The Microscope: Trevor Ariza as a Cautionary Tale (and More)

The Microscope is your recurring look at the NBA's small-scale developments—the rotational curiosities, skill showcases, coaching decisions, notable performances and changes in approach that make the league go 'round.

Trevor Ariza as a cautionary tale. It's hard to watch Trevor Ariza play basketball without wondering what could have been—not in L.A. necessarily, but in that L.A. state of mind. Ariza was simply a different player when he suited up for for the Lakers, and in two very different stops since, he hasn't been able to capture that same magnificent restraint.

There is some glory to be gained in the NBA as a defensive stopper, but too often do we see players of Ariza's ilk ignore their own limitations in an effort to establish crossover appeal. 

This season has hardly been the most egregious display of Ariza's poor shot selection (which is easily his greatest offensive fault), if only as a product of volume; Ariza's Houston days were a master class in role player overextension, whereas this year his shooting percentages have improved ever so slightly while his shot attempts have trended downward. He's become a slightly more tolerable offensive player, but Ariza's desire to attempt unnecessarily difficult shots sadly remains.

There's obviously a complicating variable in that someone needs to take shots for the Hornets this season, and another in that the lack of overall talent in New Orleans does Ariza no favors. But the issue stems more from Ariza's selection of shots rather than his unnecessary shooting bulk; the quantity can be troublesome on occasion, but Monty Williams is likely far more concerned with the types of looks Ariza decides to manufacture for himself.

I hope emerging defenders everywhere are taking note. Corey Brewer, Chris Singleton, Chandler Parsons, and even Arron Afflalo: Please, continue to play within yourselves.

The hilariously neutral hat choice of Chris Paul's father. Chris Paul made his NBA return to New Orleans on Thursday, and both of his parents turned up for the occasion. I couldn't help but notice his dad's interesting choice of hat:

My only question: Is this a wise straddling of the line in a difficult situation? Or a subtle support of the owner of the Hornets?

Leandro Barbosa helps, but how much? As of Thursday night, we've now seen the slightly modified Pacers bench from two very different angles. On one occasion, George Hill and Leandro Barbosa both played rather splendidly, keying a win over the Clippers by providing an unexpected boost. But more recently, the Pacer reserves—even with Barbosa—were a bit of a no-show in Indiana's two-point win over Washington. The bench managed 18 points, to their credit, but shot 6-of-22 from the field to reach that mark. Hill and Barbosa combined for two points on a combined nine field goal attempts, giving us every reason to double back on the slightest optimism that may have been garnered following that tandem's initial efforts.

Barbosa is a good player, and there's no question that he helps this Pacer team. But it's worth considering—and contextual evaluation, over the remainder of the season—if he really changes the nature of the Pacers' bench struggles. That Indy relies so heavily on its starters (Darren Collison, Paul George, Danny Granger, David West and Roy Hibbert have logged more minutes as a unit than any other lineup in the NBA) is no coincidence, and although Barbosa certainly gives the team options, he hasn't really offered a remedy to the Pacers' bench woes so much as made them slightly more tolerable.