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Someone has to knock out Dallas again in first round. It could be a genius move!
Having 7-8 legit contenders is great b/c we are guaranteed to have an enemy kill another enemy.
What franchise trades a player to a division rival? Thanks a lot Spurs....hope you have to play the Rockets in the first round now
Someone has to knock out Dallas again in first round. It could be a genius move!
Having 7-8 legit contenders is great b/c we are guaranteed to have an enemy kill another enemy.
Pray the Spurs avoid the Mavs again this year homer
I do.
Nah, the Rockets earned this streak.
funny number... they're 21-0 when Scola is on the starting lineup
So none of this blame goes to New Orleans?
their point guard was not this good when spurs did the trade
he is the reason for the streak
NOT SCOLA NOT T_MAC BUT HIM
How can anyone honestly say RC isn't the Rockets MVP? he gift wraps Scola, and asks for literally NOTHING in return, who has been KEY in Yao's absence, someone who is averaging 10pts 6rbs his ing rookie year when everyone on Earth knew he would do this
congrats RC, your name will be in those Houston rafters one day
Enough Scola Threads
Scola thread!
alson was the mvp
his numbers during the streak is awesome
scola was nothing special today
scola thread 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000 thread
scola thread 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000000000
Scola a Perfect Fit for Rockets
Argentine Solves Need at Power Forward, Propels Streak
The leading scorer from Argentina's 2004 Olympic gold medal team and a two-time Spanish League most valuable player, Luis Scola, left, may have signed in Europe if the Spurs hadn't shipped him to the Rockets.
The leading scorer from Argentina's 2004 Olympic gold medal team and a two-time Spanish League most valuable player, Luis Scola, left, may have signed in Europe if the Spurs hadn't shipped him to the Rockets. (Lucy Nicholson - Reuters)
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By Michael Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 16, 2008; Page D07
When Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey was compiling a list of power forwards to target last summer, he thought his team's chances of getting Luis Scola from San Antonio were about as likely as the Rockets somehow going on the second-longest winning streak in NBA history.
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"It was a long shot," Morey said in a recent phone interview.
But an unheralded, unexpected offseason trade with the defending champion Spurs has helped the Rockets (45-20) win an improbable 21 games in a row, move past San Antonio in the standings and put them in position to play for the best record in Western Conference this afternoon at Toyota Center against the Los Angeles Lakers. It's no coincidence that the Rockets' streak -- the longest since the 1971-72 Lakers won 33 in a row -- coincided with Scola's insertion as starting power forward.
"He was a steal," Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James said. James played against Scola last summer in Las Vegas, when Scola was named most valuable player at the Tournament of the Americas after leading Argentina to a second-place finish without the assistance of NBA stars Manu GinÓbili and Andres Nocioni.
Scola, the leading scorer from Argentina's 2004 Olympic gold medal team and a two-time Spanish League most valuable player, had been the property of Houston's division rival since San Antonio took him in the second round of the 2002 draft. The Spurs didn't believe that Scola would fit in with their players -- they feared he might get in Tim Duncan's way, to be specific -- and were under pressure to deal him last summer. Otherwise, Scola was going to sign a long-term deal in Europe, and San Antonio would get nothing for him.
The Spurs came close to dealing Scola to Cleveland, but to Morey's surprise, they decided on the Rockets' offer of Vassilis Spanoulis, a second-round and cash for Scola and center Jackie Butler. The move gave San Antonio the financial flexibility to keep its championship team intact and add some auxiliary pieces. The Rockets finally solved their decade-long problems at power forward.
"It's hard to criticize what San Antonio is doing," Morey said. "They'll probably be the favorite to win the le."
For years, Scola held the reputation as the best player not in the NBA. But the first few months in Houston were a huge adjustment for the 27-year-old rookie. He had to learn a new city, a new culture and a new game. "It was a little hard in the beginning," Scola said after spending the previous seven seasons with TAU Cerámica. "I feel way better the last month and a half."
Rockets Coach Rick Adelman started Scola on Jan. 27 when center Yao Ming was forced to sit out with a respiratory problem. Scola had 18 points and six rebounds in a loss against the Utah Jazz. Yao returned to practice the next day, but Adelman moved power forward Chuck Hayes to the bench, hoping that Scola could provide a boost to the starting five.
The Rockets haven't lost since -- including the past nine since Yao was lost for the season with a broken left foot.
"I wish that Yao was here," Scola said in a phone interview. "But I think we have a team. Everybody is hitting shots. It's going to be hard to focus on somebody when we're playing the game."
Scola is averaging 11.8 points and 5.7 rebounds as a starter, and is making a late push for rookie of the year. He isn't flashy, and if not for his flowing black hair, Scola might not stand out. He makes small but significant plays, such as tapping a rebound to Dikembe Mutombo for a dunk or finding Tracy McGrady cutting backdoor for a layup. "He has a good basketball I.Q.," Rockets point guard Rafer Alston said. "He has experience. He's a team guy, loves to defend, loves to pass."
Scola's path to the NBA hasn't always gone as planned. He was preparing to take the ACT so that he could attend Temple, like Pepe Sanchez, his teammate on Argentina's national team. Instead, he chose to play in Spain at age 17.
After seeing his friend GinÓbili have success, Scola had hoped to play with him in San Antonio. Instead, he's in Houston.
"It was no problem for me. I understand [the Spurs] didn't have room for me," Scola said. "They give me this opportunity. If they didn't trade me, I may have to stay in Europe and I never play in NBA. They traded me and I'm really thankful for it."
nice RC, we really had no room for him seeing how you gave Bonner that contract
I don't get it. Scola is a slightly better version of Oberto offensively. Other than that they are both similiar players. It did suck that the Spurs traded him away for almost nothing and to a division rival on top of that, but I'm not so sure the Spurs would be that much better off with him than they are now....
you're right his 13pts 11rbs are nothing special
but you'd be having a damn orgasm if Bonner ever had a day like that, so are we now at the level where Scola will have a double double and the haters will say it's nothing special?
WOW
Spurs Dynasty 21 this was covered 1000000000000000000000000000
times
post it in the scola threads in the NBA FORUM!
What does this change?
What does this accomplish?
What does this say that the other hundreds of Scola threads have not?
I think it's fukin great........................
It reminds you Pop Tea Baggers that ain't all that good Rose.
We have to deal with your takes, so log in and deal with it also.
Chump.
The Spurs are definitely leading the dumbass selection.
are you going to start a www.firepop.com website?
it's a reminder of what could have been
and it wasn't some gamble, Scola wasn't a mystery, for YEARS every pre season critics were saying when the Spurs bring Scola over it was be a HUGE addition
but no........................... they had to trade him
and to pour salt on the wound................................. trade him for nothing
......................... to the Rockets
.......who are the #1 seed in the west and are on a 22 game win streak, the 2nd longest in NBA history
So it's all about me?
That makes sense, dumbass.
Spurs Dynasty 21 like we could forget with all the scola threads here
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