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Holy shizzle. So this whole time the talk of Scola's buyout being around $2M was BS? Man, that's hardcore.
Scola won't be here anytime soon. Three more years?!!?
Damn.
There goes his trade value and the ability to sign him before 2009.
Spurs reach agreement with Oberto, not Scola
Web Posted: 07/15/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
Unwilling to wait any longer for Argentine forward Luis Scola to arrange a buyout agreement with his Spanish team, the Spurs have decided to sign one of his countrymen instead.
Fabricio Oberto, the starting center on Argentina's national team and one of Manu Ginobili's best friends, has reached an agreement in principle with the Spurs on a three-year contract worth about $7.5 million.
Players can't officially sign contracts until the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement is completed. The league has set July22 as a target date for lifting its signing moratorium.
Oberto, 30, averaged 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds last season for Pamesa Valencia in Spain's top league. He stands 6-foot-10 and is a good passer and solid low-post scorer whose selflessness, toughness and basketball IQ have long attracted the Spurs.
Oberto teamed with Ginobili, Scola and Chicago's Andres Nocioni when Argentina upset the United States in the 2002 World Championships. The team beat Team USA again last summer on the way to the gold medal in Athens.
Having established himself as one of the best big men in Europe, Oberto had hoped in recent years to join Ginobili in making the jump to the NBA. The Spurs, whose center and power forward positions are basically interchangeable, think he will fit nicely into their rotation. He also is a poor free-throw shooter, so he should feel comfortable among his new teammates.
"He's really wanted this for a long time," said Oberto's agent, Herb Rudoy, who also represents Ginobili. "When I told him we had reached agreement, he said, 'I can't talk, I can only tell you same thing Manu said: My body is too small for my heart. I'm so happy; that's how I feel.'"
Scola likely didn't express the same sentiments when told of the Spurs' decision.
Scola, a 2002 second-round pick of the Spurs, is five years younger than Oberto and considered a more-skilled player. The Spurs had hoped to sign Scola this summer but became fearful of losing Oberto and other free agents if they waited any longer for Scola to reach an agreement on a buyout with his Spanish team, Tau Ceramica.
The NBA buyout in Scola's initial contract with Tau was a staggering 12 million euros or $14.5million. The team later revised the contract to give Scola a much more affordable buyout based on where he was drafted in the first round. Yet because the deal never specified anything about being selected in the second round, Tau officials claim Scola must pay the original buyout if he wants to leave for the NBA or wait until his contract expires in three years when the buyout is reduced to $1 million.
The Spurs, who are limited by NBA rules to contributing no more than $350,000 to the buyout, have spent more than two years trying to resolve the matter. While Scola's agents tried to convince the Spurs they eventually will strike a deal with Tau — the issue could end up in the hands of an arbitrator — team officials decided they couldn't risk waiting.
Tau already has lost its head coach this summer, and two of the team's top players, Jose Calderon and Arvydas Macijauskas, could depart. As a result, Tau's owners might be hesitant about letting Scola also leave.
The Spurs have discussed trading Scola's rights, but any team interested in him is likely going to want assurances he will be able to free himself from his Spanish contract.
After Oberto's signing, the Spurs will have about half of their $4.9 million midlevel exception remaining, in addition to their $1.6 million exception. They would like to add an athletic wing player, a third point guard (re-signing Mike Wilks remains a possibility) and another reserve big man to occupy the role Tony Massenburg and Kevin Willis held previously.
Though the Spurs could re-sign Devin Brown without using either exception, they so far appear hesitant about giving him a significant raise because of health concerns. Doctors have assured team officials Brown's back eventually will heal. They just can't tell them when.
Sacramento's Maurice Evans and Indiana's James Jones are other options, though both are restricted free agents, giving the Kings and Pacers the right to match offers they receive from other teams.
The Spurs also might wait to see how much the free-agent pool deepens after the NBA's new amnesty rule goes into effect, allowing teams the right to waive one player and avoid his luxury-tax penalty. Dallas is expected to cut Michael Finley if it can't first find another team willing to trade for him. New York also figures to part with guard Allan Houston.
Center Rasho Nesterovic has generated some trade interest among other teams, though the Spurs have yet to find a deal they like.
Holy shizzle. So this whole time the talk of Scola's buyout being around $2M was BS? Man, that's hardcore.
Scola won't be here anytime soon. Three more years?!!?
Damn.
There goes his trade value and the ability to sign him before 2009.
Bye-bye Scola
Who the is Scola's agent? Does he own a piece of Tau Ceramica or something?
Man I was really looking forward to Scola, I guess I can forget that .
I'm a little disappointed that Oberto was signed with MLE money (was hoping for LLE) ... but at the same time, he's a perfect fit for this team.
2.5MIL per is what caught my eye.
Not bad, but about twice what I presumed.
how do you figure?
i have not read one legitmate hardcore reason why this guy shoulda been signed other than he's a backup center
then again i guess its hard for me to scrutinize a foreign player properly
Perhaps $2 MM is what the buyout would have been if Scola had been a late first rounder (and what the Spurs, Scola, and his agent thought Tau might be convinced to take)?
Not the first time it has been asked, I'm sure, but in light of it all, for how long do the Spurs retain the rights to Scola?
He's an unselfish player who is all about winning. He's a great passer and brings rebouding, defense and some shotblocking to the table. Next to Duncan, he could be deadly. He can play the high post and pick apart teams.
I've actually liked him better than Scola the times I've watched them both play. Basically, the Spurs got another smart player who is all about the Ws.
I think the buyout is big because he signed a 10 years contract with Tau when he was 17 years old.
Until one year after his European contract ends.
In other words, until you have great grandchildren.
The NBA buyout in Scola's initial contract with Tau was a staggering 12 million euros or $14.5million. The team later revised the contract to give Scola a much more affordable buyout based on where he was drafted in the first round. Yet because the deal never specified anything about being selected in the second round, Tau officials claim Scola must pay the original buyout if he wants to leave for the NBA or wait until his contract expires in three years when the buyout is reduced to $1 million.
YIKES!!!
2.5 mil a year seems a little much. Bummer we had to use some of the MLE.
Scola's agent advised him to sign that piece of contract?The NBA buyout in Scola's initial contract with Tau was a staggering 12 million euros or $14.5million.
That's probably the case ... but there's no way Tau is going to lower that $15M number now. Scola is one of the better players in Europe. With three years left on the deal, it'd be dumb for them to let him go.
P.S.
Can you imagine the hype Scola when he actually crosses the Atlantic. In 2010 or whatever, it'll be a bigger event than the Second Coming.
Do you guys feel comfortable going into the season with this as our Frontline Rotation?
C - Nazr, Duncan, Rasho, Oberto
PF- Duncan, Horry, Oberto
Or do you see the Spurs making another move or two?
Is Ian gonna be a backup Center or F?
F right?
Countdown to Brutalis showing up and saying it's worth the buyout in 3....2...1...
Ian's gonna be in Europe for 3 more years.
Ian is 6'10" now, but with him only being 18 he could be well over 7 ft by the time he is done growing.
man people dont understand something, we are set for the next 4-5 years with our
big 3, no changes needed. any pics added or anything from europe is a set up
for when its time for Duncan to retire. everything the spurs do is for the future
now you see why the smarter than Spur franchises didnlt draft him
spurs always trading and throwing their picks away
Spoken like a true idiot.now you see why the smarter than Spur franchises didnlt draft him
spurs always trading and throwing their picks away
Oh, oh right right...
The Project.
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