Happy in Houston: Argentina's Scola about to make his mark on NBA

Argentina was leading by 3 before Scola hit the clutch midrange jumper. And a depleted Brazil Team? Can these journalists ever get their facts staight?

 

thanks for bringing this up! no, i don't think i know more than rudy t who has been involved in the nba for over 30 years. BUT that doesn't mean that rudy t didn't make mistakes with players. case in point:

1. Eddie Griffin
2. Matt Maloney
3. Bryce Drew
4. Mirsad Turkcan
5. Jason Collier
6. Boki Nachbar


And don't tell me that those were cd's decisions.

 

Wow! What crappy editing.

I'm especially surprised that an adult sports writer for SI would misuse "their". I'd expect that from a 14 year old kid texting on his cell phone.

 

I believe the comparison is not about stat production, but more about their style. Both are supposed to be highly active and gritty. Scola is taller and much more athletic and will probably be at least an 11-8 guy for us this year.

Evan

 

you posted realistic stats for scola. he is also a good passer, so at least 3 apg is reachable as well.

 

There hasn't been a decent screen set since OT was setting them for Kenny. Of course, part of that is probably the guards fault.

 

I remember when Rambis was playing. Rambis was solid but not flashy. He was a workhorse. He wasn't extremely fast but he did all the dirty work the Lakers needed him to do. He rebounded, blocked out, dived for loose balls and took shots when open. Scola appears to me from the videos to move a lot like Rambis and plays in a similar style. I think the comparison is fair.

 

I agree Battier was Mr. Intangibles for us last year. Having Scola on the floor along with Shane will give the Rockets one of the best forward combinations in the NBA as far as smart role players. Playing in Ricks system should mean easier buckets for both of them. The question is who will be our starting PG? I can see us needing some scoring punch at the PG position this year because we'll need decent points to support Yao and Mac. Both Scola and Shane can score the ball but will they be consistent enough?

 

I actually thought the comparison was about hair.

 

Rambis reminds me of a better version of Battier, not Scola, except for the intelligent, high BB IQ, non-stop motor aspects of their game. Scola, from what I've seen, isn't the defender Rambis/Battier were/are, but is a hell of a lot better scorer in the low post and at mid-range than either Rambis or Battier. Those two can't touch Scola on offense. The other aspects of their games? We'll have to see.

 

If Scola contributes and makes us a championship team like the Lakers of the 80s, I'd be plenty happy with this comparison. I thinK Rudy's point is that Scola is not a flashy player, but he hustles, uses his brain, and can contribute offensively without demanding the ball. That's exactly what this team needs as we already have 3 primary scoring options in Yao, T-Mac and Stevie/Mike James.

 

The starting PG and PF positions are up in the air, I believe. Neither Stevie nor MJ are locks to be starting-level contributors next year. If things get real bad, we may be forced to play Alston again or even Brooks. Who becomes our starting PG will depend on three things (in order):

1) Who outperforms the other on the court.
2) Who fits better next to Tmac and Yao.
3) Who can bring better energy off the bench?

No matter who starts, we know we'll have scorers at that position. Therefore, it's important for Scola to contribute on the defensive end and rebound; he won't get many shots at first. If he's good, maybe he can be the "Divac" to Yao's "Webber".

And FYI, we know Shane's consistent in everything he does. Consistent defense, consistent shot, consistent fear of scoring points.

 

Sam Cassell
Cat
Robert Horry
Kenny Thomas

Get over yourself. Oh, and by the way...Boki Nachbar is playing pretty damn good in Jersey so you can take that one off of your list.

 

Rudy T scouted the Greek team in the Olympics..

Case in point, the strategy we used against the Greek team was a total 180 then what it should have been. Definitely bad scouting was involved.

Though I still love Rudy

 

get over yourself! i didn't even list all of his mistakes, but since you put sam, robert, and kenny why in the hell did he trade them?

 

Brazil?

 

I'd say Scola is almost a lock to start at PF unless Hayes learns to shoot before the season starts. He's better than Hayes at everything except rebounding. The PG situation may not be hard to figure out if MJ and Francis become to shoot happy then Brooks will have to start. I don't see Rafer being with the team to much longer: he's to much of a cut throat! Sorry I had to get that in.

 

sometime you don't always put the best player in the starting lineup. true scola is better than hayes, but if you have hayes on the bench, it would be unwise to substitute mutombo and hayes in the same lineup at the same time.

 

I like Scola a lot and hope he flourishes with the Rockets, but that simply isn't true.

 

I'm really glad I'm not the only one that noticed this. It's happening all the time these days. I assume it's partly because now they're in the habit of rushing stories to be the first online with it, though in this particular case, I see no reason to need to rush it online. It isn't exactly 9/11.