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When the Orlando Magic traded away Steve Francis to the New York Knicks,
they received in return a young small forward with a lot of potential,
but also a lot of unanswered questions. Trevor Ariza had shown some
bright moments in his season and a half with the Knicks, but was never
given much of an opportunity to fully demonstrate his abilities.
After getting to know the system and his teammates in Orlando, Ariza began to flourish - both as a defensive standout and also for his ability to get to the basket for an easy two. Many began saying Ariza was a jumpshot away from becoming a legitimate contributor in the NBA.
So Trevor spent a lot of time on the basketball court during the off-season, re-signed with the Magic and came into training camp fully prepared to help Orlando work its way back to the playoffs. Despite a foot injury that forced him to miss the preseason and the first five games of the regular season, Ariza is now making a strong impact coming off the bench and is averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds in 21 plus minutes of court time in his five games this season. He also has shown much improvement with his jumpshots, while also contributing as one of the Magic's best overall defenders.
On Tuesday, November 21, Trevor spent some time chatting with his
growing fan base on orlandomagic.com. Check out what he had to say about returning to Orlando, the most underrated player on the Magic and much more.
Jim Horan, Orlando: Hey Trevor I was just wondering what you did over the summer to work on your game?
Trevor Ariza: Pretty much I was in the gym most of the day. The morning part was shooting. A lot of shooting from everywhere just trying to get confidence in my jump shot.
Hubert: Trevor ,
Why did you chose to come back to orlando?
Trevor Ariza: I like the guys that I play with and I feel that we're a young group and we all can grow.
Tony (Bronx): Hey Trev, where were you when you learned you had been traded to the Magic. What was your reaction?
Trevor Ariza: I was in the barber shop when I was being traded. Isiah called me and told me that there was an opportunity in Orlando to play and grow as a player and I thanked him for it. Its always hard to leave a place and your teammates but I got put in a good situation.
Josh (Fla): Trevor your defense has always been intense. Where did you learn it and do you model your defensive play afer anyone in particualr?
Trevor Ariza: I learned how to play defense in high school from coach Ed Azeam at West Chester High School. At any level you go to defense is going to keep you on the court, so I just took that to heart.
Tim (Tampa): Hey Trevor,
Who would you say is the most underrated player on your team and the most underrated player in the league right now?
Trevor Ariza: I would probably say Travis Diener and in the league, I don't know, thats a tough question because everybody to me is pretty good so it's hard to single one person out.
Tim (NC): Hey Trevor,
You're still very young yourself, but what have you seen so far from the rookies like J.J. so far this season?
Trevor Ariza: J.J. is a great shooter. Once he gets the opportunity to play he is going to stretch the defense because his trigger is so good. So, once he gets on the floor I see him helping us a lot by doing what he does.
Matt(orlando): Trevor, what do you do to get ready for a game?
Trevor Ariza: I go out, shoot a couple shots, warm up. Then I come in, get a little something to eat, because I have to eat before I play. Then I focus in on who I'm going to guard, their tendencies, and then just come out ready to play.
Daniel Ridgefield: Do you think that you motivation comes from being a second round pick and to prove you are better than that?
Trevor Ariza: Yeah, that motivated me a lot because knowing that you need to do something to stand out. That was my motivation, knowing that I would have to work hard for anything I got, so I came out with a chip on my shoulder.
Ricardo(Brazil): Hey Trevor you can really fly high, have you ever thought of taking part in the NBA Dunk contest in the All Star Weekend? I think it'd be really cool if you somehow could take part in it. Good luck on your season, I really hope you see a lot of minutes this season.
Trevor Ariza: I thought about it, but thats way behind me so, I don't think so.
Mateen (Melbourne): Hey Trevor.
Dwight has been getting some MVP recognition, and his recent back to back 20/20's are making him a bigger name in the market. What do you think his chances are of winning the MVP?
Trevor Ariza: He means a lot to our team. He is our big down there. He effects the game by rebounding, scoring, blocking shots, and whatever he does. In order for us to achieve our goal, which is getting to the playoffs, he is going to have to keep doing what he is doing.
Rafael Rivera (Orlando): On such a young team, who do you turn to for guidance and direction? If there was one person you can say have taught you the most on this team, who would it be?
Trevor Ariza: I would probably say Grant Hill because he has been around the longest because he knows a lot about the league. He knows what everybody is going through because he's been there before. So I would say him.
jay (melb, australia): what did you benifit most from your time in UCLA? and which player would you most like to play with in the nba (other than j.r smith!)
Trevor Ariza: The game is pretty physical, so I got used to playing at a high-impact rate at UCLA. And I would like to play with the guys I play with now.
Dewane( New York City): What part of your game do you think you need to improve on the most and why?
Trevor Ariza: Probably still working on my jump shot because it's going to help our team get better -- it will spread the defense and make me more versatile and dangerous.
Megan (st. petersburg): With the sheer talent on this team, what are the aspirations for this season? Just playoffs or more?
Trevor Ariza: Right now, our whole focus is taking it each step at a time, a game at a time. But looking to the future, we definitely want to make the playoffs because once we get there anything can happen. But right now we just have to focus every day as a team.
Trevor Ariza: I just want to thank all the fans out there who are cheering for us to get to the playoffs. Have faith in our team. We are going to play our hardest and play our best out there on the court. Thank you.
