Steve Batista just got 34 points and 15 rebounds against the same Puerto Rico team that Scola only got 22 and 11 against. And Steve Batista is a scrub in the NBA.
Well, that settles it once and for all! Unless, of course, statistics for one single game are almost meaningless, which they are.
I know what you're saying..... I just made the distinction because Juwan Howard has such a negative connotation around here and I didn't want people to think he's just another Juwan Howard.... It's hard to say who's game Scola is like....guys just have to see it. I think he has incredibly good low post moves and a nice mid range game. I think the Najera comparisons are fairly accurate....Scola does seem to be all over the floor throwing his body in to do what he can to win. He doesn't jump out of the gym like Stromile Swift, more like a guy who has a lot of energy and knows how to play. I don't think Scola will be pushed around too much. He has a very strong upper body. He might pick up a lot of fouls because Duncan might use savvy moves to fake him out. Still, we've managed to have one of the top team paint defenses in the league for the last few years with Juwan Howard getting a lot of time....Scola is at least a better defender than Juwan. Scola is a smart player.....hopefully we can get him adapted to our team d..... We may not get a KG in there....but if we get a big strong guy who's pretty athletic, smart he can make us strong by playing seamlessly within our team D, we still might be better off. The Team D might be greater than the sum of its parts.... His style of defense might irritate some of the opposing power forwards.... I wouldn't mind getting a Foster, Reggie Evans, Najera, Kelvin Cato, Etan Thomas in there to have bodies to throw at guys. Since the west is so stacked with great power forwards, it would be good to have fresh power forwards to throw at them even when Scola plays well....because I think he will pick up a lot of fouls with his aggressive play.
I'm not comparing Scola to Bird. That would be idiotic, having been able to see Bird play a lot. And I know which position Bird played, and he had to deal with some very physical defense. My point was simply that you don't have to be an incredible physical specimen to be very effective. Sure, it helps tremendously if you are, but you can still be highly effective if you have the right mindset towards the game and the intelligence to use what you do have to make an impact. I like what I've been able to see of Scola so far, and he strikes me as a very smart and crafty guy. If you're 6'10", around 240 and very active, you can take that a long way. We'll see how far he goes.
Man....what kind of shallow analysis is this to base on the statistics of 1 game to d@$$ the performance of a player?
I knew the Bird-Scola comparison was not your intention, but I wanted to have fun with it on a number of levels. I apologize for the sidetrack. Someone the other day was trying to say Bird was a great defender, and I say go see the clips he tried to guard Worthy, Wilkens and Erving. And yes I know those are decent offensive players, but it sure was fun to remember Bird getting dunked on anyway. Scola is listed at 230lbs on the NBA. He also clearly isn't a super athlete nor super long, and from what I saw didn't look really strong below the waist. I just don't see how he can provide any resistance to a Duncan, Boozer, Brand, Jefferson, Nene getting to the spot they want (maybe Alridge too, and then you got Bosh, Zach & Jermain in the east) and getting any shot they want. I also forsee Marion just exploding right around him on the glass. At least Chuck has the low body strength and lots of quickness to make these PF types work extra. (Now I think Scola very well could be a better defensive match-up versus more finese long guys like Dirk, Okur, Gasol, KG). That was my impression anyway.
So Argentina got their 3 wins out of 3, beating the hapless Mexico 104 vs 83. Luis Scola was not much needed for this game, played just for 21 minutes..... but he was highly efficient with 11 points (5/8 FG% 1/2 FT%), 8 rebounds, 5 assists , 3 fouls.
I JUST watched the highlights on the main page... Watching Scola makes me Giddy . I'm glad he's on OUR team .
