Luis Scola Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Rockets, Gasol, Jones, Odom

March 8th, 2012 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Only one Southwest team is in action tonight, as Dirk Nowitizki and the Mavericks take on Steve Nash and the Suns in Phoenix. To make up for the lack of games, let's take a look at a few Thursday links out of the Southwest:

Based on calls he's received and reports he's read, Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle concludes the Lakers are "floating the idea" that a package of Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola could get Pau Gasol to Houston. Solomon says there's no way the Rockets would do such a deal though.
Solomon Jones' second 10-day contract has expired, and the Hornets have decided not to sign him for the rest of the season, reports John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Jones played in 11 games for New Orleans, averaging 5.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in 17.8 minutes per contest.
Lamar Odom and Mavericks owner accused New York media of blowing their alleged spat out of proportion, writes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Kyler On Rondo, Diaw, Mavs, Ellis, Scola

February 28th, 2012 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

Over at HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler kicks off a quick look at trade possibilities for all 30 teams, running alphabetically from Atlanta through Houston. Let's check out a few of Kyler's notes….

The general belief is that Rajon Rondo will remain a Celtic past March 15th unless Boston is blown away by an offer.
Bobcats sources say the team has received inquiries on Boris Diaw, who has an expiring contract worth $9MM.
Sources close to the Mavericks say the team views Rodrigue Beaubois and Dominique Jones as "possible sweeteners" in an offseason sign-and-trade deal for Dwight Howard or Deron Williams.
If the Warriors decide to move Monta Ellis, any deal may have to include a contract like David Lee's or Andris Biedrins' as well. According to Kyler's sources, the Warriors offered Ellis to the 76ers for Andre Iguodala at the start of the season.
Concerns about Luis Scola's knees may make it tough for the Rockets to find full value for him on the trade market.
For more on the ten teams covered in Kyler's piece, check out our Assessing Stocks series, which, coincidentally, has covered the same ten clubs.

Assessing Stocks: Houston Rockets

February 25th, 2012 at 11:09pm CST by Jesse Blanchard

Portfolio Review: The Houston Rockets have perhaps the best point guard in the NBA that isn't quite a franchise point guard in Kyle Lowry. He is entering the prime of his career just as their second best player, Luis Scola, is exiting his. Scola, coincidentally, is just about as good as you can get at power forward without being an All-Star.

And that, in a nutshell, is the Houston Rockets. A group whose individual talents promise falls just short of stardom, and whose collective talents falls somewhere between the 7th seed and just out of the playoffs in the Western Conference.

The Rockets are a team perfectly built around a superstar that no longer exists on their roster. Over the summer they were able to replace that superstar with Pau Gasol, only to have David Stern veto the trade.

Prime Assets: Kyle Lowry has been deemed untouchable in most trade scenarios, though I would strongly take a look at a Lowry for Rajon Rondo-type deal should it present itself. Lowry is the better all-around player, but like the rest of the Rockets roster, lacks a single elite skill. Rondo has a deficient jump shot that skews his team's spacing, something the Rockets would have no trouble accommodating.

With Lowry off the table, the combination of Luis Scola and Kevin Martin were once worth Pau Gasol with a third team. Perhaps they can be again.

Worthless Stock: The only redeeming value for Hasheem Thabeet right now is a team's ability to write they acquired a former no. 2 overall pick in the press releases. He and Jonny Flynn are not toxic assets, but they're certainly not helpful either.

The Rest: The Rockets do not really do bad contracts or bad players. They just don't have very many really good ones. The question is do the Rockets consolidate some of their depth to improve slightly in talent?

Rockets Still Interested In Acquiring Pau Gasol

February 10th, 2012 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets still "have a longing" for the Lakers' Pau Gasol, according to Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo Sports. However, Wojnarowski says the Lakers would ask for Kyle Lowry in any discussions for Gasol, and the Rockets have no desire to deal their starting point guard.

Houston thought it had landed the Lakers' big man prior to the season in the three-team deal that sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, but the trade was nixed by the league. While they don't want to move Lowry in a Gasol trade, the Rockets would probably part with Kevin Martin and Luis Scola, sources tell Wojnarowski. Considering Houston was prepared to give up Martin, Scola, and more in the December deal, that's hardly a surprise.

The Lakers are unlikely to consider moving Gasol unless they're able to upgrade significantly at point guard. So far, the team's search for help at the point has them looking into Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions, while keeping an eye on Gilbert Arenas.

Poll: Will Love Face Suspension After Stomping?

February 5th, 2012 at 9:59am CST by Daniel Seco

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love seemingly retaliated Saturday night against Houston Rockets big Luis Scola after an incident earlier in the week left Love writhing with pain. After getting rebound after rebound over Scola and finally netting a basket, Love appeared to have fouled Scola on the other end of court, causing the fifth-year player to drop to the floor. Love quickly turned to head back down the court and stepped on Scola’s chest and face with his size 19 left sneaker. Talking heads from around the NBA having varying opinions on what actually transpired at the Target Center.

Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune hasn’t taken a stance on the stomping but allows for the possibility that the incident may have just been a poorly timed accident on Love’s end.
Houston Rockets beat writer Jonathan Feigen describes the attack on Scola as a no-brainer one-game suspension for Love.
SB Nation’s Bomani Jones (via Twitter) says that the time for retaliation against Scola was last game, not last night.

Kyler On Rockets, Nets, Augustin, Chandler

January 30th, 2012 at 3:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld took a look this morning at a few names he expects to be discussed in the weeks leading up to March's trade deadline. Here are a few highlights from the piece:

The Jazz and Grizzlies are among the many teams that have some interest in Chris Kaman.
The Rockets have been active, but are seeking a significant return for players like Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger, and Luis Scola.
With just over $34MM committed in 2012/13 salaries, the Nets wouldn't mind clearing some future cap room by moving Anthony Morrow or Jordan Farmar prior to the trade deadline.
If the Cavaliers are still in the mix for a playoff spot as the deadline approaches, don't expect them to become sellers.
Although the Bobcats aren't shopping D.J. Augustin, Kyler hears from sources close to the team that they'll listen to offers if they can obtain draft picks and gain financial flexibility.
When Wilson Chandler returns to the NBA from China, the Raptors plan to "make life hard" for the Nuggets. Denver has the rights to Chandler as a restricted free agent, but Toronto may try to move Jose Calderon or Leandro Barbosa to gather assets for a sign-and-trade offer for Chandler.