Article on Scola from the Rockets official website

[ArgSpursFan]

Don´t know if this has been posted,but It´s interesting.


http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_acquire_Scola_Butler_-231617-34.html

Power Surge
Rockets acquire Scola, Butler by shipping Spanoulis to Spurs



LAS VEGAS -- The Rockets searched the predraft camps and free agency market for the perfect fit at power forward.

On Thursday night, they found what they were looking for about 200 miles down the road.

Seeking more athleticism and size at power forward, the Rockets acquired Argentina star Luis Scola along with reserve center Jackie Butler from San Antonio Thursday night by sending second-year point guard Vassilis Spanoulis, a 2009 second-round pick and cash considerations to the Spurs.

Widely considered one of Europe's best players, Scola was a second round pick by the Spurs in the 2002 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-9, 245-pound power forward has been playing with the Spanish team Tau Ceramica for the past seven years because he was never able to work out a deal with San Antonio.

The Rockets are optimistic that they'll be able to bring him to the NBA -- and that he might be the answer they were looking for at power forward.

"Luis is one of the top five international players not currently in the NBA,” Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. “He adds experience and toughness at a position of need on our roster and is an NBA-ready player with a very high basketball I.Q. We expect him to have an immediate impact on our team.”
Since the Rockets are thin at power forward with training camp a little more than two months away, Scola could potentially be a starter in Houston. The team has two other power forwards on the roster in Chuck Hayes and rookie Carl Landry, although Hayes hasn't yet re-signed with the team.

During his seven seasons with Tau Ceramica, Scola averaged 14.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He has the post-up skills, size and athleticism that the Rockets were craving in a power forward heading into the offseason. He was also instrumental in helping guide Argentina to the country's first-ever gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.

Butler, meanwhile, is expected to provide depth behind Yao Ming. The 6-10, 260-pound center averaged 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11 games with San Antonio last season. Despite playing in only 69 career games with two different teams, he is believed to still have plenty of upside.

Spanoulis leaves Houston after one season. He played in 31 games, averaging 2.7 points and .9 assists in 8.8 minutes. He was expected to remain in Greece for the upcoming season instead of returning to the NBA.

[Roxsfan]

cool

[K-State Spur]

He may prove to work out well alongside Yao, but if they were really looking for athleticism and/or size at the '4'...then they still are.

[Marcus Bryant]

Not to mention...D.

[leemajors]

so, he's bigger than chuck hayes then?

[Solid D]

I'm happy for Luis. The Spurs didn't feel they had a spot for him with the current roster and philosophy. Many fans here at this site like Luis and what he has to offer.

Now that he is a Rocket, when he takes the floor...he is the opponent that must be defeated. San Antonio and Houston don't get along, period. They have Shell Oil and San Antonio has the River. Houston and San Antonio = oil and water.

[JayJaay]

Here is another article. First I have seen so far that actually states what amount he signed for:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4968818.html

July 15, 2007, 12:49AM
Adelman impressed with potential of newest Rocket

By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

LAS VEGAS — Word bounced around the Cox Pavilion gym rapidly, from agent to general manager, general manager to scout, scout to coach.

In a room like this, no crossover dribble is ever as quick as a rumor. But this one had some juice to it, more than the usual free-agent signing or even fresh trade rumor.

This appealed to the insiders and the experts. The Rockets had landed the draft rights to Luis Scola, giving up only a player who said he didn't want to play for them. And the talk started, especially after word spread he would buy out his Tau Ceramica contract and make the jump to the NBA five years after the San Antonio Spurs drafted him.

In Buenos Aires, Scola went through a "crazy" few days of phone calls, meetings and a physical, quickly agreeing to the Rockets' contract offer of three years, $9.3 million (not including the Rockets' $500,000 payment toward his buyout).

By Friday night, the trade was approved. By Saturday, the 27-year-old power forward was making arrangements to arrive in Houston late Monday night and begin the career he had imagined since he began playing basketball.

"I've been waiting to be in NBA since I remember, not just last five years," Scola said when reached at his home in Buenos Aires. "I think it's the best league in the world. I always wanted to be playing with the best players in the world.

"As I started playing and growing, I felt like I got a little closer every year. I just needed a chance to play in the league and make a good career."

Scola, 6-9 and 230 pounds, has that chance. And as scouts and general managers who have watched him for the past decade, especially as a part of Argentina's powerhouse Olympic champion national team, spoke of him, they described a passion, toughness and most of all, a good fit.

"He's really interesting," said Mavericks general manager Donn Nelson, who has scouted Scola for more than 10 years. "He's athletic. He's got the Argentinian toughness. Early on, he didn't have the outside shot, but that's there now. He's a really nice pickup.

"I think he's a fit. He knows how to play. He's a really nice passer. There is an art to knowing how to get out of the way to let other people do things. He's a glue guy, just an all-around good player. He knows how to play, plays hard all the time, does what it takes for his team to win.

"I was involved in coaching him in some of the international teams. He was on some of those first teams to come over. I really liked him then. I thought he needed some time over in Europe. He worked on his game, added the outside game. And he's always been one of those really engaging personalities. He's a true winner in every sense of the word."

That has made Scola a coveted prospect. The fit became a topic of conversation since the trade.

"If (Rockets coach Rick) Adelman does anything like he did in the past, the passing game, the movement, Scola will fit great," said Ryan Bowen, the former Rockets forward who practiced with Scola last season. "He's a great passer, he moves and he hits the midrange jumper."

Adelman's impressed

While the Pistons, SuperSonics, Cavaliers and Rockets vied to get Scola's draft rights from the Spurs, Adelman watched tape and was impressed enough with what he saw for Scola to become the Rockets' priority.

