First off, tanking is not what we are doing. You tank when you have a goal or certain player in mind. Right now there is no player projected to come out next draft that would warrant us having a fire sale and I doubt Morey is foolish enough to buy into the hype surrounding the 2010 FA market as being a legion of superstars available to the highest bidder. Right now, he is just focusing on building measures to survive a Yao/T-Mac-less season if it will be necessary. I've said it before in another thread and I will say it again, you want your team to be good enough to still be able to draw the home crowd. Selling off star players is not the way to go. Not to mention, Scola is the tallest person on the team, if he is dealt and we don't get Gortat, we are LA Clippers screwed.
I love Scola and would hate to see him go because he has tons of heart of which he showed plenty of the last two years but.....If we are going to rebuild and NOT RELOAD then I would agree. He is someone who Championship teams would overpay to have but if we are RELOADING then keep him as a centerpiece and worst case he walks next year.
If you're not a serious contender, you're not a serious contender - every lotto season pretty much runs together in my memory.
This isn't baseball. No one will give up young talent for prime talent. You will never get value if you trade scola. Might have been a way to get a draft pick or RR.
I just can't even begin to understand this line of thinking. If you're not contending, you're not contending. Your weaknesses and holes have no relevance. There's not different gradations of sucktitude where you win a medal for being in the top tier of 'suck'. Mediocrity is mediocrity and it's the worst thing in sports. If you're not contending, you need to be building towards it and that means cultivating young talent. Hanging on to aging vets for the purpose of sqeezing out a few extra meaningless wins just to proclaim "HAY ATLEEST WE'RE BETAR TAHN THE CLIPERS!1" is stupid and counterproductive.
Stupid idea. Even if you are rebuilding, your focus should be stocking up on low cost high return players. Scola is low cost and high return. This thread is moronic.
Don't move him. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aBEWnlpNwqw&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aBEWnlpNwqw&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
He's a free agent next Summer, and it's doubtful that we'll be able to re-sign him, especially if we're targeting Bosh. It makes a lot of sense to trade him at the deadline for an expiring and a first round pick. Something that I think is very doable. Imagine Morey with two first round picks in a reportedly very strong draft!
Perhaps you should read the thread again. Low cost high return players - who are nearing 30 and who have contracts about to expire? Would you rather lose him for nothing next offseason when he doesn't want to re-sign with a lotto team?
I think we can be a playoff team, even without Yao, Tracy, and Artest. We've still got a good foundation of players, though none of them are stars, with Brooks and Scola leading the way. I'm a firm believer that letting these guys play it outwill build confidence and help us more in the long-run than tanking, and next offseason we can make that big acquisition or two (and hopefully have Yao back) to put us right back where we were, if not better. Obviously we still have a couple of holes to fill, like SG and C, but I think we can still make something of the season.
If everything comes together - and I mean EVERYTHING - no injuries to anybody, overachieving years from everybody, etc - the scrappy bunch of overachievers MIGHT make a run at the 8 seed....sorry but I don't see the benefits in ignoring the future in return for somethng like that.
Sam, I can't agree. While any player on the Rockets is subject to being moved if it clearly improves the team, from my own perspective, we don't know if we are "tanking," or not. Morey isn't through and it's too early to say what the makeup of the team will be, and how well that team will play, Yao or not. So I think assuming we are going to tank is way too early. From my personal perspective, Scola is my favorite player. His motor never stops running, he never takes a play off, he's one of the smartest players on the team, and he's still improving as he continues to adapt to the NBA, Coach A's system, and the spinning wheel of players on the team... who can play, who might play, who won't play, unknown from one week to the next. If we could get a clear improvement playing at his position, or if he was the clear piece putting us over the brink of landing an honest to god star? Sure. You have to consider moving him. Moving him simply to get some young, unproven talent with potential, or some draft picks? I'm against it.
Scola can still be a trade asset via S&T. He also seems old school in wanting to play for a single club as he did with Tau in Spain.
Noo, he's the perfect Adleman tool. Resign him at all cost even if you're rebuilding. Just chill and let Morey do the work. Let's see what RA can do with bunch of role players.
I'm not saying ignore the future, I'm just saying don't blow the team up by trading all of our young pieces for draft picks/potential/whatever. If we are able to package Mcgrady's contract with Brooks/Landry/Battier for a good young player that we can build around, I'm all for it. I just don't like the idea of dealing away all of our assets and starting from scratch, which is what the original post suggests. I think we can keep these young pieces and in a year add a couple of bigger pieces and be ready to make a run again without having to get a whole new team used to playing together.
The guy was a back-to-back MVP in the Spanish league so Scola is a bona fide star on his own, all he needed was his chance as a primary offensive option which never came to him in the past 2 years. Next season will be Luis' 3rd and I say he'll have a break out season and become our go to guy. Yeah I called it. And no, we are neither tanking nor rebuilding.... we are perennially CONTENDING! At least that's the Moneyball essence that Morey preaches. Funny how even his name spells like money, lol.
I don't know wat to say,,, , seriously one of the dumpset thread,,, Trade scola????dude seriously shut up...
Competing is not just for the present, but also for the future, I think. Of course, on the negative side, you may lose some ping-pong balls in the lotto. How important that is depends on what draft picks are available. On the other hand, having a good record despite the injuries with, say, a $35 million roster can (1) promote development of younger players (you don't want guys to build a losing habit), (2) attract free agents better, (3) increase value of potential trade assets.
Bad idea. Firstly, there is no definitive outcome of Yao's injury yet. I am more on the optimistic side of this debate. Secondly, if it is true that Yao is done, I would still like to see some excitement in watching the Rockets whether they are rebuilding, tanking, etc. Among the current players, Scola is the one who brings grit and unrelenting hustle and he would, at least, make the season a little less boring. And who knows, if DM finds a really good pg, the Rockets could ge pretty exciting. Scola is only a good pg away from being an all star. It would be foolish to let him go and I don't think DM is that foolish.
