Long time clutchfans reader and semi-regular contributor. I know it has been discussed before, but what are your thoughts on Luis Scola. I love him when we are playing offense, his footwork down in the post is so damn good, he is in the top 5 offensive post players in the league almost purely for the fact that his ability to pivot and find a way to score is greater than any PF in the league. He can hit jumpers, rebounds well and runs the floor excellently. He has the heart of a Lion but he has one major down fall which we can all see. His defense is so bad, he is basically a matador, and his lack of athleticism and shot blocking makes him one of the worst big defenders in the league. We have him on a long contract and he isn't getting any younger, so what do you suggest we do with him? Trade him now while his value is high? or let him see his contract out as a rocket. personally i think we should keep him until next year's deadline, we have Patterson who will be a stud but he needs to work on his offensive post game and with Scola as a mentor Patterson could be great for us for years to come. Sorry for the long post, and i know Scola is a popular topic on here but i just wanted to share my thoughts - what do you all think?
it is a dilemma isn't it.. I like the way he plays too much, great attitude, and he seems loyal enough. Why not keep him?He could end his career in Houston. Center is the real position we should bring our collective analysis and try to solve...hmm!!! Al Horford..... Anyways, It looks like Brooks is going to be dealt soon. Hopefully, we get that center in return.. Time to go to Sleep Op
I agree that luis defense is just bad, no lenght, no jumping ability, everybody knows that. But you say " we have Patterson" if we trade scola... are u serious? u comparing a guy who almost averages 20-10 with a guy that averages 4 points and 3 rebounds. If we trade scola we are covered by patterson magic numbers? Sorry i cant c that. If he is that good he should be getting more playing time and doing more with the pt he already got. Only scenario i can live with scola being traded is if we really decide to rebuild and want to give luis a chance to play for a championship... but i wont trade it coz we got patterson... that just make no sense. Luis is the heart of this team, and hi gives 110% every night.
We need a defensive center to cover up for Luis' weaknesses. We have to try that route first before thinking of trading him. Geez, only Luis and Kevin are scoring consistently. You don't give them away. You look for players to shore up our weaknesses.
Not to me. I'd trade him for expiring contracts and draft picks. We aren't remotely close to being a championship team, and Luis isn't getting any younger.
He deserves a championship. We should trade him back to SA and get the SA scout to draft some talent for us. They have a freakishly scary eye for young talent anyways. Time we did our own collusion.
Scola for Splitter? It helps both as Spurs get instant contribution in Scola and the Rockets get a young 7 footer.
You didn't read the whole post did you? My suggestion was that we keep Luis at least until next seasons trade deadline (so 1 full year) in which time he uses his basketball smarts to teach Patterson what he needs to learn to become a good player in the league. Patterson has athleticism and the fundamentals of a good defender (both things scola lacks) and he can hit the midrange jumper when recquired. His low post game is what he needs to work on and that's scolas greatest strength. If he was to mentor ppat we would mould pat into a dominant big on both ends. I love Luis and his commitment and enthusiasm but the fact is he isn't young and won't improve and this team ain't winning a ring in the next 2 years so let's focus on the future. And also why the obsession with stats? Of course pats averages are low, you overlooked the biggest factor... Minutes per game
there are so many positive things about Scola.... so many. there's no freaking dilemna. just because the guy can't jump he's worse than any super athletic guy.
I'd like to see the team aquire another big that would allow the team to become more flexible - with the option to bring Scola off the bench rather than having to give up defense for his offense for 40+ minutes a game. His contract is comparable to that of Lamar Odom .... tho slightly higher in the final two years. DeAndre Jordan , Marc Gasol , Zach Randolph , Roy Hibbert , Andrew Bogut , Emeka Okafur , Robin Lopez , Samuel Dalembert or Javale McGee in no particular order of preference. Could moving Brooks and the expiring deal of Jeffries land you one of those guy's ? I dont think that deal puts the team over the top but it likely gets them closer to the playoffs. It definately solves the biggest issue on the team being stopping the layup drills .... gives the bench more scoring. They'd still have the option and assets to make further upgrades.
I don't know if you can win a championship with him as your best big man, but realistically the Rockets are not gonna be in championship contention during Scola's prime, so....
Scola should not be traded. He should retire a Rocket. He may lack D but all he needs is a true C that can block shots and rebound in traffic. Look what Deke did erase all the mistakes made by players on the floor when he played besides Scola.
No, they are not. I've never wanted to trade Luis, unless it gets us a major upgrade in a position of need. I would argue that after years in The Wilderness of Mediocre Power Forwards, getting rid of Scola without a clear replacement in order to fill another position(s) amounts to filling one hole and creating another.
I agree, we don't have anyone else that we can pass the ball to down low and let them go to work the way Scola does. I would like to see Patterson really show us what he can do offensively, so we could have an idea of what he is capable of. Patterson has shown he can knock down the open jumper, but does he have real post up skills? At this point I would hate to lose Scola without a skilled replacement in waiting. Maybe we trade Brooks for Landry, and then trade Scola for another asset, but I don't know if that accomplishes a whole lot. I guess it depends on who we could get for Scola.
I really dont think the solution is getting rid of Scola. As someone posted earlier in the thread, if we had a bigger defensive center it would help cover up his defensive weakness tremendously. Before you bring up Chuck Hayes, he is a outstanding defensive player but even he cant make up for Scola's defensive inability. In fact, a defensive center would allow us to move Chuck back to his natural position at PF and relieve much of the defensive strain from him. This all just keeps bugging me wishing we had gotten Tyson Chandler at the beginning of the season. It was a mistake letting, or not trying harder to bring him here instead of Dallas. Even with Yao going down, which I'm sure many of us expected anyway, we would still be in a much better position with him on our team. Simply look at what a huge turn around he has had for Dallas. You can mention any of their great offensive players, but its the work of Chandler that really made the difference for them. So question is, and has been for the longest time, is where and how can we acquire that type of player, or if we even can before the seasons over.
