Luis Scola looking forward to playing with the Phoenix Suns – NBA News
Luis Scola, the newly acquired forward of Phoenix Suns, admits that he did not expect to be in the Desert City, although he was prepared for the fact that his former team, the Houston Rockets, would let him go.
Scola played for the Rockets for the past five seasons and was a regular starter for them. He was amnestied by the Rockets a few days ago to make cap space in their attempt to sign free agent centre Dwight Howard. The Suns picked
up Scola off waivers by bidding the highest amount for his services.
“I kind of knew I was going to be playing somewhere else. And when I found out it was Phoenix, I was a little surprised because there was a lot of talking with a lot of other teams that were supposedly going to bid. I didn't really
expect anything from Phoenix and when they called me, I was a little bit surprised,” said Scola on Tuesday.
Scola had been receiving a lot of calls after he was amnestied, with teams showing their interest in the 6 foot 9 forward. However, it was the Phoenix Suns who came out with the highest bid. Scola is a consistent scoring forward,
who averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season while shooting 49% from the field. He has played all five seasons of his NBA career with the Houston Rockets, but now looks forward to playing for Phoenix, who have a stacked up front court for
next season now.
Scola will join Marcin Gortat, Markieff Morris, Channing Frye and Hakim Warrick in the Suns front court roster next season. In addition to that, the Suns have also added Michael Beasley to the line-up this free agency and have
extended a qualifying offer to free agent Robin Lopez.
The Suns jumped into rebuilding mode this offseason when their franchise player Steve Nash, decided to leave Phoenix for another team. He was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign and trade deal. The Suns quickly
added Beasley for a three year $18 million contract, and then moved fast to agree to a deal with free agent guard Goran Dragic worth $30 million for four years.
Dragic had played with the Suns two seasons ago as a back up to Steve Nash but was traded to Houston. He now comes back to take the starting point guard position after having an incredible season with the Rockets. The Suns would
have become a serious playoff contender had they also landed restricted free agent shooting guard Eric Gordon, but the Suns offer was matched by the New Orleans Hornets to retain him. The Suns had offered him a max contract.
Scola will rejoin with Dragic in Phoenix for next season. The two played together in Houston last year and seem to have developed a good chemistry on the court. The Suns team management is looking forward to seeing Scola in a Phoenix
jersey next season and contributing to the success of the team as they enter the post Steve Nash era and look to quickly regain their place as a dominant team in the Western Conference.
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