Why Scola plays for Argentina Teams are wary of allowing their players to participate in international tournaments during the offseason due to the potential of injuries. Rockets forward Luis Scola is convinced that playing for Argentina in the World Championships later this month will help his game and he's confident he'll stay healthy. Scola recently signed a new contract which includes a bonus if he plays in all 82 games next season. "In my case, it is easy," Scola told the Houston Chronicle off his decision to play for Argentina and the Rockets' support. "I have an argument. Nothing ever happened for me. Why wouldn't I go? I'm healthy. It helps me. It makes me better. "In other cases, it's different when players have an injury or didn't play a lot of games in the season, then the team may have an argument. If you talk and you have common sense, it's always easy to get to the point." Scola has not missed a game during his three years in the NBA. http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/features/rumors/_/date/20100804
Scola has played for Argentina every offseason, and he has never missed an NBA game. While other players are just working out in gyms, Scola is out balling with his team, and leading them to victory more often than not. He brings the leadership that he has developed with Argentina to the NBA, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
that's why I love about this man. 10m a year is ok to pay this guy, he always plays hard and often times produces great results.
You know whats scary? In his first three years, Yao only missed 2 games. Yao also played international ball for China in the off season........ Damn, did I just kill the mood?
This. Jumping and driving is where you get hurt. Scola can play his game very effectively without doing either. Yao would fit this situation too, but if you're 7+ft, 300+lbs, injuries are inevitable.
Yao Ming's problem wasn't that he was fragile to begin with, the guy was built proportionally (meaning he didn't have weak ankles or thin legs or whatver), however he suffered a freak accident and didn't take time off for it to heal properly. WHan Yao got injured the first time he should have taken time off from the China team and rested that summer. Instead they probably rushed his recovery and made him play anyway, and this created the Grant Hill effect where his injury just got worse because he didn't treat it properly. As long as Scola doesn't suffer any freak accidents and stops playing for Argentina when he does get injured, he'll be fine.
Actually Brooks is much better. Brooks get hurt like any rocket, but he has a healing factor that rivals wolverine's. Remember that one time Brooks had that ankle sprain? He was diagnosed to be out for a week, but instead played the next game like nothing happened lol
Uh, Debbie downer here, Yao never missed a game in his first 3 seasons in the NBA. But Scola doesn't have the same weight and foot problems, so I'm hoping for another ironman season out of Scola.
I guess one way of looking at Scola's off-season traditon is that he never lets himself get out of shape. The guy is ready from day one.
Scola has that South American soccer player mentality, they're very, very proud of their country, and their loyalty for their team runs deep, even for their club team, in this case, the Rockets, remember when he signed his contract a few weeks ago? he said about the Rockets, "my team, my only team"... dude's a loyal person!
