I was just kidding, man. There is obviously a very legitimate connection between Scola's performance and T-Mac's presence in the lineup. I think the reactions you are getting are due to the way you phrased the title of this thread. Beyond that, I would prefer to think that T-Mac and Scola will be able to reverse this trend so the team can get the most out of both of them at the same time.
Sweet Lou, stop it, you flaming me for asking a question? I asked if its a coincidence or not. I expected some good replies, not this type of bullcrap
I'm not flaming you, I'm giving you a hard time and teasing you about putting up a silly thread. I would expect the same thing if I did the same.
That's not true, tonight was the first game Scola did well without t-mac. In the two recent games with out t-mac, scola scored a TOTAL of 6 points combined! Scola's first big game recently was against Chicago. His previous double digit game was against Memphis before that - a game t-mac had a triple double. There is no trend. Scola is just coming into his own independent of who's on the floor.
Wrong. 11/16 HOU vs SA T-Mac DNP Scola 20 pts (10/11 FG/FGA) 11/17 HOU vs PHX T-Mac DNP Scola 20 pts (10/19 FG/FGA) 11 reb 12/23 HOU vs DET T-Mac DNP 2nd Half Scola 18 (8/11 FG/FGA) 9 reb (mostly in 2nd Half) 11/29 HOU vs Mem T-Mac DNP Scola 22 pts (11/19 FG/FGA) 5 reb 2 stl Scola had a couple of solid games with T-Mac playing the entire game (@ MIA most notably) but his best performances generally have come with T-Mac out of the lineup. The sample size is not big enough but there does appear to be some kind of a trend.
Wow. So we finally find a way to win a game without T-Mac and all of a sudden we don't need him anymore. Scola doesn't need him. Nobody needs him. Right?
But the fact that he scored 20 with tmac against mia, and also did well chicago also says a lot. The trend isn't tied to t-mac, it's tied to minutes played. In all of those games, Scola played in 25+ minutes, something he rarely does in other games. Against Sac-town, Mia, and SA - games he scored 20, he hit 35 minutes in those games, the most minutes he has had in games so far. Same with the last three games (Det, Memphis, and Chicago). It might be that when t-mac is out, we depend more on scola because we need scoring more, so he gets the nod over hayes. Or it could be he doesn't get minutes because of foul trouble issues. But I don't see the correlation very clearly, I think it's really just minutes.
You want Scola to develop? Here's a trend you might want to pay attention to: 12.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG when he plays more than than 20 minutes. His PER-48-MINS are fantastic at: 18 PPG, 12.4 RPG. Since he obviously isn't going to play all 48 minutes, somewhere in the 25-30 minute per contest range should give us the numbers we're seeking from the PF position. It's only a matter of time before he's starting and taking the majority of the minutes. It's not about whether or not T-Mac plays, it's about actually giving Scola significant playing time. This guy is the real deal and is an absolute STEAL. Enjoy it.
BTW, I have always argued that we should start Scola. I was just looking at possible explanations for the performance increases. Even if McGrady had been the cause, we would need to find a solution for that other than sacrificing either player's contributions. The day Adelman became our coach was the beginning of the end of Chuck Hayes' days as a starter on this team. As it turns out, it is clearly a minutes-based thing and not a T-Mac issue.
give Scola at least 30 mins per game, and Mac needs go back to the Point-Forward mode again, then we good to go, and yeah, get rid of MJ, Francis.
look, nothing personal, but c'mon, do you really think that the reason to trade t-mac is so Scola can develop? That t-mac interferes somehow with that process???? C'mon man....you can do better. I believe in you. (a little less) talent + chemistry > absolute talent I'll take the best combination of gamers on the floor, who can play together, over the maximum combination of talent available. A team can sometimes be greater than the sum of its parts when guys feed off one another and develop a chemistry that works. Then when those guys are gamers with a little grit who want it a little more than their opposition, that's when their energy translates into wins. So maybe less about scola developing individually (though that too along with getting him minutes) than it is a mutual development within the framework of the team. Synergism. WHich doesn't happen when guys are standing around watching their best player create plays (even unselfish plays), whether it's that player's fault or not. Not saying this is the case here necessarily or was even the op's point, but as incredulous as your response sounds, I'm not sure it's impossible that a team could improve with "addition by subtraction". Even when the subtraction is a HUGE chunk of talent. It may not be likely, but is possible. And there's only one way to find out.
I've seen so much of Tracy not passing to an open/well positioned Scola to take one of his "defender is in my face, but I'm T-mac - nobody's gonna complain if I miss" jumpers.
Agreed. T-Mac needs to buy in and needs to stop playing games, with having favorites on the team, etc.
Now we're talking. Okay, ridiculous trade Tmac proposition out of the way, let's talk Scola. I'm not sure why Adelman insists on starting Hayes over Scola when it's obvious that Scola's BY FAR the better player. Chuck Hayes can't even touch Scola talentwise. But the fault also lies with Scola himself. When Mac and Yao are healthy, he seems to think of himself as a role player and garbage guy. Well hello Scola. You're a role player, yes. But your role is to go out and put up points and rebounds. You're legitimately capable of being the consistent 3rd scorer we need. Get off that mental hump please. IMO, he epitomises what's wrong with our supporting cast this season. When Mac and Yao are healthy, everyone thinks they're the big dogs and that they should do everything, while everyone else just chips in here and there and set the table for them. This cannot work. Part of the reason why the '04-'05 season was so exciting and successful is that guys like Sura and Barry don't have that kind of mentality. Sura will break plays and take the ball in if he sees an easier opportunity. And we all know how much of a gunslinger Barry is. As someone said, Scola's per-48 is impressive, so man, help youself and start playing like you play when Tmac's out all the time. Then maybe Adelman will have no choice but to put you in and play you big minutes over Hayes. Oh, turn the fouls down too please.
I don't follow the OP's logic of trading TMac but... When TMac and Scola are together on the floor, he sometimes ignores him when Scola should obviously get the ball. I remember one game on a fastbreak when Scola was streaking down the court and all Tmac had to do was hit him with a pass for a layup, instead TMac jacks up a 3 pointer which he missed. Scola's body language after that was one of exasperation.
