The Spurs Won't Pay the Luxury Tax July 13, 2007 11:36 AM Posted by Kelly Dwyer I struggled with a way to take this post for a while, but things are starting to make sense now. The San Antonio Spurs, fat and sassy with their fourth title in nine years and their ability to make TV magic, passed on paying the luxury tax during the 2007-08 season. Why else would they trade the right to sign Luis Scola - considered the finest overseas prospect in these here hills - and an emerging pivot talent for a player who won't spend another minute in the NBA? After signing Matt Bonner and Fabricio Oberto to extensions that will combine to add nearly six-million caucasoid clams to their payroll next season, the Spurs sought to trim payroll enough to eke their way below the tax threshold. Scola is essentially a free agent, but all signs pointed against this potential Loy Vaught-clone (that's a good thing, cats and kittens) staying away from the Spurs due to a toxic mix of lack of minutes and lack of funds being sent his way. Enter Houston; a desperate rival stuck inside the same division, but also one that boasts an unhappy Greek point guard who can't shoot and won't shave and had Jeff Van Gundy turn him off the whole stateside appearance. Vassilis Spanoulis has absolutely zero leverage, his name sounds like a dish that would include pine nuts, and his agent actually told the Houston Chronicle last week that the Rockets could "trade him to San Antonio and he could be the starting point guard, and he would he would say, No, I cannot.'" So, no; he cannot, and the Spurs will buy him out. Jackie Butler's guaranteed contract will lope over to Houston-town and for some reason the Spurs decided to throw Scola's rights in as a sweetener. From there, we ask questions; to the cat, because nobody else is in the house right now. Was Scola's situation so dire that the Spurs were about to lose all leverage and they had to dump the guy? Jackie Butler for V-Span is already a huge steal for Houston - Butler is a darn good pivot prospect whose per-minute numbers (even at power forward, which surprised me) were quite encouraging even as a part of the New York Knick mess in 2004-05 and 2005-06. Isn't that deal, even with Bonner and Oberto's extensions, enough to miss the cap threshold once you buy Spanoulis out? Why throw in Scola? Was I wrong about RC Buford? I'd never seen him with sunnies on until that column was published. Should I have gone with Donnie Nelson? Nelson's signed Devean George - twice. The whole thing just shakes my faith. Either way, the trade is an absolute home run for the Rockets. Scola's reps already told the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen that he's well on his way toward coming over for 2007-08. I only wish the Rockets could send Butler to a team that could use his touch in the pivot. Stuck behind Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo in Rick Adelman's rotation; that's not a good start. And yet, it hardly changes what looks on paper to be one of the more lopsided NBA deals in the last decade. San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets Has this been posted yet? Great read!!!!
Which number should Scola take? I say #21 ! Think about this: TMAC #1 Yao #11 Scola #21 Battier #31 And I reserve #51 for the future starting PG. Then we will have a championship roster!
Since it has been suggested by several members here that Spanoulis is total garbage and has zero NBA talent, and someone said Udrih was "far far better than him," I just think it's interesting that on the Spurs forum the Spurs fan are talking about if there is any way they can get rid of Udrih and keep Spanoulis. Several fans making comments about in just one or two times seeing Spanoulis play he showed much more talent and ability than Udrih ever has and several fans saying they think Spanoulis is a huge upgrade over Udrih. They would also like him to take Vaughn's spot and be primary the backup to Parker and Manu. Seriously, Spanoulis has to be the most underrated Rockets player ever by Rockets fans. Some people just believe everything JVG claimed. You know what he also claimed in addition to Spanoulis not being good enough? He also claimed during the Utah series this, "One thing I know for sure, Rafer Alston is one hell of a damn good player. I do know that."
It feels bad if Spurs finally decide to persuade SPAN to stay and he says yes. Hopefully Spurs just silently let him return to Greece.
ahhhh well since spurs fans said so it must be true... and for christsake most underrated!?! are you talking about the same site that had threads dedicated to our future greek all-star? or the missing piece to the championship puzzle?!? you have my vote for most ironic screenname
As for Scola, the guy is probably our starter, and I am thrilled he is here in Houston.....I would love it if we have a repeat of MadMax, where the Spurs give us a key component for our championship. If V-Span comes back to San Antonio, I hope the Rockets beat his butt for the next 100 years. DD
Spanoulis underrated? With the likes of you around, saying that he is better than Alston, which is a ridiculous notion for reasons that have been explained repeatedly to you? With people wildly claiming that JVG ruined him and that his problems are not his fault? So if Spurs fans say something, then it must be true. Well, I know what the Spurs GM has to say, and that's Spanoulis is "roster flexibility." This is GM speak for "we traded for him to save money by voiding his contract and to open up a roster spot to sign Ime Udoka and that French guy we drafted a few years ago." That shows you how much Spanoulis is valued; he is merely a means to save money, nothing more. No team actually wants to have him play.
IMO Scola will become a Brad Miller type of player and will also be able to play some minutes at C other than his original position which is a PF. He's a bit smaller than Brad but seems more dangerous in the offense and tougher than Brad. Talentwise he is regarded to be clearly better than Oberto, Varejao and Garbajosa (all of them have very different games by the way) and I think he's more experienced than Hermann. He is going to be a steal for the Rockets as long as he will be utilized correctly and I believe he will be. The only thing is that the expectations should be kept moderate and fans should show some patience to relieve the pressure off his back.
