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Wednesday July 21, 2010 4:01 PM
Rockets Re-sign Luis Scola and Kyle Lowry
Houston welcomes fan favorites back into the fold
Rockets.com staff
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Houston - Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed restricted free agent forward Luis Scola to a multi-year contract as well as officially matched the offer sheet that restricted free agent guard Kyle Lowry signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers on July 14.
“As we stated from the beginning of this process, Mr. Alexander was committed to bringing back Luis and Kyle,” said Morey. “We felt it was imperative to continue building around our core players and Luis and Kyle are an integral part of our team’s success. Luis and Kyle are the ultimate competitors and we welcome having them back.”
Scola (6-9, 245, Argentina) has posted averages of 13.1 points and 7.9 rebounds along with a field goal percentage of 51.9 percent in 246 career NBA games (203 starts)--all with the Rockets. The former two-time Spanish League MVP and 2004 Olympic Gold Medal winner has increased his output in each of his three Rockets seasons. Last season, he averaged a career-best 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 0.77 steals while playing in all 82 games (82 starts) for the third straight season.
Scola also managed to set personal milestones with 26 20-point games and 32 double-doubles, despite receiving additional attention by opposing team defenses due to the absence of Yao Ming. In a game against the New Jersey Nets on 3/13/10, he poured in a personal-best 44 points and 12 rebounds on the way to becoming just the second player in the league last season to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds during the month of March. Scola was originally drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round (56th overall) of the 2002 NBA Draft, prior to being traded to the Rockets on July 12, 2007.
Lowry (6-0, 205, Villanova) owns career averages of 8.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 0.99 steals in 237 career games (30 starts) with Memphis and Houston. In his second season with the Rockets, he averaged 9.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and a career-high 4.5 assists in 68 games. He also reached double-digit scoring 30 times in 2009-10, including two 20-point performances. Houston recorded a 5-9 record in the 14 games he missed last season.
Lowry was also a driving force in helping the Rockets make one of the NBA’s largest gains in fast-break points from 2008-09 (8.7 ppg) to 2009-10 (14.6 ppg). In 68 games with Lowry in the lineup, Houston averaged 15.2 points off the break. That number dropped to just 11.6 fast-break points per game in the 14 outings Lowry missed in 2009-10. On the defensive end, Lowry stood tied for second in the league in charges drawn (51). He also had streaks of 23 (1/9/10-1/22/10) and 26 (3/17/10-3/27/10) consecutive free throws made. Acquired by Houston from Memphis in a three-team trade on Feb. 19, 2009, Lowry was originally selected by the Grizzlies in the first round (24th overall) of the 2006 NBA Draft.
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