Scola has shown he can be a 20-10 player when given the chance/need and will be a lot cheaper than David Lee. Rockets will not get into the finals with David Lee. We need a Gerald Wallace, Granger, or Bosh type player.
I'm not saying I'd pay him more than double Scola's price. I'm just pointing out the facts. This team needs Yao back before we decide what else we need. I actually think we need a real Point Guard though.
Not really. Length, yes. Youth, yes. In terms of leadership and offensive skills, I don't think he's better than Scola.
David Lee is not a significant upgrade at PF position. Why would we want to David Lee on a more expensive contract when we have Scola and Hill?
He is a bit like Scola, no need to be redundant.....and Scola will get a raise to about his level.....too. DD
I'd rather get the other white power forward that can rebound but can also shoot 3s at almost a 40% clip. He also happens to be on the last year of his contract so if he works out, great; if not, "Trade Bait"
I've scouted David Lee for quite a while now and I'm sold on him as a legit NBA force. He isn't a superstar, and will likely be overpaid for what he brings, but there is no question he's a dominant player in this league. Classification: Point-Center who rebounds well and has developed into a legitimate offensive threat. Most glaring flaw is one on one defense, which is probably near or slightly worse than Luis Scola's. However, there is no reason to think that adding David Lee would be redundant. I seriously doubt the Rockets are looking to add a guy like Lee when they already have Scola in place, but it is worth noting that there are a few very distinct advantages that fall in Lee's favor when comparing the two. Myth: David Lee is no better than Scola Fact: David Lee brings a lot more to the table as a versatile player than Scola does. Offensively they are similar in terms of scoring, but Lee holds the advantage as a better rebounder and shooter by percentage, Lee also is a far better passer and can handle the ball, making it easier for him to take his man off the dribble, whereas Scola relies on a litany of low-post head fakes and spin moves to work his way to the basket. Offensively, David Lee is the prototypical workhorse, he works hard down low and collects a multitude of offensive rebounds, he can shoot from mid-range well, and he can even handle the rock a bit which makes him a handful to defend when he puts the ball on the floor. In this "point center" role he saw his assists jump up to 3.6 per game, a very respectable number considering his position. His turnovers also saw a predictable rise up to 2.3 per game. Despite his obvious talents, a lot of people still say he is hardly a "go-to" offensive player, and point to the fact that a lot of his points come from put backs or dunks. This is a bit of a useless accusation, lots of big men garner "easy" points this way. It is not easy to average 20/10 in the NBA. It is even harder to approach 20/12, which Lee came close to doing. He is probably a top 5 rebounder in the league. Defensively is where we find weakness in David Lee's game. He isn't a low-post stopper. He isn't altering any shots, his rotational defense is somewhat suspect, but he's a terror on the glass. At 6 foot 9, roughly 250 pounds he isn't suited to play Center, but excelled anyway in D'Antoni's scatter-brained offensive system. He's a high-energy player who gets by on hustle. Myth: He is just a product of Mike D'Antoni's system which encourages a lot of errant shots and quick offensive possessions resulting in a faster paced game with more opportunities for him to stat-pad Fact: He's showed signs of dominance back in the Isiah Thomas days. His rebounding has always been superb. Look back at his 2nd season in the league, in 2006-07 under the dreaded Isiah regime. Lee averaged an astonishing 3.4 offensive rebounds per game and 10.4 overall in 58 games played, in about 28 minutes per game. He also was extremely efficient offensively that year, averaging just over 10 points per game but shooting at a 60 percent clip. Small marks you might say? Well take into account his career FG% is 55.7%. Last year playing a career-high 37 minutes per game, Lee averaged 20.2 points per game on 54.5% shooting. By comparison, Luis Scola in 32 minutes per game averaged 16.2 points per game on 51.2% FG pct. Lee also is prone to having monster nights. He had a ridiculous 37 point, 20 rebound, 10 assist game in a loss to the Warriors, which was the NBA's first 30-20-10 game since 1976. Sure, inferior competition argument... but just as Stephen Strasburg K'd 14 Pittsburgh Pirates last night in his MLB debut... if its so easy to drop a 30-20-10 game on the porous Warriors Defense, why didn't anybody else do it? So in conclusion, I am a big proponent of David Lee. Watch tape of him against the Rockets back in March. He totaled 27 points (10-18 shooting), 20 rebounds (6 offensive), 6 assists, 2 blocks, 2 TO. Go back to January 9th against the Rockets. Lee stat line: 26 points (12-17 shooting), 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 turnover. David Lee 2009-10 season stat line vs Houston Rockets: 26.5 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists The proof is in the pudding, the guy is talented as hell, I'm just not sure he's right for the Rockets... we need interior defense badly, and we already have Luis Scola who isn't the player Lee is, but provides us with enough offense and rebounding from the 4 spot to suffice as long as we have a center who is at least tall enough to create a defensive presence in the lane. That being said, I think if we're targeting Bosh, I see no reason why we would throw the farm at him and not even look at David Lee as a possible plan B.
Scola is a proven champion. He's got a heart of a champioin and led team Argentina to many different major worldclass basketball competitions.
Pointless argument. You're talking about irrelevant intangibles. Scola hasn't brought us any championships in his 3 years here in the NBA, so are we to discredit your previous statement?
I always thought his team defense was quite good. His rotational defense may be sketchy but you have to admit, NY isn't that good at defense...at all. I think being with Battier/Yao/Ariza, wouldn't that make his rotational defense better? His basketball IQ is definitely above average so wouldn't it be safe to assume that with a better team like the Rockets, he would excel a bit on defense as well?
Scola is a fan favorite, it would be hard for Rocket fans to see him leave, but then again we traded Landry so anything can happen. Landry lost some teeth and got shot at in Htown near his house. I still feel for him.
I'm sure Yao's first full workout after a YEAR of not playing basketball/rehab is going to show you a lot. Also, here's another stat for you genius: Yao, first 5 years games played: 82, 82, 80, 57, 48 Al Jefferson, first 5 years games played: 71, 59, 69, 82, 50 Please do some research and use your head a little before you make a fool of yourself again.
Ah, moes, my fellow brother in arms in defending David Lee. I like your analysis. I agree with everything you posted. However, I don't see why the Rockets should pursue him: 1) We need someone closer to 7'0" than 6'10". If we are to contend, we need another legitimate 7 footer manning the paint. This will help our defense; we need all the help we can get in the middle with the sieve known as Kevin Martin patrolling the wings. 2) I think Scola fits the Rockets slightly better than David Lee would. They both have similar roles on disparate offenses: initiate the play from the high post, then dive inside for an offensive rebound or take a shot. Scola is a bit more polished in the low post, but David Lee is a much better rebounder. It's a tradeoff between what you want in your PF next to Yao, and I think having someone who can take the post pressure off of Yao is just slightly more important than someone who can crash the boards with impunity. Surprisingly, it looks like David Lee shoots slightly better than Scola from 15-18 feet, which I wouldn't have figured. Still, for the amount of money that they both command, Scola would be more value. 3) I can't really think of too many more arguments against David Lee other than money and need. He's not a great defender, but neither is Scola. He brings hustle, intensity, energy, and a double/double every night. But I just can't see Morey shelling it out for a player who doesn't fit the bill that we need: defense, length, height, and offense.
