I was really impressed. The low rebounds bothered me somewhat, but Scola was boxing out ok and he could even handle bigs like Howard briefly down low (boxing out). Scola seemed to score easily, as others have commented, which I think is a HUGE help for the rox. When he is not the focal point of our offense (as he is for Argentina now) he will get many easy buckets. His jumper is good (though he didn't need it much tonight) and that's encouraging. I was afraid Scola would get his stuff sent back when putting up layups in the lane. But I think he was only blocked once. He is quick with his moves and was able to score around some great defenders. This speed of his will be a great asset this season. His IQ is big; he seemed to "run the offense" for much of the time he was out there. Granted, Argentina seems to have a very effective coach and this is probably why they flow so well, but Scola definitely helped. It's hard to say about Scola's D - the FIBA rules allow so much physical contact that it's hard to know how that would translate to the NBA. I didn't see Scola get abused on D, at least. He is quick enough to guard most bigs he'll face. Is he strong enough to keep Duncan out of the lane? Dunno, but I think we like to guard Duncan with Ming anyway. Can Scola keep Boozer et al. at bay? We'll have to see. Overall, this guy can really play. I really believe he'll be our starter at some point this season. After watching last night's game, I don't think we need another PF. I think Scola and Hayes have it covered.
Does he really play like Chuck Hayes? I couldn't comment on his defensive skill, which does not show in the videos. But he does much better in offensive department. He've got much better pick 'n roll move; much better flip shoot and a much much more beatiful jump shoot. Well, I am not sure if he fouls as much as Hayes. KH
On the other hand, I'd like to see more of Scola before I'll say that he can do everything Chuck does. Chuck's nose for the ball is absolutely uncanny, and he has some if the best hands in the NBA.
I think people underestimate how Yao compliments other players rebounding. I think Scola will average more rebounds simply because of how well Yao boxes out down low. That is just one of the ways that Scola will benefit from the new situation.
i am guessing from your post that you didn't watch the game. he was awesome. he played intelligently and he stepped his game up against the US. the stuff that was not in the highlight reel was even better. he played solid d and his offense was great. the best thing about his offense is that he doesn't need to dominate the ball to create stuff and score. he definitely belonged on the court against that behemoth US team.
I don't think we have probably defensively or rebounding against most teams...we did it pretty well last year...without same calibur players... We will beat teams like Atlanta, Charlotte, N/O, New York, and etc....regularly.....but the problem will be with Dallas, Phoenix, and S.A. Those are the times we are going to see when our team work or chemistry is good enough to win a title.
true, we will have to wait and see if the chemistry meshes, but we certainly have narrowed the gap to competiting with the big 3 you mentioned.
His movement without ball is really impressive. I'm pretty much sure he will score his 30 points if the opponent PFs defend him like what they do to Hayes
Scola doesn't do anything stro couldn't do if he had heart and a passion for the game. I don't think Scola was born the player that he is, I think he worked really hard to be that player. Everything Stro has he was born with.
Some other things that are encouraging: Scola scored 20 points but only played 18 minutes. Scola got 5 rebounds in those 18 minutes. Scola shot 66.7% from the field Scola made 4 out of 5 free throws Getting to the line 5 times in 18 minutes indicates that he attacked a lot Possible areas of concern: He got 4 fouls in 18 minutes of play Only 1 assist in 18 minutes Only 1 blocked shot and 0 steals in 18 minutes The numbers seem to indicate that his defense needs improvement and we should probably expect a lot of fouls and turnovers from Scola this season. That's normal for a rookie, but a lot of people here don't consider him your average rookie. I like what I see. We don't need him to be a superstar. We just need him to punish other teams if they leave him alone and I think he's showing that he has that he has that quality.
I'm not worried about the assists. From what I've seen, Scola is a willing and accurate passer. With him on the high post, Yao flashing around the basket, and T-Mac making the backdoor cuts, he should be getting plenty of assists for us.
Yao needs work on catching, but I don't think Scola has better lay-up. Yao was forced to dunk every ball as possible. Remember his first season with Rockets? Lay-up was usually his biggest weapon to score.
nah, the tinman asked for a heart. the lion asked for courage/ passion. what stromile lacks is a brain. thusly, scola...the anti-swift.
