People don't realize that basketball in other countries does not equal the NBA.
The top European/Argentinian, etc. basketball player doesn't equal a top 20 NBA player.
Don't know what the big deal is over Larry Scola anyway.
Yes, because Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Peja Stojakovic, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Tony Parker have all failed to make multiple All-Star teams in recent years and have really been nothing other than pedestrian NBA players.
None of those guys has ever been considered a top 20 player. (other, of course, than the last 3 MVPs).
Hey you forgot Manu!!
Steve vs Yao?. Suns 4 Rockets 0
I know you're joking, but I didn't include Manu because he's only made one All-Star team -- as SpursDynasty might say, that could be considered a fluke (I'm not saying it was; but it could be considered that).Hey you forgot Manu!!
The guys that I mentioned all made more than 1 All-Star team. Not conclusive proof that they all were in the Top 20 at the time, but a pretty strong argument that at least some of them were (or are) Top 20 players (since there are generally only 24 All-Stars in a given season).
Steve vs Yao?. Suns 4 Rockets 0I sure hope you mortgage isn't riding on that.
They are now. But none of those were in the Finals their first year in the league. None of those have even been in the Finals except for Tony Parker. The only foreign player I can think of that matters who made the Finals his rookie NBA year of this current NBA era (after 1998) is Manu.
Hollinger is saying Scola will take Houston to the NBA Finals in his first year in the league.
Yeah, TMac and Yao will have nothing to do with it.]Hollinger is saying Scola will take Houston to the NBA Finals in his first year in the league.
Yes, because saying that a guy will provide a nice compliment to a team is definitely the same thing as saying that a guy will take a team to the Finals -- in Houston's case, it might be Yao or McGrady (likely) along with the changes brought about by Rick Adelman and Bonzi Wells, coupled with the infusion of new talent like Scola and Steve Francis. I don't think Hollinger is remotely saying that Scola is the singular difference; Scola doesn't have to be a Top 20 player for the Rockets to reach the Finals.
You've got a curious definition of Top 20 player if it only includes guys who've reached the Finals. That would seem to confuse team success with individual greatness. Is Robert Horry a better player than Jermaine O'Neal? Is Derek Fisher better than Tracy McGrady?
Preach O wise one.
He said Spurs will regret it in June giving up Scola. Why? Because he'll be in the Finals instead of the Spurs? Or because the Spurs just won't be there? In either case, if the Spurs don't make the Finals, it'll probably be due to some injury or Crawford toss.
So you're saying the Spurs won't regret it.
or losing to a team that executes better in a playoff setting, like the '04 Lakers, perhaps.
Regardless of Hollinger's reason for thinking the Spurs will regret not having Scola (and, frankly, I don't think it will be the kind of loss that most think it will be) he's clearly not saying that Scola has to be a top-20 player to help the Rockets (in fact, Hollinger says that Scola will be, in essence, statistically similar to Matt Bonner).
And you're flat, damned wrong to suggest that non-American players can't be top-20 players in the NBA.
you go girl,
err, dude.
Not until they come to the NBA and prove it.
Not until they come to the NBA and prove it.
Three guesses who the dense brick wall in this argument is.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
