IMHO,

If you are very skilled, have skilled friends, a great guild etc your climb up the gear ladder will be a swift one. You get there fast, the elevator ride

If you aren't quite as skilled, OR don't have skilled friends, OR aren't in a great guild and can't be in one right now you can grind up the ladder, although a little too easily. So blizz is going to take that ladder away or make it almost impossible for most. You can be really good but if you don't have good friends you are out of luck.

My suggestion would be a combination of these extremes. If you are the first group you get your gear as it is proposed quick and cheap. If you are in the other, you can still work your butt off and get most of the gear to try and compete but make it cost you 2,3 or 4 times the arena points or honor points.

1900 rating here's your helm 1875
1600 rating here's your helm 3200
1400 rating here's your helm 5000

agree it's too easy and cheap to get now, agree people need something to grind for. With PVE grind your tailoring/bs/engineering up for similiar gear to PVE with CD's it takes a long time but you will get there.

"hey look i finally got my new S4 helm", "uhm my new viking horny goat helm has better stats" "when did WotLK come out?"