I finally why he didn't appear at the 4th quarter,it's that let him keep fresh when we vs mavs! oh yeah ,I got it !
This talk about Scola recieving more touches reminds me of something Daryl Morey said in an interview about Carl Landry. A caller was talking about Landry and he was extremely high on him. He went on to compare him to some of the great power forwards in the game, and Morey essentially said it's a whole different ball game when you're the guy that defenses are concerned about. Landry was extremely efficient scoring last year because of Tracy and Yao. Does that mean we should start finding ways to get Landry the ball more? No. Not unless its in the flow of the offense which depends on Tracy and Yao drawing double teams.
I think Scola's a master of spin and layup combination. I don't see other players can play low-post game like him. He can spin then layup almost everytime when one on one. Watching Scola found his way to basket is very entertaining. Of course, he'll miss and get blocked occasionally. It's just like Duncan's hook shot or Yao's fade away. No one guarantees 100% field goal. Scola is an average 50% scorer, mainly from low-block. He's good enough as a starter in any team.
It's been weird watching Scola since the start of the preseason. Last night he looked like he was just as moving as fast as he could and I disagree that played well within the offense. He got in trouble alot with his dribble last night and I was surprised he only had one TO. He and Yao were really out of synch with each other on several of Scola's drives where it looked like he expected Yao to cut and he got caught in mid-air. His hustle is always going to be there, but I don't think he played his usual smart game last night.
that's not the point. scola should not get more touches while playing with yao, t-mac and artest. in fact, scola should play less time with them together. he should be the low post option when yao's out, though. and please, don't compare landry to scola. landry's basically a guy who's very athletic without much of a low post game. he gets his points by put backs, cuts to the basket and other hustle plays. he couldn't play any other way. scola on the other hand is a real low post player (who isn't used that way very much by the rockets). he's as versatile in the low post as anybody. he has all the moves and all the skills because he's so fundamentally sound. the point is, he needs touches and room to operate. when yao's out that almost always means the opposing team will use it's backup as well. that's the time when luis can produce in the post.
i agree and i think it's because the rockets aren't using him right. he's a great team and hustle player that's why he still produces most nights, but i don't think that what the rockets expect from him is really his game. he is not as good as a mid-range shooter as people think he is. he can hit this shot, no doubt, but he's more effective in the post when he has the room.
I'm sure no one will read this since it's in the no-man's land half of the thread now, but just in case... Did anyone pick up the paper schedules on the season ticket desks at the game last night? When I looked at the Giveaway Night schedule, I noticed the Scola wigs weren't listed for December 16th against the Nuggets anymore. I then headed to the Rockets website afterward and the list indicated they were still being offered. Anyone know anything about it?
Scola was great last night, but he would be even greater when he gets into form. He had been shooting badly since the pre-season, probably from resting for a full month after the Olympic - you know - getting rusty. He will be awesome after a few games.
That's to be expected early in an NBA season, even the great ones will tell you that the more games they play, then that comfort level will set in and zoom By the way, in this past year or so, I've grown to like the game and the person that is Luis Scola. His role on this Houston Rockets team is the same as the role Jere Lethinen has to the Dallas Stars (NHL). Not flashy or superstar, but a good solid starting player who gets the job done and while the media will put all its cameras on T-Mac, Yao, and Ron Artest, Luis is just doing his thing on the side and for the true basketball fans, that's a job well done in my book
I'm a huge Scola fan and I wasn't blasting him, I was critiquing him. I agree with DD that he's underrated here and I have no doubt he'll be impressing me with his skill, bb IQ and hustle very soon. But he still looks out of whack to me on the court.
Luis is definantly skilled, and way more polished than Landry. That being said, dumping it down to him on the post while Yao and Tracy are not on the floor is not the way to use him . Scola is MOST EFFICIENT when playing with Yao and Tmac. That is why he became the starter last year. He is a very intelligent and experienced basketball player and what he does when he doesnt have the ball is what makes him a starting power forward in this league. He is so good at moving to the right spot on the floor at the right time. He is excellent at getting position for offensive rebounds. He is alot stronger than people give him credit for, and he plays through contact really well when going up for rebounds and put backs. He does have some low post moves and he can create his own shot, but that is certainly not why he is out there. I was rewatching the game, and on the very first play Scolas man left him to help out on Yao Scola got the ball just a split second too late. His defender recovered so Scola then tried to take him one on one and it resulted in a missed shot. Scola's next 2 or 3 made field goals were wide open looks and put backs that he got because of double teams or because the defense was so concerned about Yao. Scola had a couple of opportunities to take his man one on one and I dont think he was able to finish any of them. Playing one on one is not his forte. Putting him on the floor without Yao or Tmac and posting him up would be a complete waste. He's too good on the offensive boards and working away from the ball.
I get the feeling scola isn't being utilized properly on the offense side, he just looks like a decoy out there most of the time compared to seeing him in the Olympics Defense, he still gambles too much which might lead to steals or can lead to easy baskets by the other team, a little more defensive awareness and less kamikaze wreckless abandon please
The olympics. An entirely different league. A very small sample of games. The coaches have 80 games of real NBA game film on Scola to decide how to utilize him. I think he is being used just fine. He took 11 shots last night. 4th most on the team behind the big three. Do you propose we take shots away from Tmac, Yao, and Artest to get Scola the ball one on one?
