Luis Scola, who continues to play overseas with Italy’s Olimpia Milano, hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2016/17 season and the 39-year-old sounds pretty confident that a comeback isn’t happening. As he explains to Marc Stein of The New York Times, even the younger version of himself would have a hard time keeping up in today’s version of the NBA, with its faster pace and lack of low-post play.
“The good teams, they have better players. The bad teams, they have younger players. I just don’t think I am at that level anymore,” Scola said. “I was there at some point. But the game changed also. It would be more difficult for me to play, even at my prime, in today’s NBA.”
“I got a little bit lucky,” he continued. “The big change happened right at the end of my career, and I was able to play until I was 37. The low-post game is not there anymore. The long two are not there. I would adjust a little bit and be a different player, but I think this would be a little bit more difficult. The game is faster. The players move faster. They’re more athletic, longer. And I’m not a very good athlete. Those things would be against me in today’s NBA.”
While Scola recognizes a return to the NBA isn’t in the cards, he’s pleased about Argentina’s performance at this year’s World Cup, which secured the team a spot in the 2020 Olympics. Participating in those Olympics had been a major goal for Scola, which is one reason he has pushed to continue his professional career, as he tells Stein.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Frank Urbina and Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype spoke to NBA executives to try to gauge what LaMarcus Aldridge‘s trade value might be if the Spurs decide to become sellers. Various execs identified the Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Suns, and Kings as possible fits.
- The general feeling among NBA teams about the top of the 2020 draft class remains “lukewarm,” according to Jeremy Woo of SI.com, who explores how LaMelo’s stellar NBL play is becoming harder to ignore as teams consider next spring’s top prospects.
- Former Seton Hall standout and Clippers two-way player Angel Delgado has signed Israeli team Hapoel Holon, as Emiliano Carchia of Sportando relays. Delgado, who appeared in two games for the Clips last season, spent time with the Beijing Royal Fighters earlier this year before being replaced by former NBA big man Jason Thompson.
- Mike Conley is looking for the same kind of experience with the Jazz that his longtime Grizzlies teammate Marc Gasol had last season in Toronto, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Conley said he called Gasol on FaceTime shortly after the Raptors won the 2019 title. “Man, I watched every game and was rooting and hoping and praying,” Conley said. “… We were talking about that thing all our career, having an experience like that for himself is, just happy for him.”
Scola was fun to watch with Houston, I wish him well in Italy.
The list for Aldrige looks pretty suspect… He already was at Portland, and the Nuggets are different. Saric & TJohnson in Phoenix in trade could clear his salary a year earlier for the Spurs and Saric may be a match for 2021 as a FA. They’re not scorers but Aldrige is not playing defense or caring like Saric would. Pops wants a Bertans. Meanwhile for the Suns, LMA at the 4 playing with Ayton could prove inspirational.
The Spurs just went out of their way to guarantee the last year of Aldridge’s contract 2010/21… because they like him, or to make him a better trade commodity?
Ya I agree – that list of destinations makes little sense. Suns maybe, but Portland is a stretch, Denver is getting great production out of Milsap, and the Kings don’t have the pieces to make a deal (at least not that I can see) without giving up a couple of young players OR stiffing San Antonio with long contracts.
Miami makes way more sense – Winslow plus Johnson or Waiters is probably something San Antonio would consider, especially if there was cash and 2nd rounders included.
Yes list is a bit suspect at a bare minimum.
Good move by Spurs because Pop really likes LMA and it does add a lot of extra trade value to his current contract.
The Celtics would love to have him and have him as would the Hawks.
Riley also really likes him and made a play for him once before.
LMA and Bam would be an awesome front court.
Spurs aren’t selling. Someone has to get the 7th and 8th seeds.