Cato: "I've got the same fire that I've had the last two seasons"

I wasn't going to post another negative reply about Fato again.

However, the boy is missing a couple of cards from his deck. He reminds of the large cockroach in an "Edgar" suit from the movie Men in Black. He's sucking the life out of the team, let's trade him for Ostertag, at least Ostertag gives an effort.

What other stiffs are our there? I would buy Fato out now before the season starts.

He is smart in one respect, he knows that an NBA contract is guaranteed and his money is due if he plays or not.

Back in the old NBA, players would go upside his head for comments like this. Maurice Lucas, Bill Laimbeer, MJ would kick Fato in his butt every day.

 

I'm with fromobile....you can disregard much of this article by Fran. Let's not forget that if anything associated with the Rockets is more idiotic than Cato...it is a Fran Blinebury column about the Rockets.

The comments by Cato are just stupid. What do y'all expect from him by now? He is a stupid man, and needs to watch Bull Durham before giving quotes. But the fact that Fran jumps on him based on getting a "I have the same fire" quote and then asks Francis, Les and Rudy what they think about that comment on media day is typical Fran. Is that his only focus asking Francis, Les and Rudy what they think about Cato? <b>What an utter waste of a Media Day interview opportunity.</b>

All Fran does is wait around for an opportunity to exaggerate the facts for controversy's sake...and in this case, he didn't even need to exaggerate the facts about Cato, except to make it newsworthy so we wouldn't be saying...."uh, duh Fran, are you just now realizing that." Still the fact remains; Fran is like 1 1/2 years behind cc.net on our assessment of Cato, and simply picked an easy controversy for his media day column. Put this in perspective....Cato is merely repeating himself and proving our assessment of him true....but Fran can't find something else to write about on freaking MEDIA DAY! Tell me what Fran adds to what we already know. Nothing. Now tell me what Cato added to what we already know....nothing.

"<i>I have the same fire</i>."

Now how is Cato supposed to know how that would read....he's just stupid. But you know, he has also said he doesn't want to be the weak link anymore. Don't combine those two comments together like The Cat did and make them sound like it is his statement of how he will play....hell, we don't even know if Fran tricked him with a question like "So, are you going to bring some fire to your play this year?" I mean, if so, that is one of those no win questions. Give Cato a break on that line, it was just too much for his wittle head to handle. He probably stumbles when his girlfriend asks him if he likes her new hairdo.

"<i>Mobley is crazy.</i>"

I don't know about anyone else, but I read that has a compliment. I don't read this as Cato doesn't believe in hardwork, but that hardly anyone is crazy like Mobley. I'm somewhat miffed that the BBS is focusing more on laughing at Cato's stupidity than praising the quotes of Mobley the last couple of days, or how he has become our ambassador of winning attitude and hard word that attracts free agents...notice I didn't say team leader to start a flame war....lol!.

"<i>He is in mid-season shape</i>"

You know, not too many guys can do this. Mo' obviously could not!! And Rudy has said that sometimes he has to tell Mobley to cool down in the Summer. Anyhow, these are compliments of Mobley. Can we at list talk about this, rather than laugh at Cato endlessly? I mean, what is NEWs here in the articles of the last two days? What is news to me is that Mobley is freaking crazy-ready to hit the floor. And this year he starts!! Mobes is ready,,,,more ready than any player and is clearly setting a great example for the others to follow. Man, I love players who love the game so much they play everyday....the game is that fun. It is that fun to me, and I love reading how millionaires still treat it has a fun game.

"<i>I am in pre-season shape. I'll get there.</i>"

OK, here is my one defense of Cato. If Cato is talking about game-situation conditioning, it is tough to maintain that all summer. A lot of that has to do with wind. And that is the whole reason for two-a-days and camp. I can guarantee you that 2-3 weeks is all you need to get your wind back. Lay-off this comment. What sucks is he doesn't spend time working on fundamentals and turnaround jumpers and rebounding camps. but imo, none of those things would help him maintain nba-ready stamina/wind. Dream is the same way, and so are many centers.

