I think Kelvin was quite a bit lighter back then. If i remember correctly, he was about 235 or so when he first came to Houston. Now he is probably 260-265. That change in weight would make a huge difference with regards to his lateral quickness and his ability to possibly play the 4.
Cato plays good and more aggressive with less minutes. I don't think he can keep it up if they let him play 30min a game each night! The good thing is that he knows he's not getting a lot of play time and when he does, he plays hard! So don't start any thread about "GIVE CATO MORE PLAYING TIME" cause i think you people will be disappointed on his performances. I think he's a good off the bench guy but wouldn't mind him playing side by side with Yao.
In regards to Cato's bad hands...I'm just not seeing it. Several years ago Cato seemed to have stone hands and he would bobble half of the passes sent his way, and lose more than half of the rebounds he got his hands on. That simply hasn't been the case this season. If the man has done nothing else, he has dramatically improved his touch on the basketball. On a side note, did anyone see that drive he made tonight? That was freaking amazing! He almost got the dunk down on that guy! Methinks Cato is capable of a little more of an offensive game than the coaches give him credit for. On a different team, he might be able to turn into a much more well rounded center.
Chron.com: Rebounding whiz With 18 rebounds in just 37 minutes over the past two games, Kelvin Cato moved into the NBA lead in rebounds per 48 minutes. Going into Tuesday's game, Cato averaged seven rebounds and 17.7 minutes per game, which projects to 19 rebounds per 48 minutes. Ben Wallace, who leads the league with an average of 15.3 rebounds per game, averages 18.7 rebounds per 48 minutes. "My priority is winning games, whatever it takes to win games," said Cato, who had eight rebounds in 20 minutes Tuesday. "If the coaching staff wants me to take 20 shots, I'll do that. But I just trying to rebound and help this team win. If definitely more important to be high-energy because coming off the bench, whether you're the sixth or the eighth man, you have to either maintain what the starting group was doing or do more. Rockets forward Glen Rice has been working to help Cato's confidence since Rice joined the Rockets before last season. But he said he knew Cato had ability before he joined the Rockets. "He's got those capabilities," Rice said. "I knew it. I said that from day one it was just a matter of him going out and doing it. I'm a strong believer in the abilities of Cato and I was saying that before I was a teammate." A large part of Cato's success has seemed to be an improved attitude, especially since Yao Ming replaced him in the starting lineup. Cato, however, said in the preseason that he would be able to handle whatever changes were in store, and Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said Cato has kept a positive attitude as promised. "All I can say is Cato has been great," Tomjanovich said. "Attitude-wise he's fun to be around. He's got a good sense of humor. "Everybody would like to play more. He hasn't let it bother him."
I saw that too cas. Maybe Feigen likes my stuff .... or maybe not. Thanks for the info Bob (where did you get it?) This is a pretty high standand and Cato is still not on the list. Cato won't make the 800 rebound pace as a reserve, but if he plays the next 5 games he will be on a 70 game pace. Cato is also averaging 3.2 blocks per 48 minutes, which would put him 15th on that list should he qualify. What are the qualifications for that list? I didn't intend this to be a trade Cato or play Cato at the 4 thread, but there have been some good posts in this and other Cato threads so I will add my $.02. Cato's trade value has never been higher, but who would you trade him for that would have equal value for the team? The only arguable hole to fill might be the backup pointguard spot, and because Steve plays so many minutes I think a backup center is more valuable to our team than a backup pointguard. Keep Cato. As far as playing Cato and Yao together, Rudy has a tough time getting enough pt for both EG and Mo, so I don't see it happening if Mo and EG are healthy. I would like to see it in limited situations, though. If it did happen, I would play Yao at the 4 and Cato at the 5 on offense, ala Ralph and Akeem, and a very intimidating zone on defense. Cato's hands are still hot and cold, but you have to give him credit for moving well without the ball and doing a very good job on finishing the alley-oops.
MO AND CATO...THE ENFORCERS!!! No...Cato doesn't fight. He likes yelling at himself... Cato has pretty good offensive awareness. He and The Cat can repeat the same play over and over.
Cato is a changed man - it is so incredible. I couldn't have asked for anything more. He comes in to the game and pulls down every rebound, blocks some shots, and scores a couple of points on smart shots. The man plays hard and is finally starting to earn some of his contract. If you look at the stats he is putting up, his salary doesn't seem so bad compared to other players putting up similar numbers. We all knew he had talent, he showed that in Portland, it just took some motivation to get him to deliver. After getting Posey, the Rockets are SOLID at every position. I hope there aren't anymore trades.
Yes, great touch. What percentage of his shots do you think are alley-oops? That 1 foot and in touch is incredible. Yes... Portland and Iowa St. come to mind. Oh wait - those were the other teams he underachieved on. My bad.
Here is a good question: Can the Rox ever be able to balance the offense among Yao, SF, & Cat and still win many games, given that 1st option SF, 2nd option Cat, and 3rd option Yao?
My bad. I knew he was below 250 when he first came here. I remember people were harping on him to put on some muscle when he first arrived. Regardless, hes actually listed at 275 now. Thats 30 pounds heavier than he was when he looked like a PF 3 years ago.
