He makes absolutely <b>zero</b> effort to get Yao the ball. All too often I've seen him pretend to look for the entry pass and when Yao momentarily gets bumped off by his man, instead of waiting for him to reposition, Cat'll just abandon the plan and start to make his own move. I think the main problem with Cuttino is not his stupidity (which is certainly a major problem), but his mentality. He genuinely thinks that this is he and Steve's team, that they are still options 1 and 1A as in previous years. Rudy is to blame for this because he obviously has not told Cat of any new role this season. Listening to Cuttino in interviews, this point is very apparent. Regarding Yao, he'll say, "he's a good option" or "it's good to have a big man you can go to," but never anything along the lines of "the offense should go through this guy." At this point, I've come to the conclusion that this team will never be successful with both Francis and Mobley. The two are redundant. While Francis has his share of faults, you do not trade a talent like that. The question remains, "will the Rockets make a trade?" Unlike past seasons, something <i>must</i> be done this year - they <i>have</i> to make the playoffs this year, going into the new arena. The fact that there is great media attention surrounding the team (due to Yao) compounded with the reality that the team does not possess a draft pick this summer makes it imperative that something must be done to right the ship. With the Lakers only 1.5 games back now, I don't think Les will allow CD to just stand pat. That Rudy did not hesitate to trade two 25 yr olds who had just helped him win back-to-back championships in exchange for a 35 yr old power forward gives me some faith that if an enticing deal is on the table, Rudy will part with his adopted son.
I agree, cabbage. The only problem might be that Francis would have more trade value than Mobley. I agree Francis is much better. But I think he'd fetch a nice, hefty price. Mobley... well, I can't imagine we'd net much more than a decent sub for him. I also think it would help Steve to see Mobley shipped out. I think they play off of each other sometimes. Like, Prince Hal and Falstaff to make it Shakespearean .
As the season wears on, I'm starting to suspect that maybe this is not about Cat being unwilling to pass Yao the ball, but rather that he's UNABLE to. Seriously, other than the occasional alleyoop to Steve or Eddie, this guy is one of the worst passers I've ever seen(at least for someone who's considered a good player). In fact, as a team, the Rockets are horrible passers. The lone exception being Yao of course. They run one of the sorriest excuses for a fast break I've ever seen. Half the time when they're on the break and they've got numbers, the end result is an offensive foul cuz Steve or Cat don't give the ball up to the open man. Maybe that's why we see so much dribbling by the guards in the half court set. Sure, they'd like to pass the ball around. And sure, Rudy's probably screaming from the bench for the ball to move around to whoever's open. But when most of the guys on the floor lack the ability or confidence to pass the ball, what other option is left other than Steve or Cat driving into the lane against 3 players and coughing it up?
The understatement of the year!!! That is why I love this site --- the great insite into the basketball world. Just giving you a hard time haven! Sorry!
im watching the SPURS game vs. the Nuggs and lemme tell you... the ROCKETS need to watch the Spurs play and they might discover a new concept. TEAM.
man....still havent had enough of Mobes? you must really love the guy to talk so much about him way too many of these bash Mobes threads...
ANOTHER weak off topic reply b****ing about the topic and wasting server space. Please just skip past the threads you don't like and save everyone from having to read your non informative whining! Cat IS the problem. If you don't think so tell us why and we'll set you straight.
I watched the Nets/76ers game last night on ESPN and if Rudy thinks that he is running a motion offense, he ought to take a look at how the Nets run their half court offense.
fans come to the arena to watch Yao not Mobley, at least show some gratitude. Mobley should realize w/o Yao, they'd be just at par.....with Cleveland..... Anti-Mobley Movement: "Mobe aint no cat with nine lives"
I know the feeling. I am sick and tired of Cat. Once Rox get rid of this fool, we can all stop wasting our precious bandwidth on him.
