SI has done a pretty good job of breaking down available free agents (warning: auto-playing video), and the pickings are slim. The Raptors have one major need left unaddressed, and that’s power forward.
I have to assume that the Raptors do in fact want to add some bodies there, and that they’re not comfortable with just Patrick Patterson as the starter, with nothing behind him other than Bismack Biyombo. Then again, this sort of a highly experimental approach is a curious one and would subscribe to the small-ball philosophy, certainly far more than going after Carlos Boozer would.
Depending on your level of crazy, Josh Smith could be an option. I happen to think that any GM who thinks that Josh Smith playing major minutes would lead to success needs to have his head examined, and I know that not having even offered Lou Williams a contract, Masai Ujiri is not one to throw money at Josh Smith, even if it’s the veteran’s minimum. The guy is just too much of a wildcard, way too inefficient, and wildly frustrating.
There are names like Jordan Hill and Darrell Arthur available, the former is a good rebounder and nothing else, and the latter an overrated player that doesn’t contribute offensively. In the limited $4-5M the Raptors have left, they need to do a few things:
- Address veteran leadership
- Not sacrifice defense too much
- Improve bench offense
- Not spend a lot
Enter Luis Scola, and let’s start with his SI blurb:
At 35, Scola is rounding for third and headed home. His transition to a bench role in Indiana played out fairly well, as the crafty 6-foot-9 power forward managed to keep his per-minute production up even in a reserve role. Although one would think he’s in ring-chasing mode, Scola doesn’t stretch the court and he isn’t an impact defender, so his utility for true contenders might be somewhat limited.
Scola isn’t a great defender but we don’t need him to be. He is, however, a smart defender that plays the angles, (tries to) move his feet, and doesn’t pick up silly fouls. Offensively, he’s still a crafty player with an old-man game, has back-to-the-basket moves, and can even play the pick ‘n roll in spots. His 35-year old body is a non-factor to me because he doesn’t rely on his athleticism to be effective, and in that regard is very much like his countryman, Manu Ginobili.
He played 81 games and averaged 21 minutes last season with Indiana, on a team that wasn’t going anywhere. He was well-received in the Indiana locker-room and he learned to come off the bench on a team that had hoped to contend before being decimated with injuries. He’s got at least a year or two left in the tank, and with the Raptors carrying inexperienced and development-stunted bigs like Bismack Biyombo and Lucas Nogueira, it makes sense to have someone of Scola’s intelligence level on the team. Who knows, he might even be able to teach them a thing or two? For example, he was the poster-boy for Frank Vogel when preaching rim defense, and though he’s athletically challenged, it doesn’t stop him from being a sound basketball player. For more on how he fared in Indiana and what their fans thought of him, 8pts9secs has the details:
Luis Scola had his best season as an Indiana Pacer in 2014-15 amidst the chaos that represented the Pacers’ year. With the blue and gold needing more out of Scola while playing him alongside inexperienced guys like Donald Sloan, Solomon Hill, and Lavoy Allen, Scola delivered modestly. Scola arguably outperformed started David West for a good portion of the season, though he lacked West’s skill as a sneaky passing big man. If we delve into the advanced stats, Scola
- had the highest PER (16.8) since his 2010-11 campaign
- had the best Total Rebound Percentage (an estimate of the % of available rebounds the player grabbed while they were on the floor) of his career at 17.5%
- had the best 3-pt shooting year of his career, at a modest 25% (on 20 attempts)
- nearly doubled his win shares (an estimate of how many wins an individual player contributed) from 2.5 to 4.4
Luis truly had a solid season across the board, and broke out a ridiculous number of old man style post moves, routinely going under, around, and seemingly through defenders on his way to well defended layups. If we were to look for a place Scola struggled, however, we’d need to look no further than 15 feet from the basket; the free throw line. Before signing with Indiana, Scola’s last two years from the charity stripe were solid; 77.3% and 78.7%, respectively. Since joining the blue and gold, Scola has shot only 71% from the line, including the worst performance since his rookie year last season, 69.9%. Dropping almost 9% over a two year span is concerning, and Luis seemed to have a significant number of 1-of-4 days at the line with big misses.
The Argentinian would instantly be a fan favorite in Toronto because we have a habit of falling in love with his type – all hustle, tons of grit, and wears his heart on his sleeve. Scola’s always been a player that you hate playing against, and would love to have on your team. From his perspective, the fact that he hasn’t been picked up yet means the interest in him has cooled. As the article noted, he can’t space the floor and since that appears to be table-stakes these days, he’s left on the outside looking in.
Though Carlos Boozer is the better offensive player, I find that having a locker-room guy like Scola might be even more valuable, especially since the Raptors acquired young guys in Biyombo, Corey Joseph, and Delon Wright.
Scola made $4.9M last season with the Pacers, and like David West, would likely take the veteran’s minimum if a contender comes calling. On the other hand, his career earnings are $57M, which isn’t huge, and this is going to be his last contract. The Raptors could offer him the MLE and see if he bites. In many regards, he’s similar to Amir Johnson in the way he plays, except that you could actually throw him the ball once in a while and run a few plays around him. The difference is that Scola is likely to come at 1/3rd the price Johnson went to the Celtics for.
The risk here is low – you’re not going to get a much better player from the free-agent pool at this point and a 1-2 year deal could get the job done. I wanted the Raptors to go after David West, but when he left $11M plus on the table to join the Spurs, you knew the Raptors didn’t stand a chance. The other guy that was available that I liked was Spencer Hawes, who Charlotte (the worst three-point shooting team in the league) acquired as part of the Lance Stephenson deal.
There’s also the trade route to explore, and it doesn’t look like Ujiri is interested in a major shakeup. Looking at the assets right now, it’s basically Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas. Given the gaping hole a Valanciunas trade would create in the front-court, I’m prepared to rule that out, especially this late in the free-agent frenzy where most teams have already picked out their key players for next season. We all agree that Terrence Ross isn’t fetching you much, which didn’t stop me from wandering over to the trade machine and drumming this thing up:
Don’t ask me for extended analysis – just saying that the poor-shooting Hornets get a three-point specialist, and since they already have Jason Maxiell and they’re somewhat interested in Cody Zeller, this might free up some congestion there. They could also save some money by waiving Ridnour. For the Raptors, they get a three-point shooting stretch four that also plays defense. Meh, not the most crazy trade idea I’ve seen.
Another something to think about:
Hearing the Suns are trying to deal Markieff Morris, who has an affordable 8M/yr deal. He and Hornacek don't get along, plus Marcus is gone.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 6, 2015
This deal requires more salary to be sent to Phoenix, which I’ll leave for Ujiri to figure out how to do. Here’s not the long-distance shooter his brother is and instead possesses one of the league’s best ‘roll’ actions on the PnR. Definitely worth looking into it you want to increase the punch off the bench, and he’s only one 25 so fits into the long-term plan. Even if you have to shed a first-round pick, this is worth it.