I would not entertain any trade offer for Scola this year. It would be unwise to trade him after his first year when he showing good prospects. He is the current FIBA MVP and he can never be equate with Turiaf and any player who has not got any MVP before. Scola should be given at least another year of development before deciding his limit of progress.
He is a superior low post scorer,he has much better footwork,and is a better passer.I admit he does miss his layups at times but Kenny couldn't finish around the basket as well as him . Luis' concentration and focus is much better too. He has a better IQ,he is a better team player. KT was a slightly better rebounder and defender,also athletically too but the difference between them there isn't large. Both of them play hard and with intensity but Luis is smarter and is a better all round player.
10 years... doesn't that approximately correspond to the time we jettisoned Sam Cassell and Robert Horry for another chemistry killer: Charles Barkley? Imagine the last 10 years with Sam and Horry on the Rockets...
I think you have to get a PF/C if we get rid of Scola. Scola for Artest is not a bad trade and it would improve our team IF Yao is healthy. When Yao goes down we NEED Scola, and we all know Yao is never going to play an entire season. I would love to have Artest on this team but you have to consider how you play without Yao and Deke is too old to count on for anything.
I'm guessing u didn't see thomas play after he left houston? Dunno know why rudy had hiim shooting 3's, but once he left houston, he was a double double guy. 13-10 is pretty good from a 24 yr old 6'7 pf. He had some of the same issues around the rim against longer players as luis does. Not to mention he never played with tracy and received point blank layups. What I've said is trading scola to get artest should be a no brainer. Ur more likely to find a player of scola talent than u are artest. Its easier to replace a player with no special talent or skill than one that does. Artest has special talent and skills. U can start with him being a great defender, a really good offensive player that requires double teams and can play multiple positions at high level. Is there any great talent or skill scola has. Playing hard and hustling isn't a special talent or skill. The grizz asked for scola when the rox asked about miller. I would've thought long and hard about that one, but miller isn't tough enough to 4 me. So I'm pretty sure if they get into the artest sweepstakes, scola's name is going to pop up as a want for the kings.
No special talent??? Do you think the ability to finish acrobatically around the hoop is no special talent?? I keep reading on the BBS that Scola cant make a layup and that is the biggest BS I have ever read. Scola has a tremendous knack for finishing around the rim. He has the ability much like manu to put English and spins on the ball that no other rocket can save maybe tmac. He was adjusting to the nba so it caused him to miss a few easy ones but with time those will fall, I guarantee it. Other special talents that scola has that many other players don’t have. Knows how to move and cut without the ball. For a big playing next to Yao that is important, because when they double Yao, many times you would see scola cut towards the basket and get an easy deuce. Scola does things that if you never played basketball you wont pickup or put much stock into, like always being in the right place.
I think the deal-breaker wasn't necessarily just giving up Scola but giving up Scola and one or more of our other assets. The arguments for keeping Scola are good. He's a very talented player on a steal of a contract but obviously Artest is a much better player. It would be fine if we could trade him straight up for Artest but the trade would more than likely involve something else that we don't want to give up. Our team just can't afford to lose all of our assets and just get one rotation player back.
I'm quite sure that Scola will be a part of the asking price for a potential Artest trade. I never said Artest wasn't a superior player than Luis.There is no doubt about it. I and others have already mentioned the reasons for not wanting to trade him for Artest so I'm not going to repeat them. I don't deny that he hasn't benefited from McGrady's passing but I feel he is a more refined player than you. I have no problem if anyone else has a difference of opinion than me but I want to ask you why would the Kings want Luis from your point of view if they thought he was just a hustle guy with limited skills for a superior talent like Artest? Don't you think they would want a better player than him from another team?
Lee, K-9 was 26 and in his 6th season when he had that great year in Philadelphia. Scola had a better year as a rookie than Thomas although, as you mentioned, Kenny's shooting percentage suffered from being asked to hoist so many shots from Downtown. I always liked K-9, but I don't see the two being comparable players. IMO, Luis plays "bigger" and is bigger. I think he's a better finisher. He's possibly a better offensive rebounder (at about the same time in their career), but I'll withhold judgement on that until next season. Luis has more upside, IMO, than Kenny did as a rookie. He still has a lot of improvement ahead of him as he adjusts to the NBA game. Scola really picked up his game in the playoffs, adjusting on the fly after a rough start. Based on size, we should be comparing Kenny to Landry!
and kenny was in his contract year that year. good for him he got what he wanted. how's his production in sacto?
artest is exceptionally strong and has very good ball skills. it is this combination that makes him a bit special and be able to play the multiple positions. but physical talent is not the only thing you look at when you evaluate players. whatever in his head has long prevented him from being what he could've been. (same goes to odom to a degree.) and he does not REQUIRE double teams. occassionally maybe. scola is not untouchable. certainly not. but not for artest. to give scola at least one more year definitely makes more sense than to trade him now.
ibm- I understand what u say about 1 more yr, I just the rox should be in desperation mode. They said that the night they traded a lotto #8 pick for shane. Every yr we wait, that's another season older yao and tracy are. Once Tracy leaves and if lebron isn't his replacement, the rox will multiple seats at the lotto. This is just me, when u have a chance at greatness, u have to do it. Boston traded a 20-11 24 yr old pivot for garnett. I'm not saying artest is garnett, but as good as garnett is, he was in the lotto back to back yrs. Boston also traded a young player in west and a top 5 pick for allen. They looked at their best player, pierce and decided to get 2 very good players to attempt to win the title in the next 3 yrs. I think the rox situation is shorter because of the west, and they have 2 injured prone guys. The so called window is closing if it ever was open.
