I would like to add to durvasa's reply to you. Yes, he is 'merely a solid' power forward. Nothing compared to Duncan, Garnett, Boozer, Brand, O'Neal, etc. However, you want to get any of those players listed, or even a 'second tier' level PF like David West, Rasheed Wallace, etc., you are going to have to pay mega bucks for them. We are talking at least 10 million a year. Scola is coming here for only about 3 million a year. For that amount of money, and for the skill set he is bringing, 3 million is CHICKEN FEET! But of course, no doubt he is still just merely solid. How can he be an upgrade over Chuck Hayes and Juwan Howard? Scola can merely 'make open shots, run the floor, make deep jump shots, hit the offensive glass, and finish on the break' (from RocksMillenium). Nothing to be impressed about compared to the other power forwards that we have. Sure... he scored 20 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 19 minutes against a US All Star team. But since the US All Star team 'sucks big time', we can only tell how Scola will perform if he plays in the NBA. Instead of proving himself by besting Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard, he must best the scrubs of each NBA team because playing well against All Stars are not indicative of Scola's ability to do well in the NBA. Therefore, Scola is 'not impressive'. I agree with you. Scola is just merely solid. We shouldn't have traded Juwan Howard and his 7 million dollar contract away. Worst trade of the 21st century if you ask me. I respect your right to your opinion. However, please don't condescend us with your failure to 'understand the excitement and hype' over Scola in this forum.
Did you just say this Allstar team USA SUX?. are you kidding me?. As for Scola, after the few nerves he showed in the 1st quarter, i thought he got pretty confident and started playing accordingly. he certianly didnt look out of place. He is'nt gonna be in the KG or duncan level, but who is?. i think he'll be in the mold of someone like a a young juwan howard.and yes, juwan in he's prime was a pretty handy player. borderline allstar. scola is gonna be a borderline star.
I was being sacarstic Because Hoop-T doesn't think too highly of Scola being able to score 20 points in 19 minutes on Team USA, that means he has a very low opinion of Team USA. Please up sacarsm meter when reading my post above
Oh i see. fair nough my bad. . personally i think he'll be the 2nd best Argentinian in this league. yes better then oberto, herman , delfino and even ninoci. owever i doubt he'll be as good as manu. no shame in that. 13 7 boards 3 assists is the numbers i think he'll have. what he's biggest asset is he's off the ball movement. he's allways in a position to either get a cheap bucket or draw a foul. Also he's mid range game will elp yao alot. now with a genuine offensive threat like scola beside him, teams cant sag off like they do with chuck hayes and play collapse defense on yao. that means yao will have less double teams coming he's ay with luis here now.
"Solid" is all we need. We already have superstars at the SF and C position. We just need SOLID performance at the PF position to be competitive. If Scola can only be SOLID, then we are in good shape!
Exactly. I personally did not know what to expect when the Rockets got him from the Spurs for almost nothing. But seeing these highlights and reading the accolades in the press of his recent performances, I'm starting to believe that he'll be a very good complimentary frontcourt player for us. Not an all star, but someone "solid."
I'm glad Scola can finish well around the basket and create his own shot. Too many times I've seen Juwan Howard's little hook bounce off the front of the rim. And I swear I've never seen J.Ho hit a layup.
Well, if you state that the same argument can be made for Duncan, then you do not understand what I am saying. Duncan has a complete game (with the exception of his free throw percentage of course), and he performs at a high level night in and night out against the best athletes and basketball players in the world. I never said Scola's game was unspectacular. One can argue that some of the aspects of his game are quite flashy and entertaining (his passing skills for instance). However, I am saying that what I have seen so far is just not as impressive as some are proclaiming it to be. I don't see Scola doing the things Duncan does. I don't see him blocking, or really even changing shots. I don't see the rebounding prowess or tenacity. I don't see the back to the basket moves. In other words, I don't see he has the ability to control a game. So there is no comparison to Duncan. Scola did what he needed to do to convert easy baskets and make his open jumpers. But isn't that what a player is supposed to do according to the role they play on the team? Again....Scola is a solid player and I think he'll contribute in Houston right away. But I really don't see him as more than a 10 and 6 guy....at least not for a few years. He'll piece together a nice game here and there. He'll be serviceable, no more. My opinion.....but that's what I believe based on what I've seen.
I agree. No argument here from me. But after reading some of the posts about Scola over the last few weeks.....I feel many are going to be disappointed with "solid." Or perhaps others' definition of solid seems to be closer to all-star caliber.
Yeah....I've said it was a good signing. I never said anything derogatory about any trade, nor did I ever say I expect Duncan or Garnett performances from Scola. And if you can find where I was condescending to anyone regarding Scola....please bring it up and I will gladly apologize. Geeze..........
I dont think Scola being a "borderline star" type player is that far fetched. he posses all the requierd tools. it's just the matter of application.
It is very far fetched. Scola isn't borderline close to Duncan, Brand, Boozer, Bosh, O'Neal, Garnett, Marion, Dirk, etc. Not even close. He IS a lot more skilled than Oberto, who started for the NBA champion Spurs. If Scola is a 9/6 guy who forces his man to guard him in the high post which allows Yao working room down low on a consistent basis, he is exactly what we need. (Watch Yao's shooting % go back up). If he runs the floor, is a good flopper and joins Shane and Chuck in drawing charges, Scola is exactly what we need. If he constantly moves without the ball, forces his defender to work and is an exceptional passer for a PF, he fits Adelman's system to a "T". On offense, Scola seems to be a great fit. Did we "rob" the Spurs? Yup. But is he a borderline all-star? Ain't no way.
those guys you mentioned are not stars....they are superstars. boderline star (not all star) may be the appropriate stretch to give him...something to shoot for. I really like "the kid" and think he will fit in well and expect him to score b/t 10-12 pts and grab 7-10 rebs depending on his minutes.
maybe marion isnt a superstar but the rest of them should be considered... duncan, brand, garnett, oneal, dirk, boozer (could go both ways), and bosh
