Luis Scola Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Ainge, Kuzminskas, George, Scola

July 24th, 2016 at 8:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

President of basketball operations Danny Ainge was able to quickly rebuild the Celtics by maximizing the return for his stars when the team got too old, writes Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Ainge sent Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Nets for a package of draft picks and traded Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks instead of letting him become a free agent. This summer’s signing of Al Horford accelerated the building process, and Hamilton believes it makes the Celtics legitimate contenders in the East. Boston is also set up well for the future, with only Horford, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas under contract for 2017/18. Even if the Celtics pick up their team option on Marcus Smart, they may have more than $50MM to spend on free agents next July.

There’s more out of the Eastern Conference:

Mindaugas Kuzminskas provides enough offense to become a rotation player for the Knicks, according to Trevor Magnotti of Upside and Motor. The 6’9″ Lithuanian forward signed with New York earlier this month after playing in Europe for the past five seasons. Knicks president Phil Jackson said the team wanted to find a mobile small forward who could shoot from distance. That describes Kuzminskas, who gets most of his points on cuts to the basket, but is also a streaky shooter from 3-point range. However, there are questions about his defense, which Magnotti warns might limit his playing time until he proves he can contribute on that end.
Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski says Paul George is playing the best basketball of his life two years after the broken leg that had many concerned about his career, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. The Pacers‘ star, who had 18 points in Friday’s exhibition win over Argentina, said he had to put that scary incident out of his mind to be effective again. “It’s behind me,” George said. “I don’t play the game expecting to get hurt. I know it’s a possibility. But there’s no thought in my mind I’m going to get hurt. I play this game because I love it. I just play hard.”
Newly signed Nets power forward Luis Scola will be Argentina’s flag bearer at the Summer Olympics, according to the Associated Press. “I had the chance to play four Olympics, to play 10 years in the NBA, to carry the flag for my country, win an Olympic gold medal,’’ Scola said. “I mean, different things that happened along those days that I couldn’t even dream of those because it would be too wild to dream.”

Nets Sign Luis Scola

July 13th, 2016 at 10:17pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 13, 10:17pm: The Nets have issued a press release formally announcing that their deal with Scola is official.

JULY 12, 11:23am: Veteran big man Luis Scola has agreed to join the Nets on a one-year contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but Brooklyn has plenty of cap room to spare after missing out on its top RFA targets, so Scola won’t necessarily be limited to minimum-salary or mid-level-exception money.

The Nets prioritized young backcourt players in free agency this summer, signing Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson to lucrative, long-term offer sheets. However, the Trail Blazers matched Brooklyn’s offer sheet for Crabbe, and the Heat matched Brooklyn’s offer sheet for Johnson, leaving the Nets with a huge chunk of cap room and a gaping hole in their backcourt.

Scola shouldn’t take up too much of the team’s cap space, and he’ll provide depth in the frontcourt rather than at guard. Despite having turned 36 in April, the Argentinian power forward has managed to stay incredibly healthy over the last few years, missing just 15 total regular-season games since entering the NBA in 2007.

In 2015/16, his lone year with the Raptors, Scola started all 76 regular-season games he played for the Raptors, averaging 8.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 0.9 APG, while shooting 40.4% on three-point attempts — 65 of the 75 three-pointers Scola has made in his career came last season.

The former second-round pick fell out of the Raptors’ rotation during the club’s playoff run, but he provided veteran leadership in Toronto last season, and should do the same in Brooklyn. He’ll join Jeremy Lin, Greivis Vasquez, Trevor Booker, and Justin Hamilton as incoming free agent additions for the Nets.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Thunder Trade Serge Ibaka To Magic

June 24th, 2016 at 12:48am CST by Arthur Hill

Oklahoma City has traded power forward Serge Ibaka to Orlando, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The Thunder received Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the rights to Domantas Sabonis, the 11th overall pick, in return (Twitter link). Both teams have formally confirmed the deal.

Ibaka had spent his entire seven-year career with OKC after being drafted 24th in 2008. The 26-year-old has one season left on his contract at $12.25MM. He appeared in 78 games for Oklahoma City this season, averaging 12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. The Thunder reportedly have been gauging the trade market for Ibaka in advance of the draft.

Oladipo, 24, will be eligible for a contract extension next month for the first time in his NBA career. He is scheduled to make about $6.55MM next season in the final year of his rookie deal. The combo guard averaged 16.0 points and 4.8 rebounds for the Magic in 2015/16 while shooting .438 from the field.

Ilyasova, 29, has an $8.4MM contract for next season, but only $400K of that is guaranteed. He split this season between the Pistons and Magic, averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 74 games.

