Nobody on the team has shown any reason why they should start ahead of Mobley, so it's pretty likely he will start.
Yeah, I really think Mobley can certainly be what the Rox were looking in Piatkowski...only even better. Cat has a great spot-up shot just like Pike, but he plays better defense and can be a creator when Yao and/or Steve() are resting. Start or not, he should get the most PT out of any 2-guard on the team, IMO. I'm 100% certain he'll be a VERY valuable asset to the Rox's playoff run this year...if he doesn't get traded for some reason - which I doubt anyways.
PSJ - Are you being a homer? Mobes is not that good. Here's a list of players who get minutes at SG: Probably better: 1) Kobe 2) Pierce 3) Ray Allen 4) Iverson 5) Sprewell 6) Alan Houston 7) Michael Finley 8) McGrady 9) Rip Hamilton 10) Vince Carter 11) JRich Very comparable: 1) Doug Christie 2) Kirilenko 3) Kittles 4) Reggie Miller 5) Jalen Rose 6) Eddie Jones 7) Manu Ginobilli 8) Desmond Mason 9) Michael Redd 10) Q Richardson 11) Penny Hardaway/Joe Johnson I appreciate all Mobes has done and he has definitely altered his game to fit in, but there are quite a number of NBA players who (discounting contract $) could easily play SG for the Rockets.
You know, last season Cat had a severe near-sighted problem and was unable to see a 7'6 guy standing 15 feet away, waving his giant hands. The deafening sound of chide from this board is still echoing in my head. Maybe JVG also heard it?
GATER: I agree that maybe 7 out of your "Probably Betters" are indeed better than Mobley, but 7 out of 7 of them are higher paid...and 80% of the entire list is too. Mobley is a deal, and I agree with PSJ in that he's one of the best 2's in the league. Top 10, IMHO ("h" stands for "homer). He may be a bit annoying with some of his ball-hogging, but I honestly anticipate that he'll cease and desist when Van Gundy gets in his ear about it. I really think he's the Rocket's Mike Bibby/Tony Parker/Michael Finley - in that he's a great leader (on court performance) for the rest of the supporting cast; and the guy who'll put the Rox over the top in many matchups. Then again, I am a homer.
The way I interpret this article is that JVG will be OPEN to the idea of letting players EARN their minutes based on their professionalisim, and moe imptly, their productivity. The nice thing about having a new coach is that JVG need not profess ANY loyalties to any player. He will go with whoever works hard, works productively AND embraces his system. Inasmuch as I love Mobley, I think Cat's biggest problem is, ironically, being on the same team as SF. SF has been ordained a franchise player while playing "out of position" so to speak and leaving Cat in his shadow. What I foresee is, as many of you have astutely pointed out, that Cat will get many "6th man" minutes... not necessarily simply coming off the bench, but rather, playing more minutes when SF sits down and sitting down when SF is in. In a good way, I guess, that means Cat may get to play off Mooch and get his hands on the ball more for purposes of scoring. The way JVG can get around this issue w/o turning it political is precisely what we did in the offseason -- i.e. getting these ROLE PLAYER/PURE SHOOTER types who ask nothing more of their role or limited minutes. Thus, they aren't a perceived threats, per se, to folks like Mobley or EG. Just think about this situation vs. what we went through at the 4 spot last year when KennyT was still in town. The all out competition for minutes isn't particularly healthy for the individual player OR for team morale. Ironically, too much talent CAN be a bad thing. But here, I think the minutes will work themselves out b/c we now have some pretty solid role players. And lest you think that I discount role players as limited, that's not true. Every championship team MUST HAVE SOLID ROLE players, if anything to help let their superstars shine... and in our case, I'd add Mobley to our list of superstars. theSAGE
What is Eric Piatkowski's role? It must be as the primary post up threat. It's arguable if Cat is a better perimeter shooter than Francis, for that matter.
If Steve and Yao, we don't really need those player who can drive to the hoop or hit a tough fade. We only need somebody who can play defense, pass and hit some open shots. In this sense, Mobley will definitely be an disadvantage and may probably be benched, especially with healthy Pike.
and why is that? Mobley has shown he can do two of the things you listed. Play defense and hit open shots. What about those skills would make him a liability on the court?
Bingo! Excellent point! Having Cat and Francis on the court at the same time hurts Francis and the team game. Sure, sometimes it works, but most of the time it became a shooting contest between the two. Francis has stated that he sometimes feels unconformable by not passing to Mobley, i.e. passing to keep Mobley happy, as opposed to passing within the system (or for the team). There's a difference. Francis felt pressured by his "buddy." Francis and the Cat play very similar games. They DO NOT COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER. I've said before. Cat should come off the bench, regardless if he's more talented than JJ or Boki. That's not important. Hurting Francis's game is what we can't have. Cat "forces" Francis to play more of a individualistic game. All of this makes me wonder if Francis's role will become more and more shooting guard-like, rather than a point (ala Bernard King).