http://blogs.chron.com/franblinebury/2007/08/scolas_highlight_reel_its_all_1.html August 26, 2007 Scola's highlight reel? It's all in his head If it's mind-bending, rim-swaying highlights you want, you tune in to see LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony or Kobe Bryant for Team USA. For the sleight-of-hand of a magician and the strategy of a general, you keep your eye on Jason Kidd. When you watch Luis Scola play for Argentina, you're often struck by one thing — he knows how to play. Oh, there will be quibblers who want him to finish more with slam dunks and the insatiable appetites who'll want him to gobble up every rebound that comes off the glass. Andres Leighton: AP Luis Scola (left) has filled the void with Argentina missing some top players. But in getting an extended peek at the Rockets' newest power forward, what Scola gives you is a sense of skill, of professionalism, of seeing the court and knowing what to do. In many ways, he's a power forward version of Shane Battier. Through the first three games of the FIBA Americas tournament, Argentina was 3-0 without regulars Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, Fabricio Oberto and Walter Herrmann playing. Through the opening round of the competition, Scola is giving a glimpse of what the Rockets saw when they dealt for him and hope to have on the floor. "I didn't see anything that surprised or was unknown about him," said general manager Daryl Morey, who has just returned from Las Vegas. "Overall, he's just got a very high basketball IQ, and that's something that we're looking forward to utilizing." Through the first three games, Scola was averaging 16.3 points, 8-3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 56.3 percent from the field. "He hits the mid-range shot, he gets himself in the right place for rebounds and he makes the extra pass that leads to a basket," Morey said. "You can see all of those things that will fit in Rick (Adelman's) offense." The Rockets' world is never going to revolve around Scola. But if you're watching any of the tournament on TV, you're seeing why the franchise is excited about having him as a complement. He's likely never going to be an All-Star, but he can help elevate the current All-Stars, Yao and McGrady. In the win over Puerto Rico, when Argentina fell behind by double-digits early, Scola embraced the role of the workhorse and put his team on his shoulders, finishing with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Against Mexico, he missed his first two shots from the field, then hit 5-for-6 the rest of the way and dealt out five assists. "Here's a story you'll really like," Morey said. "I went to dinner with Luis the other night and when we first sat down, all he said was, 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll try to do better.' "When I asked him what he was talking about, he told me that David Macha (the Rockets' strength and conditioning coach) had given him a workout program to follow over the summer. But he's been training with the Argentinian national team and they usually have two-a-days. Now they have games. And Luis was concerned that he's having trouble getting in the workouts that David gave him, too. "I told him, 'Relax, Luis. I think you're playing enough basketball, doing enough to stay in shape.' But it's always nice to have a player who feels that way, who wants to be doing more." • • • No progress on the Dikembe Mutombo front. Morey met with the 41-year-old center in Atlanta last week and made a one-year contract offer. Mutombo still has some other teams sniffing around and might be able to get somebody to offer him a little more money than the Rockets or an extra yet. "I think we have a pretty good understanding of where everybody is at," said Morey. "I really don't think he wants to play for other teams. But I think he's torn between what we can offer and maybe some extra money. I do think he has appreciation for how much we want him and how much we think he can contribute." Posted by Fran Blinebury at August 26, 2007 05:29 PM
Scola is by no means a dirty player. He is an angel compared with a player like Nocioni. (who has played with him in Spain and with the Argentine team). Scola plays with energy, will flop some times and talk to the refs more than its necessary. But he is not a dirty player.
EE. UU. its the abbreviation of "Estados Unidos" (United States), and the E and U are doubled because those words are in plural. EUA, the acronym of "Estados Unidos de America" (United States of America) is also used, but not as much as the other.
Nocioni started the cheap shot back-and-forth the Heat and Bulls do to each other with a dirty throw-down he did on Wade 2-3 years ago.
You should have watched him in his first years as a pro. He was a lose cannon... Scola is nothing like that.
Batista is playing 37+ min per game vs Scola 26 MPG, the difference is Scola is shooting 56.2 FG% vs Batista 44.4 FG% a low low number for a post player, the only reason Batista is scoring more is because he is shooting way more. 18 FGA vs Scola 10 FGA and play a lot of more minutes. The deference is Uruguay need him, Argentina is more deep and have blow out the other teams more times. When Batista played a quality team in Argentina, score only 7pts. And is you watch the games Batista have no offensive game, he shoot a low percentage, not good for a big. Scola can run the floor, pass, score in difference ways and have a higher basketball IQ.
I have to humbly disagree with your premise here Carl Herrera. Everyone pronounced V-Span the second coming of Steve Nash with his one magical game against the USA last year.... which was not bad for a scrub (an overstatement?), and a shameful performance for the NBA stars. He made Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony look like..... er.... hmmm.... Rafer Alston? Everything points to Scola having sound fundamentals, a solid mind and a class character. I do not know how much of that you can see in our last star rookie, V-Span.
