Ariza in the best possible spot after joining the Rockets

HOUSTON, (Reuters) – The Houston Rockets were the  perfect place to help raise his game to another level, forward  Trevor Ariza said on Wednesday after signing a multi-year  contract with the team.

The 24-year-old, a versatile and athletic forward, agreed  terms with Houston last week after deciding to leave the NBA  champion Lakers after two seasons in Los Angeles.

“This is a big step for me and I am just thankful to be  here,” Ariza said. “I enjoyed my time in LA and I appreciated  my fans there but now it’s time to move on and start a new  chapter.

“I think this is the best place for me. I think I have more  of an opportunity here. This is a great young team that has a  lot of potential.

“They’re very, very scrappy and they never give up and  that’s the type of player I believe I am,” added Ariza who  enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2008-09 by averaging 8.9 points  and 4.3 rebounds in the regular season. “No matter what the situation is, I’m still fighting.  That’s the kind of players they have here and I’m happy to be a  part of that. I know one thing and that’s that we’re going to  play hard every night and we’re going to fight.”

The 6’ 8” (2.02m) forward was one of the hottest prospects  on the free agent market after shining for the Lakers in the  playoffs when he averaged 11.3 points and shot 47.6 percent  from three-point range.

“Anytime you can sign an NBA champion that is 24-years old,  I think you’ve got to jump at the chance,” Houston general  manager Daryl Morey said.

“And that’s what we did the minute we heard there was a  shot that we might be able to woo him from out of the Lakers’  fold.

“Each year in the league Trevor has improved. What he has  accomplished at a young age is already impressive and we expect  his improvement to continue.”