I don’t know if it’s because I’m playing hard or cutting hard but I’m getting easy baskets.”
Some of those “easy baskets” have ended up leading ESPN’s highlight reels in the form of high-flying dunks. One in particular comes to the forefront.
While the Magic led the entire Charlotte game earlier in January, they seemed unable to pull away. With the Bobcats still lurking only six points away from the lead with around 2:30 left in the third quarter Ariza once again provided his spark.
Driving down the lane for what looked like a collision with the NBA’s top-three shot blocker Emeka Okafor, Ariza took flight.
He elevated, he skied, he levitated – he just plain got-up and dunked over Okafor. Looking at it slow motion, Ariza’s foot was actually at the same level as Okafor’s chest. After the game, he described the dunk modestly. “The lane just kind of opened up. He got there late and I had a step on him.”
With his jam he brought down the house and essentially the Bobcats. Charlotte called a 20-second timeout to try and calm the crowd, but the Magic never looked back and went on to their largest victory of the season, blowing out the Bobcats by 32 points.
When he rehabs his MCL injury, Magic fans can expect to see more of the same from Ariza.
“I’m going to try and be done with lay-ups,” he said jokingly. “Dunks are just easier to make.”
But it’s not just Ariza’s scoring average that’s improving, it’s the whole package. His rebounds are up from 3.5 to 6.0 rpg., assists have increased from 0.9 to 1.9 apg., and finally, his steals are up from 0.67 to 1.78 stlpg.
“He is playing with a lot of confidence,” said Coach Brian Hill. “He is attacking the basket, he is making his open shots, he rebounds.”
Night in and out Ariza draws some of the toughest defensive assignments and has played a huge role in the newly instilled defensive mind-set Coach Hill has implored his team to take. The Magic have held the opposition to 90 points or less 16 times this season, and are 14-2 when doing so.
“Right now, I would have to say he is probably the best defender on our team,” said Coach Hill. “He is really starting to come into his own and find his niche on our team.” And Ariza isn’t just a defensive stopper, he’s a stealer too.
Deceptively long with a 7’2 wingspan on his 6’8 frame, he’s averaging 1.10 stlpg over the season, just behind team-leader Grant Hill’s 1.17 stlpg. And he’s doing that while averaging seven minutes less a game than Hill. “The ball is just calling my name,” said Ariza. “I just go after it.”
Ariza himself is also turning out to be a steal. The soft-spoken yet hardnosed third-year pro was acquired last February in the now-heralded New York Knicks trade. The Magic unloaded the hefty contract of Steve Francis in return for the expiring contract of Anfernee Hardaway – whom they immediately waived – and a young 20-year-old second-round draft choice, Ariza.
It’s been rumored the deal would not have been done if Ariza hadn’t been included. It’s easy to see why the Magic insisted on him now. ESPN.com just listed his resigning as the second best overall move in the offseason.
ESPN writer John Hollinger said, “I remain completely baffled that nobody made a stronger play for Ariza this offseason. Did somebody find a crop of athletic 21-year-old forwards growing on trees and forget to tell me?”
While the Magic faithful may have to put their hopes for Ariza on-hold for six to eight weeks, they can expect him to come back at full-force. “He’s a tough kid,” said General Manager Otis Smith.
Recently, Smith spoke on Ariza and put it simply, “I don’t know where the ceiling for Trevor will be, but it’s still going up at this point.” The Magic are clearly pleased about adding him to their already young core. As it turns out, Ariza is also pleased to be with the Magic.
When asked what his favorite memory of 2006 was, Ariza responded with a smile, “Being traded to Orlando.”
It’s quickly becoming one of the Magic’s favorite memories too.
Amanda Norvell is a Communications intern for the Orlando Magic
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Ariza awkwardly fell with under a minute remaining in the first half of the eventual 91-76 win over the Golden State Warriors. He tried to play through the pain, but pulled-up and eventually collapsed to the floor. After undergoing an MRI it was determined a Grade 2 sprain of his MCL. While no surgery will be required, Ariza will be out for 6-8 weeks.
As the Magic have caught fire once again, starting out the month of January 4-0 after a 6-10 injury-plagued December, no player has provided more of a spark for this resurging fire than Ariza.
Since mid-December, Ariza’s averages have done more than steadily increase, they’ve doubled in almost every category. He went from averaging 5.1 points per game over his first 15 games to 13.8 ppg over his last nine games. Where’s it coming from?
“I’m getting more opportunities,” said Ariza. “The basket is just opening up to me. My confidence is definitely rising and I don’t know if it’s because I’m playing hard or cutting hard but I’m getting easy baskets.”
Some of those “easy baskets” have ended up leading ESPN’s highlight reels in the form of high-flying dunks. One in particular comes to the forefront.
While the Magic led the entire Charlotte game earlier in January, they seemed unable to pull away. With the Bobcats still lurking only six points away from the lead with around 2:30 left in the third quarter Ariza once again provided his spark.
Driving down the lane for what looked like a collision with the NBA’s top-three shot blocker Emeka Okafor, Ariza took flight.
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With his jam he brought down the house and essentially the Bobcats. Charlotte called a 20-second timeout to try and calm the crowd, but the Magic never looked back and went on to their largest victory of the season, blowing out the Bobcats by 32 points.
When he rehabs his MCL injury, Magic fans can expect to see more of the same from Ariza.
“I’m going to try and be done with lay-ups,” he said jokingly. “Dunks are just easier to make.”
But it’s not just Ariza’s scoring average that’s improving, it’s the whole package. His rebounds are up from 3.5 to 6.0 rpg., assists have increased from 0.9 to 1.9 apg., and finally, his steals are up from 0.67 to 1.78 stlpg.
“He is playing with a lot of confidence,” said Coach Brian Hill. “He is attacking the basket, he is making his open shots, he rebounds.”
Night in and out Ariza draws some of the toughest defensive assignments and has played a huge role in the newly instilled defensive mind-set Coach Hill has implored his team to take. The Magic have held the opposition to 90 points or less 16 times this season, and are 14-2 when doing so.
“Right now, I would have to say he is probably the best defender on our team,” said Coach Hill. “He is really starting to come into his own and find his niche on our team.” And Ariza isn’t just a defensive stopper, he’s a stealer too.
Deceptively long with a 7’2 wingspan on his 6’8 frame, he’s averaging 1.10 stlpg over the season, just behind team-leader Grant Hill’s 1.17 stlpg. And he’s doing that while averaging seven minutes less a game than Hill. “The ball is just calling my name,” said Ariza. “I just go after it.”
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It’s been rumored the deal would not have been done if Ariza hadn’t been included. It’s easy to see why the Magic insisted on him now. ESPN.com just listed his resigning as the second best overall move in the offseason.
ESPN writer John Hollinger said, “I remain completely baffled that nobody made a stronger play for Ariza this offseason. Did somebody find a crop of athletic 21-year-old forwards growing on trees and forget to tell me?”
While the Magic faithful may have to put their hopes for Ariza on-hold for six to eight weeks, they can expect him to come back at full-force. “He’s a tough kid,” said General Manager Otis Smith.
Recently, Smith spoke on Ariza and put it simply, “I don’t know where the ceiling for Trevor will be, but it’s still going up at this point.” The Magic are clearly pleased about adding him to their already young core. As it turns out, Ariza is also pleased to be with the Magic.
When asked what his favorite memory of 2006 was, Ariza responded with a smile, “Being traded to Orlando.”
It’s quickly becoming one of the Magic’s favorite memories too.
Amanda Norvell is a Communications intern for the Orlando Magic