I think many of you are going over and over again over this subject without coming out with nothing. To those who want to trade Scola and bjax (bacause salaries doesn´t match if he is not involved) for artest i will ask this questions. 1. will you trade battier? who do you think you can get? 2. will you be able to find a replacement for scola? who? or you are going to play with Hayes and Landry at the PF spot? 3. you really think Scola has no upside? i will review some fiba players from first to second year. Ginobili went from 7.6 first year, to 12.3 second year 38% better Nocioni went 8.4, to 13.0 35% Gasol went 17.6 to 19 8% Oberto went 1.7 to 4.4 61% Yao went 13.5 to 17.7 24% Overall improvement for these players is 33.2 %. So most likely Scola will get better next year. Lets suppouse scola gets only 20% better which is pretty doable considering the exposition, he will be a 12-8 player which is quite good for a PF.
I completely disagree with the premise that we lost the Rudy Gay trade. As has been stated before, Slowmile notsoSwith was a waste and Rudy Gay was not thought to be who we wanted because of lack of desire. Something this team needs no more of. Moreover, our pick would have been Thabo who looks good but is no Shane. This team is damn good. I laugh at all the analysts who destroy teams at the end of the year because of all their flaws given they didn't win the championship. I've got a newsflash guys, only one team wins the championship each year. And even that team has a lot of luck on their side and has plenty of weaknesses. Since CD has left the organization, we have had a GM that is making consistently good moves to improve the team. He needs some time and luck (see Scola) to overcome the ineptitude that was, but so far he is handling it skillfully. Last season, he was able to solve our problem at the four. This season, we need a backup two. However, more than any player we could acquire, we need luck. We need Yao and Tracy to be healthy. We need players like Scola and Landry to develop. We need AB to be a decent backup point guard. I'm actually convinced that all of these things are possible with the health issue being the most questionable. As far as the thread title, "Is Scola a deal breaker?" Hell No! If the Clippers want to sign and trade Brand, he's gone. But for an atittude problem player that has never been a winner such as Artest? Pass. I'm not saying I wouldn't take Artest, but not at that cost.
Not to beat a dead horse, as a starter, that's what scola avg. In the west, every team but memphis had 4's that avg at least that in pts and rebs. You also pointed out improvement of some international players, problem is manu and nocioni were 25yr old atheletic guards and yao and pau were 21. There is a huge gap in growth from physical point from a 21 yr old vs a 28yr old that's a average athelete. The idea was if the rox want artest, it will probably cost scola and jacksons expiring contract. If that's the sticking point player wise should morey pull the trigger? I say yes becuz we're getting a all star caliber player for a expiring contract and a avg player with a low ceiling. Studdog- When we revist the gay trade, it will be viewed as one of the worse in this franchise history. That's saying a lot considering we have had some doozies. Even if it wasn't gay, what was wrong with brewer? I mean stro didn't play as well as many expected, but tracy and yao did miss a lot of games. No one thought he was a savior, just a young atheletic that can do a few things. Say what u will, but 50 wins and a 1st rd exit doesn't get me excited. Add in the fact that hornets,lakers,spurs,and jazz are still better playoff teams than the rox. I thought we were in win now mode.
I completely disagree. First, we have had some doozies, and Eddie Griffin comes to mind first and foremost. Second, I would say your point on Slowmile would hold some merit if he would have produced in some time since the trade. However, he has failed even more so since the trade even in an uptempo system that was thought to have been a better fit for him. His contract would have been a burden on us and we would not have the flexibility to have made other moves. Third, while Brewer is a good player, it's the sum of all moves and not just the addition of one talented player. Brewer is still not better than Battier, and especially not better than Battier less a bad contract. Now if we, in some crazy theoretic world, were able to have Brewere in addition to Battier, then that would be a tremendous fit. Finally, while I was a subscriber to the win now mode, I've repented from the position as I've devalued McGrady and revalued the supporting team. I'm a big fan of the style this team plays under Adelman and I think that the team composition is on the right track. With players like Scola, Landry and Brooks, combined with Yao, Battier and McG, we do have a couple of seasons to get it right. Haphazard moves that are high risk reward are not merited at this time. Our nucleus is too good. We need solid, strategic moves that position us, with the luck of good health, in the position to continually compete.
I agree Ginobili is not a good comparision. Nocioni isn't either, but he isn't a guard. He's a forward. Duhon, Gordon Hughes, Hinrich, Sefolosha are play guard on the Bulls. Nocioni is a forward. Oberto is a much better match age and developmentwise. Oberto is a PF/C and was a 31 year old rookie, 2 yrs ago. He was 3 years older than Scola. He improved his FG% from 47.3% to 56.2%, a 8.9% increase. If Scola were to improve his scoring as much as a 31 year old rookie Oberto, he would go from 51.5% to 60.4%. He would be the highest FG% in the league. Scola has already shown, he can continue to improve as a 28 yr old rookie. Scola improved from about 7.6 pts/g to 14.0 pts/g, just from October to April. Even though he is 28 years old, he was able to improve by 6.4 pt/g. If this 28 yr old Scola matches this 6.4 pt/g improvement, he would go from 14.0 pts/g to 20.4 pts/g.
