Luis Scola is finally coming to the NBA. Although being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2002 NBA Draft the Argentinean power forward never played for the Texans as the parts couldn’t reach an agreement.
The 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) and 104 kg (230 lb) power forward was introduced as the newest member of the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.
The deal was made between the two Texan teams as the Spurs held Scola’s rights since 2002, but the talented Argentinean continued to play in the Spanish league and the Euroleague for Tau Ceramica. He averaged 15.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists last season.
The agreement between the two major clubs of the Western Conference also involved Jackie Butler who was traded by the Spurs in exchange for Vassilis Spanoulis’ services.
The Rockets also threw the second-round pick in the 2009 draft in the deal.
The spot that Scola is expected to successfully fill was a problematical one throughout the past season for Houston and especially in the offseason with the Texans having only
the potential player at the position in Chuck Hayes.
Scola has received the MVP of the Spanish league on two occasions and also helped his national team win its first-ever gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. Such a record speaks for its self and Rockets coach Rick Adelman sees in him the future starting power forward and a player that will bring more solidity and offensive skills to the frontcourt.
"Luis obviously fills a position of need," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said about the Argentinean, showing that he’s in the same frame of mind as coach Adelman.
"We thought he was the best guy out there. He has size and experience and he's been a winner at every level."
The 27-year-old said he’s very excited on the thought that he will have team mate like Yao Ming and All-Star Tracy McGrady and that they were the first thing that came to his mind when he found out he’ll be playing for the Rockets.
"It's great to be with them," the Argentinean said. "I'm sure they're going to help me much more than I'm going to help them."
