Back in 2009, the Rockets did something bold and new. They signed then Lakers free agent Trevor Ariza, a defensive minded role player, in the hopes of turning him into a star. The idea was to give Ariza, who had not showed the ability to anchor an offense at that point, all the freedom he could handle.
It was a disaster. Ariza’s averaged career-high per game numbers in points and assists but shot below 40 percent from the floor and turned it over plenty. He simply didn’t have the handle or the vision to be a featured option.