Earlier in the evening, the Raptors offered their No. 9 pick to the Thunder for Ibaka, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com, but Oklahoma City turned down the deal. Toronto is searching for a replacement for 35-year-old Luis Scola, who started 76 games this season. Scola will be a free agent after earning $3MM during 2015/16. Toronto wound up keeping the ninth pick and taking center Jakob Poetl out of Utah.

Raptors Notes: DeRozan, Biyombo, Lowry, Cousins

May 28th, 2016 at 1:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Raptors’ top two impending free agents offered clues to their future as they cleared out their lockers this morning. In the wake of Friday’s Game 6 loss to the Cavaliers, shooting guard DeMar DeRozan sounded like he has made up his mind to stay in Toronto, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. “I don’t think so,” DeRozan said when asked if he thought he could find a better situation in free agency. “My mindset has always been Toronto. … I don’t want to switch it up now.” In response to a question about playing his entire career with one organization, DeRozan replied, “I think that’s the most incredible thing you can do. … That’s awesome.” (Twitter link). DeRozan, 26, has spent seven years with the Raptors, who took him ninth overall in the 2009 draft. He is expected to turn down a $9.5MM option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent. Toronto can offer a five-year deal worth $144.6MM, while other teams will be limited to four years and $107.4MM. DeRozan also seemed to dismiss rumors that he might be interested in returning to his hometown of Los Angeles and signing with the Lakers. “Only thing appealing to me is the things I’ve done in this organization and the things I can do,” he said. (Twitter link).

Bismack Biyombo also expressed a preference for staying in Toronto, and said he has overheard GM Masai Ujiri state that he will do “whatever it takes” to keep the big man (Twitter link). “I love it up here and I would love to be back,” said Biyombo, who has a shot at getting maximum offers after his playoff performance. Biyombo, who has already decided to opt out of his $2.9MM deal for next season, adds that he would be willing to remain in a reserve role behind Jonas Valanciunas if necessary. “For me it’s about winning,” Biyombo said. “Starting or not starting, it doesn’t matter.” (Twitter link).

There’s more out of Toronto:

Kyle Lowry will undergo a physical later today, and the Raptors will determine whether the point guard needs surgery on his right elbow, Lewenberg tweets. Lowry offered support to coach Dwane Casey, saying, “That man is the all-time winningest coach here. He’s been great. … He’s grown every year since I’ve been here.” Casey is expected to receive an extension after being on shaky ground heading into the playoffs.
James Johnson and Jason Thompson won’t be back in Toronto, and Luis Scola and Biyombo could be leaving as well, opines Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Wolstat writes that the Raptors’ biggest offseason challenge will be to add more shooting to the lineup without breaking up the current core. He also expects turnover on the Toronto bench, where Andy Greer, Rex Kalamian and Nick Nurse have all been rumored for other jobs.
Oklahoma point guard Isaiah Cousins will work out for the Raptors on Tuesday, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.

Atlantic Notes: Ferrell, Hield, Scola

May 11th, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks don’t own a pick in this year’s NBA draft, but the team is looking to acquire one from another franchise, Ian Begley of ESPN.com notes. One player New York may be targeting is former Indiana University point guard Yogi Ferrell, who has a workout scheduled with the team on June 10th, Begley notes. Ferrell is a potential second-rounder, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranking him No. 66 overall, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com rates him 99th. The Knicks still have up to $3.3MM that they can spend to purchase a draft pick if they are unable to swing a deal involving a player for one.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Sixers have an interview scheduled with former Oklahoma shooting guard Buddy Hield for this evening and one on Thursday with Duke freshman small forward Brandon Ingram, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Team personnel will also sit down and speak with Syracuse freshman swingman Malachi Richardson on Friday, Pompey tweets.
Despite not having a pick in this year’s draft, the Nets have sent a large contingent of personnel to the scouting combine in Chicago, NetsDaily relays (Twitter link). Like the Knicks, Brooklyn could be looking to swing a deal to acquire a pick, the scribe notes.
Raptors power forward Luis Scola is struggling to find his place in the team’s playoff series versus Miami, which has been made more difficult by both teams going with smaller lineups due to numerous injuries, writes Bruce Arthur of The Toronto Star. “It’s not fun,” Scola admitted. “It’s not fun. I’m positive. I believe that you have to do the right thing every day, regardless of the situation. When it’s going well, it’s easy. Now it’s a little bit more difficult. It’s part of the challenge, it’s part of the growth, it’s part of the process. And to stick with it, to turn it around, it’s one of the things you enjoy as an athlete, as a professional basketball player.” Scola earned $2.8MM this season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Atlantic Notes: Early, Rondo, Embiid, Scola

