In just a few days. the Houston Rockets have done what the Spurs never could, arrange a buyout of Luis Scola’s contract and sign him.
On Tuesday, The Rockets had a press conference to announce the signing, five years after he was selected by the Spurs in the 2002 NBA Draft. The signing does not become official until the buyout is complete, but the Rockets can’t wait to pair him with Yao Ming in the frontcourt.
“I’ve looked at a lot of tape on Luis and the way he plays,” said Rockets coach Rick Adelman. “I think he’s going to be a great attribute to Yao (Ming), because he’s very active. There is always movement. He’s a good passer. Of all the people we looked at in terms of being a complement to Yao, he really fills the bill.”
For Scola, he finally realizes his dream of playing in the NBA, even if it means playing a few hundred miles up the interstate from friends and Argentine teammates Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto.
“It’s hard to know why I did not come before now,” Scola said. “Maybe I could have done it a couple of years ago when I was younger. Maybe now, I’m just more open to change. Different food, different league, different teammates.
“For every basketball player, the NBA is the dream. This has been my dream since I was a little kid. When I first started playing for the international team against NBA players, I could see that I was coming closer. It becomes a goal. You want to be the best player that you can be. For that, you have to play against the best players. The NBA has the best players in the world.”
Some say Scola may contend for Rookie of the Year honors, while the player the Spurs got in the trade, Vassilis Spanoulis, is close to being released from his contract, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
