Of course, the other option is to just have a better one on one defender play him. Scola simply isn't that. Chuck is, but of course is limited otherwise. Millsap seemed to do just fine guarding Landry. I'm sure KG, Duncan and some of the other elite PF's out there would do fine, too. Some are better defenders than others, of course, but most are also at least equal or better offensive players and almost all are universally better rebounders. Not trying to bash on Landry. I love his game and athleticism. Just pointing out the obvious and the reason DM moved him - they felt they could replace him easier than they could find a Kevin Martin type.
I agree with you. I'm very for this whole trade. My initial comment was just that he would pwn Scola on the offensive end. I didn't realize they were so evenly matched in practice. I guess I was also overlooking that he's a poor defender and Scola can hurt him just as much at the other end. I also mentioned we could put Hayes or Jeffries on him, at least for this season. As far as throwing doubles or good defenders at him, I still think he has the ability to improve against both of those situations. He's pretty old for his amount of time in the league but he still has plenty of room for growth. Given his tenacity and determination, I'd expect him to realize at least some of that potential, assuming he can stay healthy. Landry's explosiveness around the basket, even though diminished since his rookie season, along with his very reliable and improving jumpshot make him a very tough cover. If he learns to read defenses a little better and improve his 1-on-1 play against superior defenders, he'll be that much more dangerous.
I don't think Morey has or will ever admit this, but I bet he offered Scola first to the Kings (after the Kings laughed off any Cook offerings) and had to finally give into the Kings demands to get Martin. Scola was lined up to be in the Ama're trade before it fell apart.
No doubt. Scola's not a great rebounder or defender, either. And he's the lesser offensive player. Either or. DM realized he had one of them (solid, average, capable, but not great PF), and didn't have a effective scoring wing so thought it made sense. BrooksBall, I agree with you, Landry is a smart player with a solid offensive game. He isn't the best ball-handling PF, but is decent enough, so he should get better passing out of double teams.
As Carl came into his own this year, I knew we wouldn't be able to keep both Scola and Landry for much longer. We couldn't put that much payroll into one position, and both players really deserved more minutes. It made sense to trade one of them for someone that can dribble the ball and shoot. I could never decide who would have been better to trade, Scola or Landry. I liked the fact that Landry was younger, but Scola has a little better size and will probably not decline for several more years, so it was really a wash in my opinion. I'll miss Carl, but I'm happy he'll get a chance to get the minutes he deserves with the Kings.