March 20th, 2016 at 5:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks activated small forward Cleanthony Early today for the first time since he was shot in the right knee during a December 30th robbery, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Early told police he was robbed and shot when four to six men stopped a taxi he was riding in. The Knicks assigned Early to the D-League two weeks ago to help him prepare for his NBA return.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Kings point guard and impending free agent Rajon Rondo said former Knicks coach Derek Fisher “might have blacked out a couple of times” when he questioned Rondo’s ability to run the triangle offense, Begley relays. Rondo made some comments questioning the triangle earlier this season, and many interpreted them as a sign that he wouldn’t consider New York in free agency. But Rondo sounded different before Sacramento’s game tonight at Madison Square Garden. “I’m not saying I couldn’t master [the triangle]. I think I can put my mind to it, break down a lot of film if that was the case to be,” Rondo said. “I don’t play in the triangle. I can only speak on what I do know and that’s under George Karl’s system. We’re pretty good offensively. We don’t want to talk about the defense.”
The Sixers sent Joel Embiid back to the Aspetar medical facility in Qatar because they were happy with the results of his first visit, according to Jessica Camerato of CSN Philly. Coach Brett Brown said the first trip to Aspetar provided positive results for Embiid in the areas of body weight, sleep, body mass assessment and healing. “Maybe more important than anything, Joel bought in, in a large way, and the results were starting to show,” Brown said. “We test drove it, we liked what we saw a lot, led by a group of us that assessed it and Joel’s reaction to it.”
Veteran power forward Luis Scola, who signed with the Raptors in free agency over the offseason, has become a valuable contributor in Toronto, writes Holly MacKenzie of NBA.com. Scola raised some eyebrows around the league with a 17-point first quarter against the Celtics this week. “This is a team that we have a bunch of pieces and they all have their role,” Scola said.

Atlantic Notes: Prokhorov, Sixers, Scola

December 16th, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBA has approved ownership transfer of 100% of the Nets and the Barclays Center to Mikhail Prokhorov, Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg.com reports. The franchise and the arena were given a combined valuation of $1.9 billion, though the precise breakdown of that amount is unknown at this time, Soshnick adds. This arrangement will give Prokhorov full ownership of both the Nets and the Barclays Center when finalized, the Bloomberg scribe relays. Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Despite all the criticism levied against the Sixers‘ rebuilding plan, one major advantage the team had when making trades was the lack of immediate urgency to win, a perk that may now be gone with the arrival of Jerry Colangelo, Derek Bodner of Phillymag.com writes. The inconsistent play of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor played a major role in Philadelphia bringing in Colangelo as well as looking to speed up its timetable to return to respectability, Bodner adds.
Raptors power forward Luis Scola likely wouldn’t have been allowed to leave Indiana and sign with Toronto this past summer if it had been up to Pacers coach Frank Vogel, writes Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun. “One of my favorite players of all time,” Vogel said regarding Scola. “One of them, yeah. Just a guy who has a great approach in the locker room, did his job and it carries over to his teammates and the entire team. He’s just a winner, he plays harder than everybody on the court every time he is out there and it’s no surprise he is helping contribute to their winning culture.” When asked why Scola was allowed to depart, Vogel diplomatically responded, “You would have to talk to [team president] Larry [Bird] about that.”
When asked if his expectations for the Nets‘ 2015/16 season have changed in light of their difficult start, Joe Johnson offered little in the way of enthusiasm, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com writes. “I didn’t really know what the expectations were. I honestly didn’t know,” Johnson said. “I didn’t know how good we would be, I didn’t know how good we would be as a team. So, I just came in and did what I was asked to do, and I’m just trying to help out.”

Central Notes: Jones, LeBron, Love, Scola, Jackson

December 16th, 2015 at 11:50am CST by Chuck Myron

LeBron James‘ affection for James Jones runs deep, and the same is true for Kevin Love, who said Jones may well be his best friend in the NBA, as Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com details. Jones re-signed with the Cavaliers this summer on a one-year, minmum salary deal.

“I told J.J., as long as I’m playing, he’s going to be around,” James said last week. “He’s not allowed to stop playing basketball. So, I’m going to make sure I got a roster spot for him. I love him. He’s the greatest teammate I’ve ever had.”

