With the Bucks game coming up on Friday, I thought this was a relevant time to bring up this topic. We have two rookie PF's in that game, Yi and Scola, both fresh from a foreign country. Yi has by all accounts played quite well (hell way better than Yao in his first 4 games), has earned his minutes and a starting job, and has rendered talk of the 20 mpg promise moot. According to Bucks fans, he isn't even that bad of a liability on defense, leading the team in blocks, and has curbed his foul issues since he fouled out the first game. Scola on the other hand looks out of sorts, he can't hit his shot consistently, gets rejected under the rim, and can't even hit his FT's. On defense he's a total liability and picks up quick fouls in spurts (like yesterday), limiting the time he can play on the court. Now of course these two players are different; Yi is a lottery pick and Scola is a 2nd round pick, and Yi is taller, quicker, and more athletic. However, Yi was supposed to be very raw and underdeveloped, and was supposed to need lots of time to adjust to the NBA game. Scola, however, was the polished 2 time Euroleague MVP, a league VASTLY superior to the CBA, and was supposed to be NBA ready and supposed to contribute to the Rockets right away. Basically, Scola was supposed to play like Yi is playing now (minus the blocks), and Yi was supposed to be playing like Scola is now. What I'm wondering is what the heck happened? Now I'm very impressed by Yi, am a fan of him, and have been very pleasantly surprised by his early performance. But I had high hopes for Scola also. I thought at minimum he could contribute at a level similar to what Juwan contributed last year. Now that looks like a very optimistic projection and at worst we will have to roll with Chuck/Battier at PF, Yao playing 40 mpg, and Scola playing spot minutes and praying that he does something on offense rather than expecting it.
I guess Yi won't play against Scola much in the upcoming game. He will probably play against Chuck Hayes more while Scola against Charlie Villanueva. Scola didn't have the playing minutes Yi got in Bucks and check their opponents in these couple of games, you won't surprise why Scola's stats didn't shine. I predict Yi's numbers (esp rebounds and scoring) would not be good in the next match against us while Scola will gain some decent number on the offensive end. Since Chuck Hayes is too strong to Yi and Charlie V barely plays D. Many Bucks fans are excited about Yi's defence and the intensity he brought to the team on the D. It is no surprise to CNT's head coach as he has already told the Chinese media before Yi reported to Bucks that the most value Yi would bring to the team will be his defence.
The difference is Yi gets to play through his mistakes because they are young team and developing him is a high priority. Scola gets to sit on the bench if he struggles because Rockets are focused on winning and have decent alternatives.
Wow, aren't we just jumping straight to conclusions. If you look back on the last 4 games, Scola ain't that bad. Granted, he had a few bad misses against the Spurs...but it was against the SPURS!!! They are the world champions. Give him time, he'll be fine. The problem with the fouls is that Scola's a VERY physical player. He goes after the ball aggressively. I've been watching Yi play in a few matches, and he only goes after the blocked shots. Bucks are in the East. They've played against some JV teams such as Bobcats, Raptors, Magic, and Bulls. Not what you might think of as top defensive teams. Houston will be a real measuring stick for Yi. If can play through our tenacious-D, and come out on top, then he's got a bright future ahead of him. Maybe even brighter than our man Yao. As for Scola, don't count it out yet. He'll come around. Give him a month to work out the European in his system and let the American take hold of his body.
I think Charlie V is a superior player to Chuck Hayes, even for our team. If Charlie were on our team he'd probably be starting. But Yi earned his minutes over Charlie, while Scola couldn't beat out Chuck.
honestly,Yi is more promising than Scola,he's just 20-year-old and got more potential. i bet it's gonna be a great game(Yao&YI,chinese derby)
You said it before I could. He may have some athletic ability, but he doesn't use it to his full potential.
It has something to do with putting the right combination on the floor. Scola's inexperience also means something. As he plays more games and get himself together, I expect him to play more minutes and take the starting job from Hayes. Yi has been playing better than I expected. His footwork is pretty good and his defense is not bad at all. If Yao can put the ball on the floor as well as Yi, he would be unstoppable.
I dont agree.Scola performs well too. Yi looks prominent due to the last two post games he played.Thats because: 1 He has quickness and athleticism ,which is the favored trait by NBA. 2 He is in a weaker team,he got more playtime. However ,Scola played well especially in the defensive end. Maybe in the last several games he honestly didnt play as well as yi,which was also said by some specialists.But as I said ,his style makes him paying more time to convert and adapt to a new NBA style.But in long term respect,he also has the brightest future.
But Scola was supposed to be far more experienced than Yi, having been a champion and a great player in the Euroleague, which would knock the stuffing out of the CBA any day and twice on Sunday. Yi was supposed to be the unfinished prospect with the physical tools that would need seasoning and would suck early on, and Scola was supposed to be the polished Euro vet who could come in and contribute immediately. I don't know if Charlie V doesn't play hard or whatever, but he averaged 13 ppg in his rookie year and can really shoot. He is literally in another galaxy compared to Chuck offensively. I see three possible answers to the question. It could be that the Euroleague isn't as good as we thought it was, but the CBA is utter garbage. It could be that Scola isn't getting sufficient minutes, but from the games I watched (all of them) he was getting minutes when he wasn't picking up fouls in spurts, and Yi knows that if he goofs he has a legitimate backup to take his minutes. Finally, it may be that Scola's (relative) lack of height, quickness/explosion and athleticism is really hurting him at the NBA level. That's probably the most likely answer.
My, aren't we jumping to conclusions quickly here. Not only are we only a few games into the season, but we're comparing players who don't play big minutes, especially in Scola's case. The term we need to remember is sample size. Also, does anyone think that Yi, if he were playing on the Rockets, would put up the same numbers as he does now? Of course not. Stats are skewed by the talent around players too.
Agree! I like both Yi and Scola. but let's give them more time to show their real color. If by the end of this season, Scola still can't beat Chuck, I will be disappointed.
I can understand why you are saying that Euroleague isn't as good as we thought, since Luis isn't performing as well as we imagined and he's a two times MVP in the euroleague; but how do you come to the conclusion that CBA is utter garbage from that Yi is not even the best player in the CBA last season. Of the four players that came from the CBA, one of them is servicable (Wang ZZ), one of them couldn't adjust but somehow got a ring (Baater), one of them has a bright future in front of him (Yi). Oh and I'm pretty sure you heard of this CBA guy named Yao
has yi confirmed his real age yet? if not i don't get why he doesn't just come out with it. as for yi vs scola - scola has been a little bit disappointing, but give it some time. patience is a virtue.
there's no way he'll come out until after he gets his big contract. even then there's no guarantee he will. there's just too much at stake here.