I think he merely meant he needs two a days to get his wind back. Fine....

I am not defending Cato here. The guy sucks, and makes stupid comments that reveal his attitude. But why the hell would Fran Blinebury make a big todo about this on media day when he could easily have finished that article the way he began....by praising Mobley's readiness and leadership qualities of heart and desire.

This Cato quotes are typical Cato.
This article is typical Blinebury focusing on negatives when he doesn't have nostalgia to write about.

Fine

What I don't want to see is typical BBS focusing on "Cato Sucks" at the expense of signs of a battle ready Mobley. Why can't we talk about how Mobley is pretty much willing this team together by friendship, hardwork, and desire. He might not have leadership skills in the way he talks to the press or whines at refs, but he is a leader by example in many very important ways, and commands respect with players throughout the league...many know he sets the bar on preparedness and effort.

<b>Now, go out there and find something new and positive to talk about.....Just look at Mobley</b>!!! or is it too easy to feed Fran and negativity.

 

Now when the greatest player in the history of the franchise has left a void, when the nucleus of a young, exciting team has been assembled, when a franchise is trying to get noticed amid Texan-mania, it just seems so masochistic to let it all hang on Cato's whims.

This is the crux of Blinebury's column. It's naive to think that the first training camp without Hakeem in 18 years wouldn't be the biggest story in Rockets' training camp. And naturally the first new starting center in that period of time (other than when Dream was injured) would be a big story. If the column has a negative vibe to it, well, most of that can be attributed to Cato's own comments. Some others that were particularly damning:

Once last season, when his teammates were playing shooting games after a practice, Rudy T walked by and asked Cato if he would get in on the action.

"Why?" he asked. "You won't let me shoot in games."

"Cuttino Mobley's in midseason shape," Cato said. "He's crazy. He loves basketball, plays every day in the summer. Why do I need to do that? I'm in preseason shape."

"Hey, I didn't think I was ever supposed to be a force in the league when I came out of college," Cato said.

Basically, I get out those comments that (1) Kel's not interested in working on his game during the season, (2) Kel's not interested in working on his game during the offseason, (3) Kel doesn't play every day during the summer because, unlike Cat, he doesn't love basketball, and (4) he has pretty low expectations for himself and has already met those.

I agree that the comments about Mobley are very positive. He deserves his own thread of praise; this one is about venting our collective frustration with the 42 million dollar man.

 

There are two ways to do a torch-passing new era column, one is to focus on all the exciting new (Rice, Griffin, Mobes starting, MJ), Rudy's approach to the rules changes, and as an aside say that Cato is the big "X" factor. The other way is to skim over the exciting new and focus on Cato to build up to Fran's big statement that our success "hangs on his whims." No they don't.

To think our success "hangs on his whims" is indeed being masochistic and downright morbid about our chances...I'll agree with Fran on that. But the way Fran lumps us all into agreeing with him "we are masochistic" like we believe Cato is the key is a poor assumption, imo. Watch, he'll later write an article saying how it is Francis/Mobley era to lead us to the playoffs, and that is the key...or something. Make no mistake; Fran Blinebury took the "X" factor is the key approach because he got some stupid quotes out of Cato....and went with it.....like that is something new.

Fran is just worthless. All I read is the quotes in his articles. And in this case, he just skimmed over all the good ones. He paraphrased Francis and Rice and got nothing from Griffin or Rudy (except response to his Cato witch hunt).

All I ask for is something new for this new era. We wait all this time, and then get a column focused on Cato. typicall Blinebury. What a waste of a media day opportunity.

 

You're right. Here's something positive I learned about Mobley from reading this article: He works really hard in the offseason, and we should double his salary by getting rid of that worthless lying-around sack of crap Cato.

 

lol!

I guess my point is that Cato is not Derrick Coleman or Shawn Kemp. Focusing nearly as much on Cato's bad attitude as the attitude that led to failure of legitimate stars....is masochistic.

I'll might yell at Cato during games for attitude. I'm not going to cry after losses saying how Cato sucks and that's why we lost, like he is a lazy Coleman or something...and our franchise "hinges on his whims."

