Houston takes first place in the west..

[spurms]

unless the spurs turn things around big time. :bang

[George Gervin's Afro]

unless the spurs turn things around big time. :bang


:lol :lol :lol :lol

turn it around? boy that was funny..

[slacker77]

Don't know, but after the bobcats game things get interesting for houston.

[Capt Bringdown]

12 boards for Scola tonight.

[Creation88]

pisses me off that Scola is their hidden MVP. we should have never gotten rid of him. 1st dumb front office move by RC and Pop.

[Obstructed_View]

pisses me off that Scola is their hidden MVP. we should have never gotten rid of him. 1st dumb front office move by RC and Pop.
Josh Howard.

[Indazone]

Scola was ranked number one in the Rookie Rankings this week!

Congrats to Scola!!

[DAINTX]

Letting Scola go was a mistake, as he is proving to us every week.

[Sigz]

Scola is a little bitch.

He wouldn't have done crap tonight to help us win.

[Obstructed_View]

Scola's hustle sure would have been nice.

[Korny Earl]

Scola was ranked number one in the Rookie Rankings this week!

Congrats to Scola!!

rubbin it in a little bit ey
:ihit

[Indazone]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/rookies/rankings

Scola Number 1

ESPN Article

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Rookies-080312&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba %2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dthorpe_ david%26page%3dRookies-080312

Rookie Watch: Another Rockets rookie turning heads
By David Thorpe
ESPN.com

Updated: March 12, 2008


Luis Scola has had such an impact on the Rockets this season that he deserves to be No. 1 on our list for at least one week. And like Al Horford, our previous No. 1, Scola does things to help his team win that do not show up on any stat sheet. Consider the Rockets' first basket against the Nets on Monday night: Scola set three screens, tried to set two more but was turned down by a teammate (meaning the dribbler drove opposite the screen), and then made a beautiful post move for an easy bucket after an effective post up and attack dribble. There's not another rookie in this class who would be as productive and meaningful for Houston as Scola is, and his role in the Rockets' 19-game winning streak deserves some recognition.

Top 10 rookies
Here are my top 10 rookies 18 weeks into the season:

(Previous rank in parentheses)

1. Luis Scola, Rockets (3)
2. Kevin Durant, Sonics (2)
3. Al Horford, Hawks (1)
4. Al Thornton, Clippers (4)
5. Thaddeus Young, Sixers (6)
6. Jamario Moon, Raptors (5)
7. Carl Landry, Rockets (7)
8. Joakim Noah, Bulls (NR)
9. Jared Dudley, Bobcats (NR)
10. Spencer Hawes, Kings (NR)

• I've praised many of Joakim Noah's talents in this space, but watching him grab 20 rebounds the other night illuminated yet another skill -- he's really good at the "self-tip." Players are taught to tip the ball away from an opponent if it can't be grabbed, and some players specialize in tipping it toward the backcourt (think Ben Wallace and Fabricio Oberto). Noah is great at lightly tipping the ball away from an opponent but still close to himself. Done well, it is an art form.

• Al Thornton has developed the best set of offensive weapons in this class, as it stands today. In a given game, we'll see him catch and shoot, jab and go, jab and shoot, shot-fake and attack, post and score, finish with his left, slash and dunk, drive and counter. And then he'll go to work on the offensive glass. The Clippers may be an easy win for most opponents, but no one looks forward to guarding Thornton.

• Want to know one reason why Thaddeus Young is such an efficient and effective scorer? Because he flies down the floor in offensive transition. Watch him race past one, two or even three defenders who are merely running back.

• All season, Spencer Hawes has shown the ability to score, but his recent set of explosive dunks (and offensive tips) as well as his 12 blocked shots in the past four games suggests that he might be more of an above-the-rim player than we thought. Hawes turns 20 in April, and he has the look of a "late bloomer," meaning that his body and athleticism are probably still years away from peaking.

• Jamario Moon has stepped up his game defensively of late. How do 11 steals and nine blocked shots so far in March sound? I was impressed with his effort on post defense on Antawn Jamison, an extremely difficult guy with whom to match up. And when he blocked one of Jamison's patented runners, my first thought was, "I don't think I've ever seen that before."

• Nick Young had two sweet backdoor plays in Toronto, including one hair-raising dunk. Rookies like Young tend to focus more on making plays with the ball, but it's moving without the ball that can add new dimensions to their game.

• Carl Landry is not just one of the best rookies in this class -- his PER (player efficiency rating) currently ranks 12th overall in the entire NBA, and fourth among power forwards, just ahead of All-NBA candidate Carlos Boozer. And to think that he almost did not sign a contract with Houston due to its overstuffed roster.

• Jared Dudley has quietly fashioned a nice rookie campaign, and his recent success is a big part of Charlotte's five-game winning streak. He scored 10 or more points in four of those games, and averaged nine boards a game in that span. And he was huge in the Bobcats' shocking win over Golden State, recording 10 points, 18 boards (seven offensive), 2 blocks and a steal. He may have the body and agility of the classic great American college player who ends up starring in Europe, but he's No. 4 in PER for rookies, and a guy who looks like he'll be a legit NBA player for years to come. No rookie has a better feel for the game, or is tougher, than this guy.


• Kevin Durant is enjoying one of his best weeks yet this season, with 20 ppg on 49 percent shooting in his past five games. He's gone to the line 31 times in those games, making 28. And best of all, he's taken only three shots from beyond the arc. Compare that to January, when he took 46 3-pointers, or November, when he took 70. Watch out, league -- he's learning.

David Thorpe is an NBA analyst for ESPN.com and the executive director of the Pro Training Center at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., where he oversees the player development program for NBA and college players. To e-mail him, click here.

[DAINTX]

Let's get real here. If Scola was on our team right now, playing like he's been playing for Houston, everyone on this board would be calling him the new God.

[kuato]

Let's get real here. If Scola was on our team right now, playing like he's been playing for Houston, everyone on this board would be calling him the new God. Indeed

[Obstructed_View]

Let's get real here. If Scola was on our team right now, playing like he's been playing for Houston, everyone on this board would be calling him the new God.
They would also be wishing we could have gotten rid of Jackie Butler so we could have picked up Kurt Thomas and kept Dallas from getting him.