DT - I have two primary complaints about Mobley...he takes too many "heat check" shots and his skill set is nearly identical to Steve Francis's. Perhaps I obscured my point with the prior listing of 22 SG's. Let me re-state what I was thinking... If the following are agreed upon "truth's"... 1) Steve and Yao are the focus of the Rox. 2) A player has the highest team value when his "game" compliments that of Steve and Yao. 3) There exists a $7m trade exception which does not expire until just before training camp 2004 and it allows the Rockets to be a 3rd party to an unmeasurable number of trade possibilities. 4) The TE makes any player on the Rox roster tradeable and it grants a virtual ability to obtain 95% of NBA players regardless of BYC status or contract expense. 5) The Rockets can only protect 8 players (Steve & Yao + 6) for next years' Charlotte expansion draft. 6) The WC Finals should be a realizable goal in 2 or 3 seasons. Given the above scenario...I propose that there are many more than 7 players on the list of 22 that would be a better "fit". I'm not Cat-bashing, I'm trying to be a realist with a 2-3 year vision. For example, a player like Michael Redd may not be regarded as more talented, but he is a better fit and cheaper. See where I was heading with the list of 22?
Absolutely. Only difference in me is that I haven't chalked Cat up as incongruent with the Steve-Yao centered team. I know you're not necessarily saying that you have either, just that other players may be more suitable. I think you're right about that, just maybe Mobley might be a better option to keep around if he ends up fitting in well...well, a better option than quite a few other players on the team. But honestly, the first thing that came to my mind when I heard about the trade exception was "Who's Mobley gonna be traded for?" He's the best overall fit, IMO, for using that exception. But maybe something will come up regarding Eddie and it'll be for a greater good on the whole. What I'm trying to say is - I definitely agree with all your points.
1) Cat is a better scorer, slasher, finisher at the basket, good defender. 2) Pike is the best in perimeter shooting. 3) JJ is bigger, he can shoot, plays better defense, rebounds and assists better. I'd rank these 3 very close to one another. The job is not guaranteed to Cat.
JVG seems to hold the position that a substantial # of here have held for at least the past year (Rudy did not, of course): 1. Mobley is the 3rd best player on the Rockets. 2. Steve and Yao are the best 2 players on the Rockets (regardless of which order you place them in... doesn't matter) 3. Shooters and defenders mix better with those two than a "scorer" type like Cat. I'd wager on Cat either winning the starting spot... or getting significant minutes off the bench as the #1 option in the 2nd string. Which is probably what he's best suited for. Mobley would be a devastating spark off the bench. About Mobley's defense... he's an average defender. He's quick, hustles, but is a bit too small really at the 2. He's easy to post up. And he's sometimes overly aggressive on the perimeter (thank god Yao and Cato are good at cleaning up).
off topic but this line is just classic: "Griffin has gone from unable to find his shooting touch to not being able to find the arena."
You know, it seems almost a waste to put Cuttino on the starters. Yes, he has starter-level skills - I have never questioned that - but how many starters do you need who can create their own shot? JVG is putting in an offense. This offense will revolve around Yao and Francis. The other players need merely to make the correct pass and take their shots in the flow of the offense. They need no great skills to do this, they just have to be able to hustle, play smart and play good team defense. Now on the bench, you are going to need players who can fulfill the same role that Steve and Yao do - creating mismatches and creating on offense. I think MoT and Cat have just as big offensive advantages over 2nd string players as Steve and Yao do over first stringers. Additionally, if they are playing off the bench, JVG can give them the green light to shoot, which would be the exception rather than the rule when they are playing with Yao and Steve. It's interesting that MoT's skills are similar but weaker than Yao's just the same way that Cat's skills are similar but weaker than Steve's. Does anyone else think that this would make it very easy to run the same offense for 1st and 2nd strings?
I would love to see Mobley as the 6th man. To echo what many others have said Cat and Stevie don't work well together (or maybe it shoudl be said they work ok but they don't involve anyone else when they play together). Most championship teams have a coupel primary scorers who start and complimentary/role players around them. Let Mobley sit the first 6 minutes then bring him in fresh. He would eat up any bench player or tired starter, no doubt in my mind. Thing of a more athletic Vinny Johnson coming off the bench. Also more importantly it's not who starts the games but who finishes. If Cat is willing to defer to Yao and Francis when all 3 play together then I am willing to be Cat will be playing at the end of games.