I don't think it's so much that Steve and Cuttino "can't" pass it as it is that they won't. Of course, when you're Cat and you're not used to HAVING to pass the ball, that might be part of the problem. I have previously defended Cat because he is a tremendous offensive talent and has one of the quickest first steps in the NBA. On top of that, I like the guy personally; I've interviewed him before and he was one of the most engaging personalities I've ever been around, as far as athletes go. But you know what? Engaging personalities don't win the Rockets championships, and that is what it's all about. When all is said and done, it won't matter how many starters we've had on the All-Star team, how many endorsement deals Yao Ming had (or Steve, for that matter), or even how many playoff appearances we make (eventually). What will be the lasting impression this team makes in this particular era is how many banners we hang in that new crib downtown. And frankly, I don't see us doing that with our current backcourt. As much as Cuttino is a threat on offense, and as much as Steve might hate it, the Rockets need to get rid of Mobley and get something more reliable in return. The proposed trade for Brand (plug in the other players however you like) is an excellent idea and one that I feel would finally propel this team to the top. Remember Hakeem BEFORE he had that enforcer to have his back? Along comes Otis Thorpe, and we soon find ourselves downtown on Smith Street covered with ticker-tape. Now imagine that combo if it had had as talented a point-guard as Stevie Franchise. Forget the Bulls--little kids would be running around with Rockets jerseys on, left and right. Wouldn't this guy look great in a Rocket uni? I digress...
Excellent post Cab. Ive been saying this for a long while now and am glad to see this issue finally really come to the surface. My long term hope for this team is to win championship(s), and I feel strongly that a backcourt trio of Steve, Cuttino and Mooch will never get it done despite whoever is in the frontcourt. Plain and simple, if the Rockets dont make a major transaction before the trade deadline, this team will not make the playoffs.
Well, a trade might also throw off what little chemistry the team has, so that we don't make the playoffs this year anyway, but at the same time, if it's the right move, then it would be worth it in the long run. Maybe. I don't know how Les and CD are looking at all this. I think Rudy's stuck. He has to make the playoffs; he's afraid to make a trade that might throw into complete disarray what he hasn't been able to bring together anyway (and, admittedly, Yao's rookie-ness/fatigue and some young-player boneheadedness hasn't helped him); yet he knows that results are expected. Can anything be worse for Rudy than Les commenting after the Dallas game debacle, "I'm still confident we will make the playoffs"? Translation: "We'd BETTER make the playoffs, or...."
Dreamweaver, I watched that game as well. I was amazed how Kerry Kittles would make that extra pass to give Aaron Williams a dunk. I could not believe the difference between the Nets and the Roxs. 3 on 1 break and either Steve or Cuttino has the ball. Will they pass????
Our offense is fine, we just got done scoring 102 points, why are people starting threads ripping Mobley and wanting to move Francis to the PG spot? DEFENSE is what is killing this team. If this team defends people they win, simple as that. There's a reason why the Rockets have given up more 100 point games then not and have been losing. Getting Ming the ball isn't the problem, I think the players have done a better job of getting Ming the ball. But the defense has slacked off big time. We went from being a Top 5 field goal defensive team to just giving up points in bunches, especially on the road. If the Rockets step up their defensive intensity they make the playoffs, bottomline. All this garbage about this team not being successful with Francis and Mobley is ridiculous because the offense has actually improved greatly over the last week or so. The defense has slipped off, and it would help if the PF position stepped up its game.
Okay. Scoring 102 points seems great to me. That's way better than average. But allowing the lowest scoring team in the UNIVERSE to score 105 points is not acceptable. And against the Timberwolves, Cuttino did not pass to Yao AT ALL. BUT against the Cavs, I saw him pass to Yao many times. And yep. If you ever watch the Nets, their offense looks so simple and easy. They all score. And they win. Like the Kings. And the Mavericks. But the Kings and Mavs have more talent. The Rockets.............showed they could win at home....then lost 2 games on the road. Mental problems. They have to play the same every game....with a lot of intensity. THEY BETTER. THEY GOT BEAT BY THE CAVS
Rocks, I just dont agree that defense is the problem; the stats simply dont support your argument. Just b/c the Rockets gave up 100 pts in two games this past week does not mean the defense is the problem. Are you trying to tell me that 2 games of data is more convincing that 48 games of data? The Rockets rank 2nd in the league in FG% against with .424 which is excellent. Their defense has been very good these first 48 games. Compare this to the offensive stats: 18th in FG% .438 24th in Ast to TO ratio This argument about defense being the problem simply does not hold water. It is a very short sighted heat of the moment observation. Offense has CLEARLY been the problem this season and that has been due to the backcourt.
Rocks isn't talking about the entire season, he's talking about the dismal showing of late. And I agree that lately the D seems to have disappeared.
