OK - maybe we should keep Mobley

[Axeman]

Man, I posted on here a while back that we should trade him for front court help. But, if Cato keeps showing up like he has lately, and Cat keeps scoring like he has lately, they will both prove me wrong.

For a while there Cat was making one boneheaded decision after another, and clanking shots with regularity. Lately, he's really been practicing better shot selection and seems to be getting a better handle on things. Last night was a little frustrating the way he jacked up that off balance fade-away with 18 seconds on the clock instead of running the clock down some more. But, hopefully in a couple of years he will have mellowed a little and won't make those kinds of mistakes anymore.

So, I'm glad I was wrong about that, and I hope Cat keeps producing like he has lately. Now, if we could just get a W!!!

[DearRock]

AXE, I am pleased to join you on this one. I was frustrated with him too. What he is doing is no surprise of course but he just was doing way to many crazy things for me.

[R0ckets03]

Mobley is AWESOME. I think his ankles might be starting to feel better. His first step looks much quicker then before.

[Pole]

I've always liked Cat, and I still maintain that he was incredible pickup for so late in the draft.....still, he is inclined to make some boneheaded moves though.

I think we are all more inclined to pick on him more than we should because we're looking for a scapegoat. The Rockets have a lot of talent and a good championship winning coach; we expect a lot more than we're getting. Nevertheless, Rudy is an old dog learning new tricks, and most of our talent is still several years away from being in their collective basketball intellectual primes. We've also had quite a bit of injuries. Despite the talent in both coaching and players, we're probably exactly where we should be in terms of winning percentage.

Mobley will probably never be an all-star, despite his very obvious physical talent. Then again, he may even surprise supporters like myself. Nevertheless, I would caution against riding him too hard for what appears to be obvious bone headed plays. I still maintain that he's encouraged to do a lot of what he's doing and for good reason.

Mobley gets off a lot of shots in very heavy traffic; some he makes, some he doesn't. Still, he gets to the foul line quite a bit from these "bone headed" plays. His percentages aren't as good as Francis', but they're damn close, and he's being paid less than half of what Francis will be paid. NEVER underestimate the power of getting your opponent in foul trouble. Rudy is a very numbers oriented coach, and no one here (that I know of) has ever done a statistical analysis of how well a player plays when he has one foul, two fouls, three fouls and so on. I'm sure steals and blocks go down dramatically, and I wouldn't be surprised if other numbers drop. Players don't want to sit, and therefore, they don't want that next foul.

For that reason, I feel strongly that although the Cat may be coached to improve his decision making skills, he's NEVER restrained from playing the way he does. He's simply too dangerous to the other team's number of fouls remaining position.

[BullRider]

keep mobley sure but he is having some very good games after a bunch of bad games. consistency and basketball wits is what this young man needs. lets see if he can keep it up.

[WoodlandsBoy]

Cat is awesome but he needs to be the second option in game winning situations. The nack he had of hitting the big shot is gone. He is now a good player/scorer but a bad clutch player. Personally I wish he was an okay scorer but a great clutch player like he was last year. That is what is missing this year. We need Mobley of last year where he won alot of games for us.

[Woofer]

I think this recent spectacular playing points out that he should have been put on the IR for a longer period during that losing streak because he played hurt and prolonged his injuries and poor play caused by the injuries.

[Lil Francis]

Mobley has always been a good ball player to me, its just that he makes too many mistakes in close games but I never wanted to trade him.

[krosfyah]

Mistakes can be corrected. Talent cannot. The Rocks would be morons to dump Cat. He isn't a cap burdon and is very talented. When Steve is out there, Cat is much better.

[Sane]

Steve, Cat, Griffin. Nothing missing from that trio. Thrown in players like Mo Taylor, Glen Rice in the twilight of his career, a ressurgeant(sp?) Cato, Moochie Norris, and Oscar Torres. What do you get?

A group of guys averaging around 26 or so years old. Between Steve, Cat, Mo T, Griffin, and Cato, we have a core group that's averaging 24 years of age. Also, it will be 3 or 4 years before anyone here turns 30. Forget that, it will be ONE year till all these guys are 20. Rebounding, defense, shotblocking, scoring, hustle, chemistry. We've got it all, and not a lot of teams can say that. All we're waiting for is health.


P.S. Props to Cat. he's doing a great job, and with slightly better decision making, he can be an INCREDIBLY gifted offensive 2-guard.