Here's a topic for everyone....if leaders improve, losers can still be losers, and you'll win. Who's ready to win!

....talk amongst yourselves.

 

I find it rather humorous that everyone is getting so upset about this. You knew that his work ethic sucked & you've been receiving indications of it all summer long.

He refused to participate in the summer leagues, even after the coaches asked him to. He didn't attend the big man camp that he told the coaches he would rather go to than play in the summer leagues. Assuming that his current & past comments (refusing to join a shoot around to his boss, etc.) have been quoted accurately, any one of us would've been fired or at least written up for refusing to do it.

The team should've traded him this off season, even if it meant that they wouldn't get fair value, just to get his "could care less attitude" off the team. I truely believe that this last off season was our last, best chance to move him. If he plays the same (& his comments tend to indicate that he will) as he did last year, there'll be no team stupid enough to take a chance on him (well, there is still Chicago ), even if he is a 7 footer. That puts the blame for him still being here directly on the front office.

Rudy, CD, & company have made many, many brilliant moves & I don't question them, with the exception of their decision to keep Cato, when he could be getting ready to freeze his butt off in Chicago. Oh well.

Crispee,

You're right. Let's focus on the positive & look at what we've gained, not what we're stuck with. That's absolutely awesome news if MO is able to come back after the all star break, but I have to reserve some of my enthusiasm, because of the severity of his injury. In any event, a lineup of:

C: Jackson/Collier/Cato
PF: KT/Griffin/MO
SF: Rice/Langhi/Walt/T-Mo
SG: Mobley/Torres
PG: Francis/Jones or Moochie

& anyone else that ends up on the team, is going to be a blast to watch.

 

I really don't like Cato. He is so stupid. Trading him will be the best thing now that we have Jackson.

 

lol oh my god thats funny. especially from francis, lol.

 

Like others said, consider the source of this article. Yes, we all know Cato has a lousy work ethic and he's a putz, but this is Blinebury being classic Blinebury in trying to stir up emotions and incite riots. Both of these jabronis, Cato and Blinebury, need to be put out to pasture.

 

I have had it with Blinebury, I addressed this in its own thread.
http://bbs.clutchcity.net/php3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22773

 

crispee, were you a cheerleader in high school?

 

Cheerleaders always repeat themselves, so:

If leaders improve, losers can still be losers, and we will win!

GO ROCKETS!!!!!

 

This is so outrageous, its downright sad. Rudy and CD should be roasted for giving Cato that contract.

Oh well, when you sleep with dogs, you're bound to have fleas.

 

If Cato's doesn't do anything except sulk and sit on the bench when the season starts,we should cut him from the team immediately.

 

Cato a X-factor! You have to be kidding. Cato does not have a heart nor does he have any balls.

I genuinely hope you are right. I am not a betting man but I would be willing to bet the farm on this one. Monikers anyone?

 

Just like we didn't get fair value for pippen, we might have to do the same for cato. He's in preseason shape! People wonder why Hakeem had so many nagging injuries and a known slow starter, but Karl Malone doesn't. Its not hard to stay in shape when you're an athelete. Cato could kcck it for a month or so, then in aug start doing roadwork and working out. How hard is that? I'm glad Cat,Francis, and Griffin are hungry gym rats that wants to be the best. This guy is a sorry excuse for a athelete.

 

I think I love playing basketball more than Cato and he plays against the best in the world. I just play one on one against my short, slow, fat friend day in and day out. Cato is rediculous, if I had his physical attributes, you'd all be laughing about Jordan coming back. Why you ask? Because since the Cato body with my soul entered the league, the Blazers would have won championships under my inspiring big man play.

 

This whole idea of guaranteed contracts hacks me off. I mean, if I had the same miserable not-caring attitude that this stiff has at my company, I'd be filing unemployment two years ago...

Isn't there some kind of escape clause in NBA contracts for situations like this? Gross negligence, willful misconduct, stupidity, laziness, whatever?

 

Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks! Cato sucks!