Jones is 35 and James turns 31 later this month, so it would be tough for Jones to hang in the league for the rest of LeBron’s career, but it’s nonetheless clear that the two are close. See more from Cleveland amid the latest from the Central Division:

It was watching his Cavaliers teammates doggedly pursue a championship during the finals last summer that served as the last bit of convincing Love needed to make up his mind to re-sign with the team, Love says, according to McMenamin, who writes in separate piece.
The Pacers and Luis Scola talked a couple of times while he was a free agent in July, but the team didn’t make an offer for him to re-sign, and Scola and agent George Bass got the impression the team didn’t intend to make one, the power forward told Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports. Scola, 35, signed instead with the Raptors for one year and $2.9MM, and he said to Agness that he’s pleased with Toronto so far.
Reggie Jackson drew motivation from the commitment that the Pistons showed when they gave him a five-year, $80MM deal this summer, and the deal signaled that the team’s executives “did their homework,” Jackson told TNT’s David Aldridge for his NBA.com Morning tip.

Atlantic Notes: Scola, Okafor, Wood, Early

December 2nd, 2015 at 11:02am CST by Chuck Myron

Luis Scola harked back to his Rockets days as he added an effective 3-point shot to his repertoire for this season, telling Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today that the difference is that he’s allowed the shot to come natually to him, unlike his attempts to add the long-range look in the past. Scola is one of several big men around the league who are extending their range, as Zillgitt examines, and it’s added value to the one-year, $2.9MM deal Scola signed with the Raptors in the summer.

“Houston loves analytics and is big on that. I tried to learn from them a lot,” Scola said. “They planted that seed and said, ‘You’ve got to do this if you want to move forward with the NBA.’”

See more from the Atlantic Division:

TMZ Sports obtained a video that depicts second altercation involving Jahlil Okafor on November 25th, the same night he was allegedly involved in a fight with a heckler outside a Boston nightclub. Boston police officials told TMZ that charges are likely to be filed. The Sixers will provide Okafor with a bodyguard going forward, coach Brett Brown said Tuesday, clearing up some confusion from earlier.
Neither the Sixers nor their D-League affiliate formally announced the move, but the Sixers assigned Christian Wood to their D-League affiliate Tuesday and recalled him later in the day, according to the D-League. Philly sent the rookie down so he could practice with the D-League team, the Delaware 87ers said, according to Adam Johnson of D-League Digest (Twitter link).
The Knicks assigned Cleanthony Early to their D-League affiliate today, the team announced (on Twitter). New York had just recalled Early on Monday, and the plan is for him to again rejoin the NBA squad in time for tonight’s game, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Atlantic Notes: Porzingis, Scola, Brown

November 25th, 2015 at 5:26pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony is surprised by how quickly he and rookie Kristaps Porzingis have meshed together, with the No. 4 overall pick’s ability to stretch defenses blending perfectly with Melo’s preferred style of play, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “This early we didn’t think that this kind of the jelling and the chemistry we have so far would be there. We all thought this would take some time to kind of figure out,” Anthony told Bondy. “But anytime you can play with a stretch-four, it makes the game a little bit easier. And it’s easier to figure that out. When you have a stretch-four guy who can play the wing, and he’s 7’3″, you know where he’s at, you know what he can do. So that makes the game easier. It makes the chemistry process that much easier.”

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Porzingis has turned draft night boos from Knicks fans into game night raves with his solid play thus far, and he credits some advice that he received from Wolves veteran Kevin Garnett for helping him cope with the now-forgotten negativity he was garnering, Bondy relays in a separate piece. “He [Garnett] was like, ‘You use that as motivation, you let that drive you every day when you step onto the floor,’” Porzingis said. “And that’s what I’m trying to do. I don’t really focus on it, that’s not the only thing that drives me, but it still sits inside me on the floor. That was huge. That was a really cool moment.”
The Sixers are off to a winless start to the season, but coach Brett Brown still needs to weigh the value of player development over chasing wins, a task that the team’s near-constant roster shuffling doesn’t make easier, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I have to coach basketball,” Brown said. “I have to do it where you walk the most incredible concoction. There’s a recipe you are always trying to figure out. I never coached more moving parts in my life.“
The Raptors signed Luis Scola to a one-year, $2.9MM deal this offseason to provide depth, but the veteran is proving to be one of the team’s most important additions, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes. “When you play well, you play more and when you play bad, you play less and that’s the way it should be,” Scola said of his new starting role. “It’s been pretty much what I expected. I knew if I showed up in good shape and did good things I’d have more opportunities and if I didn’t, I’d have less, and that’s what happened. The situation changes, I adapt, I prepare mentally for it and I just play.”