[kidrock8]

Is Cat the type of guy that we can win big with?

I don't think so...

[tod the bod]

Keep Mobely, but make him the sixth man off the bench. He fits into that role perfectly because he can create shots on his own and the team will not lack for scoring when he is on the floor and the starters are resting. But he kills the team with the hogging the ball when he is on the court with the starters. And never give him the final shot.

[moestavern19]

Try as you might You cant knock 20.2 ppg and 43% from downtown .

[R0ckets03]

Did some of you people who are knocking Cats clucth abilities watch the last game against Charlotte? It was Cuttino who send it into overtime.

Also it makes no sense whatsoever to put our second player on the bench. I mean what other team has done that?

Who would you people suggest start in front of Cat? Torres?!?!

[krosfyah]

Originally posted by kidrock8
Is Cat the type of guy that we can win big with?

I don't think so...
I like the supporting facts for your argument. :rolleyes:

We won't win big because of Cat. We can win big if Cat is a part of our team.

Cat takes A LOT of pressure off of Steve. Steve and Cat are better when each other is on the floor. Last season several players described Houston as having the most "feared" backcourt to make defensive preparations.

As Griff matures and if MoT can keep his offense, Cat is very dangerous. He can drain a shot if given any daylight or he can run around you.

He'll get smarter (people's decision making abilities typically don't get worse with more experience) and the team will get better.

On second thought, lets bench him until his contract expires and then cut him. I'm sure we'll be better if we do that.

[Nova]

Totally agree with you Sane. Also Mobley is GOOD, but he needs improvement. He'll get much better by next year, his big faults are clear and he'll work on them. True he hogs the ball a bit and true he doesn't have the greatest shot selection, but with his talent, his shooting ability, and his quickness combined with Francis, they still are the best backcourt in the league. Keep Mobley definitely, and unless we get another guard who can play as well as Mobley and is as compatible with Francis, the Rockets can't afford to have Mobley as a sixth man. I've been a Mobley fan from the start and I'm not backing away now.

[kidrock8]

I don't think any of you guys realize the difference between a winner and a loser.

Cat is a loser. He is a 6 ft 3 Jerry Stackhouse.

In the NBA, smarts is as important, if not more important than skill and athleticism.

Sadly, Cat is not a smart basketball player. He makes horrible decisions, and in crunch time, he is the last guy I want having the game in his hands.

He is a good 6th man, but he is average to below average as a starting SG. Take off your blinders and realize that Cat would be a backup SG for most great teams.

[Nova]

With experience he'll get smarter, and less of a ball hog. The chemistry between Francis and Mobley is hard to reproduce though. He has his faults, but nothing he can't work on. Sure he may not be as smart as some other guards, but with his close relationship with Francis, his talent and shooting ability, Mobley can become great. He is already an integral part of the Rocket's offense and taking him out may be crippling, not to mention disorienting, for the Rockets.

[Sane]

kidrock8, you're clearly dellusional.

Toronto were willing to move Vince Carter to the SF spot to be able to sign Cat. You wanna know where else cat would start? Try these places:


Boston
Charlotte
Cleveland
Denver
Golden State
Our very own Rockets
Sonics
Jazz
Grizzlies



The only ones you can even begin to argue about are Charlotte and Seattle, which can go either way.

[krosfyah]

Originally posted by kidrock8
I don't think any of you guys realize the difference between a winner and a loser.

Cat is a loser. He is a 6 ft 3 Jerry Stackhouse.

Everybody please notice the OPINION expressed above.

So Barkley is a loser? You would dump Barkley or bench him if he is on your team (during the prime of his career -- as Cat will enter in the next year or two).

(Feel free to substitute any player with Barkley that diddn't win a championship)

Jordan was called a ball hog. He is anything but now.

You can't just replace a talent like Cat. But Cat inevitably will become more mature as he ages.

[kidrock8]

Originally posted by Sane
kidrock8, you're clearly dellusional.




Boston
Charlotte
Cleveland
Denver
Golden State
Our very own Rockets
Sonics
Jazz
Grizzlies



The only ones you can even begin to argue about are Charlotte and Seattle, which can go either way.

So 9 teams is somehow a lot, out of a league of 29?

[kidrock8]

Originally posted by krosfyah

Everybody please notice the OPINION expressed above.

So Barkley is a loser? You would dump Barkley or bench him if he is on your team (during the prime of his career -- as Cat will enter in the next year or two).

