First off, I hate quoting a source that lacks credibility (apparently, thanks for the heads up Tom) but I will only do so as a starting point for this thread.

According to HoopsWorld (I know)

Another front court player who is drawing a lot of interest is Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola... the New Jersey Nets are preparing a "big money" offer sheet for Scola.

Whether it's true or not, the fact is there are teams out there with cap room that need good players and are willing to spend a LOT  to get them

Now I was reading BD34's Observations on the Offseason and decided to come up with my own definition of a star.

A star transcends the sport they play, their presence (or lack there of) has a great effect on his team's performance (boy did Mueller's absence hurt Germany vs Spain) on the court/field and are also very influential in their surrounding community (like Lebron, money wise). Some are the highest paid athletes (a few big paycheck players are not stars, just overpaid like Bynum) on their team and/or league (and if they're not, they'll eventually be i.e Derrick Rose) and, on the other hand, there's the Robert Horry's of the world (underpaid, not really influential, but a star non-the-less)

You can argue that a star should be judged as such depending solely on their production, but then do players stop being stars when they start to suck? No, and this is arguable

I have a question too, is Lamar Odom a star or a celebrity? I'd say he was the key for the Lakers wins against Phoenix (presence) and he did marry the ugly Kardashian (influence?) lol

So, is Luis Scola a star? To me yes, falling on the Robert Horry category... for now. He might just become the highest paid player in the Nets roster. If it does happen, will his chinese followers go with him? It's a possibility that would bring more money for their franchise (Scola merchandise made in the US sold in China) or maybe they'll just forget about him. But if it does happen, I believe we could bring them back by signing Yi Jianlian (but I digress, that's a story for another day)

How much is Luis Scola worth to us? He made less than 3.5 million last year. The mid level for this upcoming season is about 5.7 million. The luxury tax starts at 70 million and New Jersey currently has about 30 million left to spend (including latest signings). That's at least 1 max contract, and they're looking for someone to spend it on. They're already adding Jordan Farmar (guard), Travis Outlaw (SF) and Johan Petro (C). All they're missing is a PF... you see where I'm getting here

If you've made it this far, your prob ain't got nothing better to do lol i just wanted to post this poll up

Update - The max the Nets can offer is a 5 year contract, a 6 year contract would require a sign-and-trade. Plus, it doesn't have to be ALL guaranteed, there could easily be a Team option on years 3 or 4.