The "black hole" was part of the Rudy's ISO/clear-outs with three guys that were shoot 1st, pass 2nd (Francis wanted to be a SG, Mobley WAS a SG, and MoT wanted to face-up like a SG). Lets not confuse that with last year. Under Van Gundy, Cat was used more coming off pick and rolls and moving w/out the basketball (scoring off of interior passing). Also, he improved his defense a lot under Jeff Van Gundy. Another thing is that Cat was a SG. And he should play like a SG. That's what they do: score! He wasn't our POINT GUARD. That's another story (uhg). It was never Cats job to setup his teammates like a PG. Sura/Tmac will be setting up Cat. Just watch a few games with Bibby and Cat. They play well together. And our passing a is a lot better compared to last year. Take a look at Furious Jam's post below.... P.S. I do like Songaila's game. But I'd rather have Swift.
If Songaila can only manage to average 7 points playing the Sacramento King's offense. I don't think he'd fare too well here.
I have always liked Cat but he does play out of control at times even though he adjusted fairly well To JVG last season. He will be expensive maybe around 7 milliion a year. In the event of him getting no more than the present MLE I would consider taking him back but I don't think he will come here. Songalia would be an interesting addition. He lacks the length that we are looking for but is fairly athletic,can rebound,plays defense and has a mid range jumper. I also feel that he won't take up the whole MLE.
exactly. while he probably doesn't stand to get a starting salary higher than the 6.3M he would make, he doesn't stand to get much less than that either. but instead of a 1 year deal starting at 6.3, he can get a 4 year deal (if that's how the new CBA works) starting at 6.3. essentially, he's just looking for an extension of his current contract and 4 years of guaranteed money is always better than 4. especially since he's not a rookie or something who could suddenly improve and be underpaid. he knows what he is, now he just wants the extra guaranteed money. it's a smart decision for him to opt out now. i don't know if sacramento would wanna help us out with a s&t or what we'd have to give up in one to get cat (and then would it be worth it?) but i'd definitely like to see him back on the team. everything we complained about with wesley cat has taken care of. need more size and quickness, has it. need more athleticism, has it. need a less streaky shooter, cat isn't. need a 3rd scorer who can create his own shot when the going gets tough, he can. of course he might put up an extra shot or two but it's nothing that overshadows the positives. i just don't see how we afford/get him. yeah, and yao was often the 7'6" Chinese Invisible Man this year w/ our smarter, more pass happy team. maybe it's not everyone else's fault.
You guys are forgetting that Cat's ego is bigger than his game. He comes here and it will be "me and Tracy". He will immediately assume that he's the 2nd best player on the team.
"I would love Houston, but I just think we slowed the ball down too much, and we didn't have as much freedom as we should have. No knock on Jeff (Van Gundy), because he's a great defensive coach. But offensively, I think the freedom like that we have here, with the same defense that he had... you know what I mean? I don't know; Jeff's a good dude. He's misunderstood. But offensively, at times, you were bored and frustrated (laughs). That's just what it is." - Cuttino Mobley on 12.04.04 with the ORL @ 11-5 & HOU @ 7-11. ******************************************************* "You know, stupid can only take you so far in pro sports, stupid and athletic. You gotta be smart, and our basketball IQ this year compared to last year is much higher." .... "And then as [McGrady] got the ball more in Orlando, what I noticed, I could not believe what a great passer he was. Even last year when his intensity waned and he didn't play as hard as he would have [liked?]...you know and he's admitted he didn't play as hard as he should have...his passing was tremendous; he really could see. We needed that. We needed a guy who could pass the ball.." Jeff Van Gundy on 04.30.05 in an interview on WFAN. **************************************************** Kenny Thomas got more Kings' playoff assists than Cuttino Mobley. Is there a SG in the league with fewer assists per minute that Mobley? If we try really hard....maybe, just maybe, we can all move on......
Once again, Cat's comments about Van Gundy's offense were dead on. What changed for the Rockets offense was Van Gundy loosening up and letting TMac make decisions with the basketball and take his shot whenever he felt it. Hence the 26 footers with 20 seconds left on the shotclock. Van Gundy adjusted, we shouldn't forget.
Of the guys that were traded to bring TMac here, cat is the one I most wanted to stay. If we can get him for a good price and he is willing to play in the offense jvg sets up, he could be valuable. I also wouldnt mind Songaila. I am doubtful he would have a huge impact, but he seems like a solid enough player that could give us some reliable minutes.
Something else we shouldn't forget. In spite of Van Gundy "loosening things up", the Rockets took only 5 or so more FGA's per game from when they were 7-11 to when they won game 51. VG relented to a few more shots in transition and nothing more. In transition, there are not enough shots for McGrady and a scorer like Cuttino. We need efficiency, not players who need FGA's to put their fingerprints on a game. I love having TMac but he takes enough questionable transition shots that we surely don't need a less talented player like Mobley doing a TMac impersonation while he thinks he's helping the team.