(Feel free to substitute any player with Barkley that diddn't win a championship)

Jordan was called a ball hog. He is anything but now.

You can't just replace a talent like Cat. But Cat inevitably will become more mature as he ages.

Jordan is 8X's the player Cat could ever wish he could be. Jordan was clutch when he was Cat's age, and his overall game was about 10X's better than Cat's is right now.

Ditto for Barkley.

I know this will be a shock to most of you, but Cat is the reason why we won't ever go far. Assuming he is our 2nd guy for as long as he is a Rocket. He provides ZERO intangibles.

Winning is more than just scoring 20 points on 25 shots.

[Hydra]

Mobley's p/fga is actually above 1, which is really all you look for in a perimeter scorer like him. He also, usually, puts some fouls on the other team and draws double teams. Defensively he is our best perimeter defender because he stops penetration. There is no way that Mobes is responsible for the Rockets not going far.

[giddyup]

Originally posted by krosfyah



Jordan was called a ball hog. He is anything but now.



So can we look for selfish play from Cat until he approaches age 40?!

[krosfyah]

Originally posted by giddyup


So can we look for selfish play from Cat until he approaches age 40?!

Giddyup, touche. Jordan's role was to score before. My point was that people can grow and mature...sooner or later.

Kidrock, this is a team sport. Everybody has a role. Cat's primary role is to provide offense. More importantly, by doing so he takes a lot of pressure off Steve.

This notion that Cat is a loser is just plain dumb. How many players at his age has lead their team to a championship? Hell, Shaq couldn't even do it.

BTW, Cat doesn't lead this team - Steve does (oh, and he's is young too).

Why do people like you insist that it is better to trade than mold what you already have. I'm glad you aren't my boss. If you trade then you inevitably will get new problems in return. Are you so sure those new problems won't be a worse situation? It's a gamble, that's for sure.

Grass is always greener....

Cat is an unbelievable talent. How gratifying would it be to mold him into a championship caliber player? Lesser players have done it. I've got some loyalty. I'm not ready to trade his potential due to a few poorly run plays. I believe his decision making ability will get better. OR Rudy will recognize his weaknesses and design the offense accordingly. If Rudy can take the 94 team to a championship, then he can work w/ Cat. Rudy would have drooled to have Cat's talent on that '94 team.

I know it's easier to criticize than to be positive, but you'll live longer if you quit your bitching.

[giddyup]

My question is this: a guy has been playing top-level competitive basketball (NCAA and NBA) for 6-10 years. How long does it take to learn to play smart, team ball?

My high school coach expected it of me before I walked on the floor (which was seldom-- sad but true)-- even at age 16-18.

As a percentage, I guarantee you that our mediocre high school basketball team took fewer dumb shots than these guys do today. If they get paid so much, shouldn't we expect them to already know the basics or, at least, be able to learn them very quickly?

Coaches who were players, i.e. Rudy, Riley, Lenny et al, must just be going nuts with the nonsense.

The players are more physically talented but they are also more mentally challenged. Is basketball really that complicated?

[krosfyah]

Originally posted by giddyup
My question is this: a guy has been playing top-level competitive basketball (NCAA and NBA) for 6-10 years. How long does it take to learn to play smart, team ball?
I can understand that point of view. I'd argue that NBA is a different beast. Kobe played for years but he made numerous bad decisions early on when he entered the league. He's now become a much smarter player.

Cat, afterall, made a good shot to tie the game against the Hornets. He drove to the basket and took a mid-range 15ft shot. I haven't heard many naysayers give credit to Mobley for "learning" from mistakes. We just hear the same rhetoric about how dumb he is and we should trade/bench him now.

Cat is a great talent and he hasn't hit his prime yet. I say continue to develop him. The best lessons are mistakes so hopefully he'll get better. (pst, he already has)

[Nolen]

Originally posted by krosfyah
I know it's easier to criticize than to be positive, but you'll live longer if you quit your bitching.

Awesome.

[arno_ed]

for who do you want to trade Mobley???
He is young plays great with Steve. You remember we got him in the second round?? I think he is a greatly talented player. He will learn. Bench him for who? You want Morris in the starting 5? or maybe Torres? you got to be kiddin me. Mobley is a great second option. He can shoot and drive, and drawn fouls. It's a lot easier to play a team when it's starting center is on the bench for foul trouble.