"I've watched him on tape a lot," Adelman said. "I just think he is a very active player, plays every possession hard. He passes the ball well. I just like the activity more than anything else.

"He's different from a lot of guys because he is always playing, always moving. He's one of those guys if someone makes a play and gives it to him, if he doesn't have it, he gives it to the next guy. That's what I saw on that team they played on in Argentina. He always made the right play.

"That was the advantage I had in Sacramento. We had some smart players. If they're smart and willing to give it up, the offense flows. When I was in Sacramento, people didn't talk about it, but we were a pretty good defensive team. In the playoffs we had a very good defensive team because we were smart. If you're smart offensively, you can be smart defensively, when you put a gameplan together."

As it became apparent that Scola and the Spurs would not get together and San Antonio was ready to find a trading partner, the competition for him began across the NBA. But he was far from a discovery to the people repeating his name around the summer league.

"I've been watching Scola since high school," said Brent Johnson, in his 10th year as a Rockets scout. "He is a very, very intelligent player, fits our new coaching style because he is a big man that can pass, very physical, can score in the low post. He is probably the best (power forward) in Europe. I'm really excited about what Rick can do with him. It's going to be unbelievable. Scola really fits.

"We're getting a lot of compliments. I think he's going to be a surprise for people who don't know. People in the basketball world, they all know. People have been watching him all this time."

Championship aspirations

This is what Scola had imagined all this time, too. He said he was flattered to hear about the talk in Las Vegas.

"I'm willing to work hard every day, and I'm willing to help," he said. "I don't know what else to say. I think those are the most important things. I'm motivated to work hard and help the team win games. The players there, they know the team, the city, the fans, they are the real players of the Rockets, but I will try to help them win more games."

His national teammates, Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto, have won NBA championships with the Spurs. Scola said it was too soon to talk about that, but with one dream realized, he seemed ready to imagine another.

"If we win a championship," he said, "I would be the happiest person in the world."

That would really be something to talk about.

[spurscenter]

BARBOSA mistake Part Deux

[MaNuMaNiAc]

yeah, definitely, the guy has an awful attitude... :rolleyes

[inconvertible]

yao and scola will be very, very, very, very hard to deal with.

[ducks]

duncan has harder mathcups then scola

[Marcus Bryant]

I'm happy for Luis. The Spurs didn't feel they had a spot for him with the current roster and philosophy. Many fans here at this site like Luis and what he has to offer.

Some offense, hustle, and flexing on offense. A turnstile on defense.




Now that he is a Rocket, when he takes the floor...he is the opponent that must be defeated. San Antonio and Houston don't get along, period. They have Shell Oil and San Antonio has the River. Houston and San Antonio = oil and water.

Houston is a large metropolis full of East Texas refinement. Who wouldn't want to live there?

[Rick Von Braun]

BARBOSA mistake Part Deux

Sorry, but I am still amazed how people know so little of what transpired... so for the millionth time, Barbosa was NEVER in the Spurs plans. They drafted him only because the Suns wanted him and negotiated a deal with the Spurs. The FO (probably instructed/influenced by Holt) didn't want to pay a rookie salary to any player due to financial reasons. If they Spurs would have wanted at the time to keep the pick, they could have chosen a different player, not necessarily Barbosa.

Now, regarding Scola, I do think it is a mistake. Time will tell, but I would have preferred to keep him. $9M/3year is a very reasonable contract by itself, so it is clear that Scola (or the Scola camp) was (were) not the greedy bastard that many in here bought from the FO company line. If Oberto could fit in SA, I am 100% sure that Scola could have done even better. He has more range, is more agile, more mobile, a better passer and a better overall scorer. We will see if he is such a bad rebounder as people here claim he is. His weakest point is D, but he would have almost certainly played better team and position D than Nazr or Elson, so I really don't understand what was the big issue with fit.

I believe MB mentioned that it would have been great to have a scoring threat coming off the bench when TD is taking a breather. I completely agreed with his assessment. Considering that TD played an avg. of 34-35 min during the regular season, you have 14 min for him right there. 16-18 min in his first year would have been reasonable and very doable. Furthermore, having the possibility of putting together Manu, Oberto and Scola on the floor at the same time could have given the Spurs an additional X-Factor. Anyway, what is done, is done, but I think the Spurs missed the boat with Scola, in particular since they traded him to a direct rival. IMHO, this was a bad basketball move to save Holt some dough.

[Ocotillo]

No doubt, I would have gladly rolled the dice and brought Scola in at that price and let Bonner either 1. Go, 2. Sign for less 3. Kept Bonner and lumped Elson in with an exiting Beno or Barry.

I know, I know, Bonner is suppose to be Horry's replacement. He can hit the three once in awhile but can he do the other intanglibles like Horry? Don't get me wrong, I like the guy and hope he pans out great for us but this Scola thing is gonna haunt us.

Regarding the lack of D on Houston in the frontline, against us I don't think that is too big of a problem since we tend not to be an offensive juggernaut. Duncan has a tough time win playing Yao which is what I would anticipate they keep doing and let Scola defend Oberto, Elson or whoever is playing the five.

[ArgSpursFan]

Bonner will never EVER be Like Horry.Even on his best dreams.

[Marcus Bryant]

Scola could have fit in well with this Spurs team. I'd rather have him than Elson, the great defensive juggernaut.

[objective]

Sorry, but I am still amazed how people know so little of what transpired for the millionth time, Barbosa was NEVER in the Spurs plans.

not that I care about Barbosa since Howard was clearly the better choice, but if I had to hazard a guess . . . if people complain about Barbosa they know fully well that he was a Suns pick after the Spurs were determined to dump the pick, they are just frustrated that the Spurs didn't think he was worth keeping the pick for through all of their scouting and evaluations.