First Thoughts: Pacers trade for Scola
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
The Indiana Pacers finalized a deal for forward Luis Scola, sending Miles Plumlee, Gerald Green and a 2014 first-round pick to the Phoenix Suns. The trade was officially announced Saturday afternoon.
“Luis will be a very important asset to our team and to our bench,” Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird said in a release provided by the team. “He has NBA experience, international experience and is the type of player that will fit in nicely on our roster.”
Scola, 33, was a second-round choice of the San Antonio Spurs in the 2002 draft. He scored a career-high 18.3 points per game in 2010-11 with Houston and averaged a career-best 8.8 boards per game in 2008-09. He is a native of Argentina.
“I’m very, very excited to play for the Pacers,” Scola said. “They are one of the top three teams in the NBA with a good shot to win a championship. I think it’s a great team and this is a great opportunity. I can’t wait.”
Theoretically, the Pacers are receiving a starter-quality reserve. Scola, though 6-foot-9, is a skilled post scorer, and he can also step outside and hit 16-foot jumpers that Indiana likes to see from its power forwards. Scola has played in 148 of a possible 148 games the past two seasons, and 468 of a possible 476 in his six-year career. On a team in transition, his minutes declined to 26.6 per game last year, lowest since his rookie season. Scola averaged 12.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as Phoenix slumped to the bottom of the Western Conference.
With Scola in the fold, Indiana has one of the league’s most potent frontcourts, with David West and Roy Hibbert in the starting lineup. Scola could spell both, having played more at center as his career has gone along. At 245 pounds, he can bang in the paint, though he doesn’t block shots.
Scola is expected to provide offensive punch and rebounding in his new role with the Pacers, who will make him a regular backup for the first time since he arrived stateside in 2007. He’s considered a below-average defender. As with other moves this offseason to add C.J. Watson and Chris Copeland, Indiana has focused on adding offensively minded players despite individual defensive weaknesses.
Scola is scheduled to earn $4.5 million next season and $4.9 million in 2014-15 in the last year of a payment structure set up by the Suns’ winning amnesty bid last summer. The Rockets had waived Scola after five seasons in an effort to clear cap space to pursue big-name free agents.
“Although Luis’s time here in Phoenix was short, he certainly ingratiated himself with his hard work and professionalism,” Suns president Lon Babby said in a release.
Green wasn’t going to play much and was considered a burden with two seasons and $7 million remaining on a contract he signed in 2012. Plumlee, taken at No. 26 overall in the 2012 draft, played in just 14 games as a rookie. Coach Frank Vogel had praised Plumlee earlier this month during the Orlando Summer League, saying the Pacers were “excited” about what Plumlee could do.
“I want to thank Gerald and Miles for their contributions,” Bird said. “They had tough years last season, but worked hard, never complained and contributed to the great chemistry our team had. I think Gerald and Miles will be solid additions in Phoenix and we wish them well.”
The deal leaves Indiana with 13 guaranteed contracts for next season, with two roster spots still available. Training camp begins in September.
The first-round pick the Pacers are sending to Phoenix is lottery-protected, the Suns announced, meaning if Indiana misses the playoffs, Phoenix will have to wait and the selection will bounce to the next season.
While the Pacers lose Plumlee, a cheap, athletic asset, they get a proven performer in Scola, who is much more skilled offensively. The deal further strengthens Indiana’s bench, a priority of Bird’s this offseason as he returned to the organization following a one-year sabbatical. Bird chose Plumlee on draft night last year before stepping down. General manager Kevin Pritchard was largely responsible for the acquisition of Green, who was benched midway through the season. Green was ineffective defensively and never became the sixth man the front office expected to see.
“Forever grateful to the Pacers,” Plumlee wrote on his Twitter account. “They made a positive impact I’ll never forget. Couldn’t be more excited to make things happen in Phoenix!”
Because Scola’s contract essentially equals the compensation owed to Plumlee and Green, the transaction is basically cap-neutral for the Pacers, who are roughly $2.7 million below the NBA’s luxury-tax threshold for the 2013-14 season.
“To Pacers fans, thank you guys for welcome me,” Scola posted on Twitter. “I really wish I can help the team get farder (sic). I won’t stop working until I do.”
Indiana went 49-32 last season, earning the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and advancing to the conference finals before falling 4-3 to the Miami Heat. Bird said two weeks ago that a strengthened bench would be enough to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.
In acquiring Scola, Copeland and Watson, the Pacers have certainly made upgrades. Expectations this fall will be high. Before they roll out the balls, however, Indiana intends to offer rising star Paul George, coming off his first All-Star appearance, an extension. That, plus one signing at the veteran’s minimum and a few training camp invitations, figures to be among the last orders of business this offseason, barring a major trade.
Scola played nine years professionally in Argentina and Spain and has competed in three Olympics, winning a gold medal in 2004 in Athens.
