http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/players/luis_scola/22816 Recent articles about Luis Scola en-us San Antonio Spurs 2011 draftee Adam Hanga's future in Europe has been up in the air since his season ended.  His contract with Assigna Manressa is up and Hanga won't be re-signing with the team.  It looks like Hanga has found a new team and the name of that team is one Spurs fans are familiar with, whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen. According to European sports site Kirolmania, Hanga is set to sign a four year deal with Saski Baskonia in the Spanish ACB League.  I spoke with Hanga's agent, Giorgos Dimitropoulos, late last week and he said the deal isn't done yet but there's a good possibility it happens.  Hanga just finished a fantastic season with Manresa, showing real improvement in his game.  The 6'7" Hungarian swingman finished the season averaging 11.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  The end of his season was strong as well, as he picked up a league MVP of the week award in late April. Terms of Hanga... Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:30:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/adam_hanga_close_to_deal_with_baskonia/13861859 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/adam_hanga_close_to_deal_with_baskonia/13861859 Adam Hanga close to deal with Baskonia http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/adam_hanga_close_to_deal_with_baskonia/13861859 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The sports birthdays for April 30 include the very light hitting Jeff Reboulet, Minnesota Vikings bust Troy Williamson, former NFL’ers Dave Meggett and Al Toon, and NBA’er Luis Scola. The cheddar cheese biscuit of today’s birthdays is none other than former Detroit Pistons Bad Boy and worst NBA front office executive ever Isiah Thomas. My fondest memory of Isiah Thomas isn’t when he kissed Magic Johnson at half court or being frozen out of the Dream Team by Michael Jordan but instead an interview on the Jim Rome show. Zeke called in and when Rome greeted him Isiah said, ”My pleasure. I just got back from Red Lobster.” Err…what? When I was little my parents used to let me choose any restaurant that I wanted for my birthday dinner and I always chose Red Lobster. Since today it Isiah’s birthday I have to assume that he is chomping on some of those delicious biscuits (yep, two mentions in one article, they are that good) plus some of the most succulent scampi you’ve ever seen. To honor ... Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:20:35 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/todays_sports_birthdays_headlined_by_isiah_thomas/13521050 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/todays_sports_birthdays_headlined_by_isiah_thomas/13521050 Today’s Sports Birthdays headlined by Isiah Thomas http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/todays_sports_birthdays_headlined_by_isiah_thomas/13521050 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Phoenix Suns' Luis Scola doesn't know how long it will last but he's hoping to stay in the groove. The forward will try to add to his resurgence Friday night while leading the Suns to a fifth consecutive home win in their series with the short-handed Utah Jazz. Scola was averaging 11.7 points - his fewest since his 2007-08 rookie season - through the first 30 games, but he's awakened from that slump in the past week. He is averaging 26.0 points on 57.9 percent shooting over the last three games, and had a team-best 21 when Phoenix (12-21) snapped a six-game skid Wednesday with a 95-89 home win over Philadelphia. "I feel like I'm in a better rhythm. I'm playing with more confidence and I know my teammates better. It took me a little time but I'm happy with the way things are going now. I just need to keep it going," Scola said. "There's one thing you learn in the NBA: things change so quickly that you can never get relaxed. You need to find a way to keep do Thu, 03 Jan 2013 22:21:03 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/suns_go_for_back_to_back_wins_vs_sliding_jazz/12572659 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/suns_go_for_back_to_back_wins_vs_sliding_jazz/12572659 Suns go for back-to-back wins vs. sliding Jazz http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/suns_go_for_back_to_back_wins_vs_sliding_jazz/12572659 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ec7511d1fabd23636d2294d366ced250f959adc/mini/6f.jpg (click to enlarge) Luis Scola was fairly productive for the Houston Rockets for five seasons before they waived him over the summer. He averaged 14.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, but one Houston fan was not happy with the big man — and it had nothing to do with his game. As you can see from the image above that Rockets GM Daryl Morey posted on Twitter, a fan recently wrote him a letter thanking him for waiving Scola in the offseason. The fan’s reason? Scola was not well-groomed. “For comic relief, a note I received this off-season,” Morey wrote. “They are probably disappointed in (James Harden).” Talk about irony. Houston got rid of Scola and his long hair, but they also acquired arguably the most famously insane facial hair in all of professional sports. Name someone else whose beard has inspired a fruit arrangement, a dessert or the entrance to a building. Of course, Harden is averaging over 25 points per game for the Rockets and has been their best player this season. Can he... Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:19:57 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/rockets_fan_didnt_like_luis_scolas_long_hair_wrote_gm_daryl_morey_about_it/12517924 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/rockets_fan_didnt_like_luis_scolas_long_hair_wrote_gm_daryl_morey_about_it/12517924 Rockets fan didn’t like Luis Scola’s long hair, wrote GM Daryl Morey about it http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/rockets_fan_didnt_like_luis_scolas_long_hair_wrote_gm_daryl_morey_about_it/12517924 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ec7511d1fabd23636d2294d366ced250f959adc/mini/6f.jpg An off-season look at a valued employee of the Phoenix Suns was as easy as watching NBA TV's broadcast of a Team USA exhibition game. But we were required to pay attention, of course, to the other team. Sunday's other team was Argentina, which showed up in Barcelona for this pre-Olympic friendly with recent Suns acquisition Luis Scola still working as its low-post henchman. Scola, plucked by Phoenix with the winning bid after taking an amnesty hit from the Houston Rockets, certainly didn't disappoint. Well, that's if you were looking for a signature gamesmanship that manifests in illegal screens (I think one was actually called), relentless officiating protests and low-flying lane maneuvers that provoked several calls from the same referees who were the targets of his crabbing. Based on those variables, Scola was in midseason form. That should be comforting for fans in Phoenix, where Scola goes from tepidly despised foe to local treasure. The word tepidly was used because even though the Mon, 23 Jul 2012 18:15:32 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/scolas_skill_set_on_display_in_olympic_tuneup/11281474 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/scolas_skill_set_on_display_in_olympic_tuneup/11281474 Scola's skill set on display in Olympic tuneup http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/scolas_skill_set_on_display_in_olympic_tuneup/11281474 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/9/299da957b544a5019f7cf5b62c335b9a466b6e01/mini/LAKERS_daf0.jpg An off-season look at a valued employee of the Phoenix Suns was as easy as watching NBA TV's broadcast of a Team USA exhibition game. But we were required to pay attention, of course, to the other team. Sunday's other team was Argentina, which showed up in Barcelona for this pre-Olympic friendly with recent Suns acquisition Luis Scola still working as its low-post henchman. Scola, plucked by Phoenix with the winning bid after taking an amnesty hit from the Houston Rockets, certainly didn't disappoint. Well, that's if you were looking for a signature gamesmanship that manifests in illegal screens (I think one was actually called), relentless officiating protests and low-flying lane maneuvers that provoked several calls from the same referees who were the targets of his crabbing. Based on those variables, Scola was in midseason form. That should be comforting for fans in Phoenix, where Scola goes from tepidly despised foe to local treasure. The word tepidly was used because even though the Mon, 23 Jul 2012 18:15:32 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/scolas_skill_set_on_display_in_olympic_tuneup/11281633 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/scolas_skill_set_on_display_in_olympic_tuneup/11281633 Scola's skill set on display in Olympic tuneup http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/scolas_skill_set_on_display_in_olympic_tuneup/11281633 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/2/82d2094acb5b98beb410647c4965f0f1c9c5f546/mini/PicImg_NBA_MAR_16_8ff3.jpg The Phoenix Suns have won the bidding for forward Luis Scola and used the amnesty clause to cut forward Josh Childress. A fan favorite in Houston, the 6-foot-9 Scola averaged 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds in five seasons with the Rockets. He grabbed 2,984 rebounds to rank ninth on Houston's career list. But the Rockets used the amnesty option to waive Scola on Friday. The rugged Scola, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is due about $21 million over the next three seasons, and the move means his remaining contract will not count against Houston's salary cap or luxury tax. Childress was acquired by the Suns in a sign-and-trade deal with Atlanta two years ago. He played in 34 games last season, averaging 2.9 points. Sun, 15 Jul 2012 23:29:31 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/suns_win_bidding_for_f_scola/11226727 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/suns_win_bidding_for_f_scola/11226727 Suns win bidding for F Scola http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/suns_win_bidding_for_f_scola/11226727 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/a/1a6647a8509bce9a9dd169453628d62bf743ab51/mini/Houston_Rockets_Luis_35f9.jpg The Phoenix Suns were awarded the rights to Luis Scola on Sunday by submitting the highest bid for the free agent forward, according to multiple reports. Scola was waived by the Rockets on Friday via the amnesty provision, and several teams, including Dallas and Cleveland, submitted bids for Scola, according to NBA.com. The Suns had to submit a bid of at least $3.3 million per year for Scola, and commit $10 million over three years. Scola, 32, averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds with Houston last season. To make room, the Suns waived Josh Childress using the amnesty provision, the Arizona Republic reported. Sun, 15 Jul 2012 19:51:39 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/suns_win_rights_to_scola/11226034 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/suns_win_rights_to_scola/11226034 Suns win rights to Scola http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/suns_win_rights_to_scola/11226034 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ec7511d1fabd23636d2294d366ced250f959adc/mini/6f.jpg In what came as a bit of a surprise Friday evening, the Houston Rockets waived forward Luis Scola to clear salary cap space for a potential blockbuster move. To dump Scola and the three-years and roughly $21 million left on his contract, the Rockets used the one-time amnesty clause in the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement. The 32-year-old Scola averaged 15.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 31.3 minutes per game last season. He started all 66 of Houston’s games, and was a huge piece of the team’s puzzle. His career averages of 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game are pretty good, so just releasing him is quite a risk for the Rockets to be taking. The 6’9″ Scola is a fan-favorite in Houston so this won’t be a popular move unless the Rockets pull off a blockbuster deal, like one that brings Dwight Howard back in return. The assumption is that Houston is clearing Scola off the books in order to absorb multiple bad contracts from the Orlando Magic that would com... Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:11:04 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/houston_rockets_waive_luis_scola/11217466 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/houston_rockets_waive_luis_scola/11217466 Houston Rockets waive Luis Scola http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/houston_rockets_waive_luis_scola/11217466 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/9/0/90c6704b197fb4c852ec3ee89f6634b4381b0418/mini/sco.jpg HOUSTON Luis Scola spoke with a sincerity that even his coarse Spanish accent could not mask. When he opened his mouth to respond to a question, one could guarantee authenticity from the ensuing words. When the Rockets honored Scola as a member of their All-Decade Team of the 2000s on April 26, his humility was genuine. He shared that honor with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, Shane Battier and Steve Francis, and as the lone active member of the Rockets, the recognition illuminated his place in franchise lore. On that date, Scola was forever immortalized. Against the Hornets that same evening, Scola scored zero points and grabbed three rebounds in his final game in a Rockets uniform. The team waived Scola on Friday, using the amnesty clause to clear the remaining 21 million he was guaranteed through 2014-15 from its salary cap. As part of the one-time provision collectively bargained by the players and the league, the Rockets created additional cap space to induce Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan to trade Fri, 13 Jul 2012 20:08:19 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/cutting_scola_necessary_still_tough_to_swallow/11216779 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/cutting_scola_necessary_still_tough_to_swallow/11216779 Cutting Scola necessary, still tough to swallow http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/cutting_scola_necessary_still_tough_to_swallow/11216779 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/e/2ec7511d1fabd23636d2294d366ced250f959adc/mini/6f.jpg No one exactly knows what the Houston Rockets are up to these days with their constant roster moves. Regardless, with today’s news of their upcoming amnesty move on F Luis Scola, the Cleveland Cavaliers are already linked to have some interest. ProBasketballDraft cited a source on Twitter that both the Cavs and Dallas Mavericks have some early interest in the 32-year-old Argentine forward. Scola was slotted to make $9.4 million this coming season, as a part of the three years and $30.7 million left on his contract. With the Cavs no longer linked to Kris Humphries in the Dwight Howard mega-trade, this is a connection that definitely makes some sense. Scola has averaged 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds in his five-year NBA career, building a reputation as a dependable low-post scoring presence and rebounder. He’s not likely ever going to make an All-Star team, but he’s a solid veteran that could fit in nicely with the Cleveland frontcourt. Per the amnesty waiver process, teams must may se... Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:48:15 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/nba_free_agency_rumor_cavs_reportedly_interested_in_luis_scola/11209699 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/nba_free_agency_rumor_cavs_reportedly_interested_in_luis_scola/11209699 NBA Free Agency Rumor: Cavs Reportedly Interested in Luis Scola http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/nba_free_agency_rumor_cavs_reportedly_interested_in_luis_scola/11209699 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/a/1a6647a8509bce9a9dd169453628d62bf743ab51/mini/Houston_Rockets_Luis_35f9.jpg The Nets and Rockets held deep trade talks on Saturday centered around Luis Scola. Sat, 30 Jun 2012 23:12:44 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/scola_trade_talks_between_rockets_nets_fall_apart/11126819 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/scola_trade_talks_between_rockets_nets_fall_apart/11126819 Scola Trade Talks Between Rockets, Nets Fall Apart http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/scola_trade_talks_between_rockets_nets_fall_apart/11126819 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/a/1a6647a8509bce9a9dd169453628d62bf743ab51/mini/Houston_Rockets_Luis_35f9.jpg The Houston Rockets are looking to move forward now as they rebuild as they plan to trade big man Luis Scola, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. The Rockets drafted forwards Royce White and Terrence Jones in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft Thursday night, and with that, they look to find a new home for the 32-year-old. Scola was dealt to the New Orleans Hornets along with Kevin Martin in a three-team trade back in December that sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers and Pau Gasol to the Rockets. However, the trade was later vetoed. Scola was originally drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2002, but didn’t come to the NBA until 2007 when his rights were traded to the Rockets. Scola came in and made an immediate impact. With his salary, Houston really doesn’t need him. A good possibility as that he could return to San Antonio, maybe. Tim Duncan made $21 million last season and will likely re-sign for half of that, which could let the Spurs have some flexibility to sign someone else. Another one are Sat, 30 Jun 2012 15:13:10 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/nba_rumors_houston_rockets_looking_to_deal_luis_scola/11124830 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/nba_rumors_houston_rockets_looking_to_deal_luis_scola/11124830 NBA Rumors: Houston Rockets Looking to Deal Luis Scola http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/nba_rumors_houston_rockets_looking_to_deal_luis_scola/11124830 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/9/299da957b544a5019f7cf5b62c335b9a466b6e01/mini/LAKERS_daf0.jpg