I'd really like for the Rockets to start posting up Scola more. I know he won't command double teams like Yao but we need to start developing a post game in preparation of the playoffs, and I see Scola as the best option outside of TMac. Right now we are outhustling teams in our streak but when the playoff games bogs down to grind it out style, we need to turn to someone where we can throw it into the post when Tmac is on the bench. Jumpshots won't win many games and outhustling teams can only last so long when teams have scouted us out in a 7 game series. I think Reggie Miller commented on this last night and was one of the few times he was right.
I've hated it that so many assume we have no low post presence since Yao got injured. I'm not expecting Scola to take Duncan and dominate him down low, but Scola definitely is a force around the basket.
Well said, I couldn't agree more. However, remember the good ole' saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
I like this idea as well. Scola HAS to start being the post prescence... he already has a slew of great spin moves and post moves that I think can give him advantages over a few bigs in the west.. and him having a mid range jumper can also help us out greatly. Only thing Scola should watch out for is an injury..
The good news is he hardly ever leaves the ground when he lays the ball in. I remember reading about how Karl Malone and John Stockton were able to avoid getting hurt all those years because they didn't jump very high on most of their shot attempts.
Scola is a baller! This is a good suggestion. It adds another option to the offense especially if there is a mismatch to exploit.
the saying is some what true. sometimes, there is a small hole, you just have to fix and not leave unatteneded. look at the spurs, for the past 9 years, they won 4 rings. they didn't do that much change, but they did do change. adding finely, adding kurt thomas, adding bonner, adding udoka, adding elsco (before he was traded) little things like that, helps alot.
I'm not against your idea. But I think Scola is more effective when he is moving around the low-post area, fighting for offensive rbs, hustling for loose balls, and getting easy passes from TMac.
Who says grinding it out is how we should play in the playoffs? What exactly did grinding it out do for us last season? All that matters is execution. Look at what the Warriors did. They played with all hustle and upset Dallas. I'm not saying we can do the same but we dont need to grind it out.
back to the basket or just cutting to the rim aslong as we can manage to score in the paint we will win landry scola hayes these guys dont play much back to the rim but they give us a presence down low because they know were to be and how to finish, if we keep up the hustle we have a legit chance even without yao.
I think this team has enough post area presents to do well in the playoff. You don't need to have a back2basket kind of post player stationary on the post to play a half court playoff type game. The Adelman's Kings didn't have that with Webber or Divac, neither are the Suns last season (they should have beaten the Spurs), and we have better team defense than those teams. The Rockets runs a lot of screens & cuts in the post area, which free up a lot, and in terms it generate many easy points. Scola & Landry's strength is moving without the ball, or make quick drive when receive the ball. If we slow the pace down with back2basket type of plays, we'll have hard time to score inside, and get offensive rebounds, due to lack of size. I think we can play with any team in the West this year, except maybe the Lakers.
For those who don´t know scola his back to the basket game was one of the best in europe, mainly because he is faster than all the PG´s in the league with his foots. I think he is still one of the faster PF in NBA too.
They have several post options. Battier, Scola, Tmac, Landry...... Just sit back and enjoy the ride. DD
Battier never does well in the post. I wonder why we sometimes put him down there to exploit a matchup when it's just not there. But yeah, I posted a similar thread a couple weeks ago. Scola is so crafty around the rim that I don't see why we don't post him up 1v1. His post moves are very good and he seems to always know how to get a decent shot up.
I notice that Landry's post game isn't half bad, either, when he catches it in either block, or of course in the paint. It's not the most polished thing in the world, but it's not bad.
Unfortunately, I think you could be half right. Maybe not becuase of injuries, but athleticism is a huge part of his game. So he could drop off a little sooner than most big men unless he polishes off his game a little... although to be fair, he is a really smart player, too, and he is good at finishing at the basket even if the dunk is taken away. Also, a lot of his game comes from sheer strength, not just hops. And he won't lose that anytime soon. Of course, three years is a huge exaggeration, but he could be on the decline by around the time most people are reaching their prime... so like 6-8 years. But hell, that's a long time from now, and we could both be wrong anyways.