Scola will not leave，He has told the Chinese media in an interview . he said it's his greatest dream that playing in the NBA ,and he had made great efforts for this dream. the link: http://sports.sina.com.cn/cba/2008-08-01/16173825851.shtml
01/08/2008 Comments: 0 | Rank it: 12345 You ranked it: No cookies - no ranking ARG/AUS – Warrior Scola fuels Argentina comeback against Aussies NANJING (FIBA Diamond Ball for men) – Luis Scola scored 28 of his game-high 32 points in the second half as Argentina hit back from a large deficit to win a 95-91 thriller over Australia in the final of the FIBA Diamond Ball in Nanjing. In a showdown between sides that will meet in Group A at the Beijing Games, the Aussies put forth an awesome effort to go in front 42-35 at half-time and then stretch the advantage to 19 in the third quarter. But they weren’t able to put away the defending Olympic champions, with Scola making 11 of his 15 shots after the break. “We played against a world class team,” Australia coach Brian Goorjian said, “and we played tough. But we saw the difference.” Andres Nocioni, who had 18 of his 20 points in the first half, celebrated with his teammates after the game but said the Albiceleste have a long way to go before they are in top form. “Right now, we need every game,” Nocioni said. “We are not ready. We have 10 more days of practice. We are not playing very well, and we’re not playing with confidence. “We’re not at the level we want to be at and have to keep working. This is why these games are so important to us.” The games are important for Australia as well. A team that only just got Andrew Bogut before the Diamond Ball, the Oceania champions are looking formidable with the Olympics quickly approaching. David Barlow was outstanding, leading the way with 16 points and also adding toughness on defense and rebounding. David Andersen and Matthew Nielsen also fought like warriors against Scola, Fabricio Oberto and the other Argentina big men. Youngsters Pat Mills and Joe Ingles played pivotal roles on both ends of the floor, with the latter particularly effective on defense with three steals. He finished with eight points, which included a make on his only three-ball, and five rebounds in 14 minutes. Mills drilled three of his shots from behind the arc and had 14 points. “Out of the Diamond Ball experience, we come out with confidence,” Goorjian said. “Some of the players have only played together for a week. We have a young team and we still need to improve but I believe we have raised the bar.” Nocioni, who won a gold medal with Scola four years ago, showered his teammate with praise. “It was a tough game, but we are happy to have won it,” Nocioni said. “I think Luis was unbelievable. He played really well. “He was MVP of the final. He’s a tough guy. He works every day and I think he helped us a lot in the second half.” Argentina came all the way back from the huge deficit and finally took the lead, going in front by four. Australia refused to go away themselves. Trailing by four in the final minute, the Boomers grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds and Glen Saville made a three-pointer in front of the Australia bench to cut the deficit to one. But Manu Ginobili (24 points) and Fabricio Oberto (6pts 4rbs) each made free throws to keep the South Americans in front. Instead of allowing Australia to launch a potential game-tying three-pointer, they twice fouled Pat Mills who made both free throws the first time. On the second, after being fouled with Argentina leading by three, he needed to make the first and miss the second and hope for an offensive rebound and put-back. Instead, Mills was off target with the first and when he tried to miss the second, he made the free throw to cut Argentina’s lead to 93-91. Mills then fouled Ginobili and sank both shots from the charity stripe for the fourth-point triumph. http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/27494/arti.html
Is Nocioni still available?? I hope Scola can convince that he should consider join him to play for the Rockets in the future.
This is so true and why he is such an awesome role player on our team. With all the attention on Yao and Tracy, he is always able to make the right play and get easy buckets. He was extremely efficient when both Yao and Tracy were healthy. I love him as our PF. What a steal he was for VSpan.
Gotta love Scola. He's such a warrior and seems like a great guy and clever player. Man, how can one not be excited about next season. Yao, T-Mac Artest, Scola, Battier, Barry And then you still have Alston, Mutombo, Francis, Hayes, Landry... We should have a near-perfect mix of stars and roleplayers, offense and defense, rebounding, three-point shooting...everything.
Morey is a genius, last year I thought we could win it all with health and a little luck....this year....I think we are the favorites. HOLY COW !! DD
Agree, Jackie. If we have a weakness, it is at the starting point, but with some excellent passers who can handle the ball in different positions (Tracy, Barry, and Artest are 3 that stand out), Alston may be adequate, as long as he can keep from chucking the stupid shots the guy seems to have a frequent urge to toss up there. As DD said, I've not doubt that we'll reward Scola with a really good contract extension, and hopefully before next season.
Argentinian reporters said that Nocioni maybe was traded to Sacramento. He said he was happy in Chicago and didn't want to leave.
Been saying this forever and it's still true. But with Ron Ron joining the team, Rafer becomes very valuable because they have a prior relationship. Now there is no way the Rockets can trade Rafer and he must remain our starting PG. I almost puked writing that.
I'll say this: Scola is the best player on the Argentine squad, even with Manu on it. I can't wait to see what Scola can do in his second year in the NBA.
No problem with this if Adelman tells him, "Rafer, you are the sixth option on the court for a shot", Artest will demand a good amount of shots and i want none taken away from Scola. I prefer T-Mac giving up a few shots (i would like him to stay under 18 FGA) and Alston (no way this guy keeps getting 12 shots).
another thing, scola was the only one not crying to the ref. manu and nocioni went wah wah like george harrison's guitar all game.