Hey Jeff email me your number I broke my phone about a week after you guys left. Sorry guys... carry on. Go Rockets!
Nice copy/past job from the dish thread, Gater. But there is nothing in that article that says Mobley is against coming back to Houston, and nothing that says Van Gundy and co. are against bringing him back. So he was bored in the offense...our offense was boring last year. That basketball IQ quote from JVG is true...and that was mainly because Mobley and Francis just did not mesh well in the backcourt. As far as assists...shooting guards are not supposed to be high assist guys. That's why it's called shooting guard. And it's very unfair to use a few playoff games to look at assists anyway. Playoffs aren't so much about stats. Not that it matters much when looking at SG's, but let's take a look at him compared to some of the other FA options at SG... 2005 Mobley 2.8 apg / 38 mpg Bobby Simmons 2.7 apg / 37 mpg Sprewell 2.2 apg / 30 mpg Joe Johnson 3.5 apg (pipedream) ('04) Kittles 2.4 apg / 35 mpg The only SG's that pile up any assists are the guys that handle the ball a lot, like Kobe and T-Mac. We're not bringing him in to run the offense though. All the ego stuff is nonsense. Mobley knows he's not going to be a #1 or #2 option on a good team. As far as "getting over" the trade...getting Mobley has nothing to do with him being a former Rocket (to me). He's not the smartest player in the league, but he gives us EXACTLY what we need at the 2.
But GATER -- just name a player we should add: more spot-up shooters? Look, whether it be Cat or some other PG/SG or PF. A scorer is something we need. I don't think for a second that Van Gundy will just "let" Cat jack-up shot after shot. If anything, he'd be merged into the team similar to how Westley/James are used. Think of Cat as a Mike James (sometimes out of control) but a better over-all scorer. So, I don't think that that's such a bad idea -- as long as you consider all the changes we've done in the last year. We've already added the efficient shooters/passers. Although, Cat is shooting 44%FG and 42%3PT and 82%FT, 17PPG @ 38 MIN PG. That's pretty *efficient* if you ask me. The addition of Sura, Westley, Barry, Padget and James have all provided us the solid passing and SPOT-UP shooting we need. But we now NEED some athletic scores that can get shots on THEIR OWN (Guys like Jerry Stackhouse, Shawn Marion, Manu Ginobli, Antonio Daniels, Marquis Daniels, Josh Howard, or Jason Terry). The problem arises when you have TOO MANY ISO SCORERS and none/or few spot-up shooters-passer types. Well, we have four guards that can pass and spot-up shoot. But we need one or two more athletic scores. Right now, James was our only weapon off the bench. Note that we already know who our leader his: TMac. So, the ball will be in his hands most of the time. We've already seen him demand the ball from his teammats. So, I trust Tmac will keep control of this team and lead.
You should find it telling that you are the only one that thinks this. Know why? Cause it is a load of crap....read what everyone else is saying...they knwo whats up...it sounds like you didnt watch any of the games under VG's first year here... Cat did everything they asked him to do...he changed....looks like you didnt
i dont know if you checked the stats, but i did and for reference, the pheonix suns took 3 more shots per game than us the whole season, so it's not "only" 5 more shots. That's huge. [/B][/QUOTE] In transition, there are not enough shots for McGrady and a scorer like Cuttino. We need efficiency, not players who need FGA's to put their fingerprints on a game. [/B][/QUOTE] Cuttino would just be taking wesley's shots and some of suras. Alot of the times its because we lack a scorer that sura ends up with the ball at the end is is forced to jack one up. He's pulled through alot of the times and bailed us, but Mobley can do it better. He creates for himself. Plus Mobley brings defense along with his scoring. He can lock guys down and I'd think that would be a big enough fingerprint. It frees tmac from guarding the other team's best swingman. Wesley is a good defender but the times he gets burned its not because of his size. They shoot right over him. Mobes is a few inches taller and he's alittle longer than wesley [/QUOTE] I love having TMac but he takes enough questionable transition shots that we surely don't need a less talented player like Mobley doing a TMac impersonation while he thinks he's helping the team. [/B][/QUOTE] Also, most of those in transition shots have been wide open ones. He's shooting at a high clip beyond the arc, why not let him put it up? He's shooting at a higher percentage than all our guards not named jon barry. And if he does decide to come, it would be under his own will, and I'd think he'd do what JVG would ask of him. Whether JVG wants him back is another story, but the Cat has the defense, quickness and athleticism he wants.