Whatever JVG did or did not do to V-Span, I thought the guy had talent. I liked it when he came in the game, sure he made some mental errors but what rookie doesn't? Either way the guy really didn't want to play for the Rockets, or the NBA in general. Managing to trade that in for a backup C and the MVP of the non-NBA world is pretty amazing. Now V-Span may change his mind and play for the Spurs, he may have even changed his mind and played for the Rockets (I highly doubt that though) but turning the negative into a positive was just genius. The reason for that negative is debatable but that doesn't change the outstanding affect of this deal. Now if Morey could get some more picks and sign Francis...
article from Insidehoops Luis Scola: Have Rockets Prayers Been Answered? Jul 15th, 2007 by Rocket for Life The Rockets have longed searched for a power forward who would fill the void Kelvin Cato left a few years back when he was traded to the Magic (along with Steve and Cuttino). Although Kelvin Cato was not the best of players, the one year he had under Van Gundy was very successful; he was a very good defender and provided the toughness the frontline need it. Cato was not the answer the Rockets coveted at power forward, but he was the only option and even though he was challenged offensively, he was still a solid player for the Rockets that lone season. As a Rockets fan, I’ve endured the pitiful players the Rockets have attempted to fill the power forward role with. Juwan Howard was a solid player but did not provide the toughness and defense needed from the position. Yao Ming is very slow and many times fighting to guard pick and rolls would be extremely tough for the big guy, plus since he would be sent out to guard such plays, many times he was out of position for rebounding the ball. Howard was not the best of rebounders even though he tried. Last season, Chuck Hayes was given the starting role; unfortunately for Hayes, he is challenged offensively and is a mere 6′6, and in the Wild West, we need it a much bigger player who could score as well and not just rebound. Hayes is seen more as an energy guy who comes off the bench and does the “dirty work”. Yesterday, what did not seem possible happened. Most Rockets fans had given up hope and lost their patience, but Morey actually had a trick up his sleeve. He traded Vassilis Spanoulis, who has repeatedly stated that he will not come back to the states, and acquired Jackie Butler, a player who was stuck to the end of the bench last year but showed promise just two seasons ago under Larry Brown, and Luis Scola, also known as the best player in Europe (plays for Tau Ceramica). At the time the deal did not seem so great. For years Scola has tried to come to the NBA, but his contract buyout has been ridiculous. The Spurs were never in a hurry to bring him over since he plays the same position Tim Duncan plays. Rockets fans certainly did not think Scola was going to come over, but a few hours later an article on chron.com stated Morey’s intentions of bringing Scola to the Rockets this season. Suddenly, the Rockets seemed to have robbed the Spurs (thank you Dennis Lindsey, we knew you would not forget your roots). For the past twenty four hours, Scola’s agents and the Rockets have been negotiating a deal which would help bring Scola to the states, and most importantly buy out his contract from Tau Ceramica. NBA rules state the Rockets can only contribute 500,000 dollars towards a buy out, therefore the negotiations involve front loading the contract in order to allow Scola to give the money for his buy out. According to chron.com, the deal in place seems to be a reasonable $10 million over the course of three years. An awesome deal for a proven winner. Now the question is, what will be Luis Scola’s role with the Rockets? As evidenced during the 2007 playoffs, the Rockets have a huge hole in the power forward position. Scola is expected to come to the Rockets ready to compete with Chuck Hayes for the starting power forward slot. Scola’s strengths according to numerous sites I have researched include, solid mid-range game, incredibly good footwork to play in the post, a willing passer, and a gritty defender. Rick Adelman is going to love working with this player. Adelman’s system consist of a great amount of team work and chemistry. We are not going to have players standing around and waiting for Tracy McGrady to get into the lane hoping to draw defenders so he can kick the ball back out for an open three. Instead, the offense will be ran through the high post, providing a more structured way of giving Tracy easier points along with all the other Rocket guards. Scola and Yao will play huge roles in initiating the offense. If Scola is as good as passer as the scouting reports have suggested, then he is going to give the Rockets a nice option in the high post. His willingness to drive to the basket will give him more options when he plays from the high post. Another great thing about this signing is Scola’s midrange game. As I mentioned above, expect to see Scola in the high post, therefore if he is unable to find a cutter or an open man in the three point, then he will have the option of taking a dribble and stepping into his jump shot, or simply fake his man and shoot from the free throw line. His defensive intensity will definitely be needed against the big men of the West. During the World Championships, Scola guarded Boozer and Brand very well. I think his hustle will create many more possessions for the Rockets. Although he is not a very good rebounder judging from his stats, he isn’t below average in anyway. I believe he averaged around six rebounds per game in twenty eight minutes of action (a good amount of minutes in the European leagues), therefore with his time hopefully increasing with the Rockets, getting between seven to eight rebounds a night with the Rockets does not seem impossible. Under Adelman’s system, the big men are allowed to hit the offensive glass more, which will definitely help Scola get some hustle points. My vision is for Scola to become a solid piece with the Houston Rockets. I have visions of him hustling, passing the ball, driving to the basket with reckless abandon, and bringing the much needed life the Rockets need in this team. With rather quiet leaders in Tracy and Yao, we need someone who will bring some aggresiveness and intensity to the basketball court, and I believe Scola will be this player. Scola is only twenty seven years of age, therefore he fits right in with the core of Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, and Shane Battier (all between 26-28 years old). As of now, it is pure speculation of what Scola will do for the Rockets, but as fans I think we have finally found the answer to the power forward position. We have two solid guys who will be willing to do the dirty work. http://www.insidehoops.com/blogs/?p=62
How about Span's 8 turnovers that ruined JVG's day? for every 2.7 points he scored he committed 0.94 TO and 1.1 fouls. That almost negates all the contribution. Span shoots 0.319 from the field and 0.172 from long range. As much as I hate JVG, I don't like Span either.
you forgot about the low when he didnt even show up for the next game after he played against the US. the dude wasnt good. period. he couldnt hack it from a skill standpoint last year and from a mental one. he had a great game against the US...i guess one game is all it takes for people to have false hope, no matter how many poor games he had after that.
