Not a whole lot today .... when I got in to camp they were shooting free throws to see if they'd run and they made enough to skip the sprints.... despite Rice missing his. Rudy T was awesome today .... came over and talked quite a bit. He's a very down-to-earth guy and easy to talk to. I asked him some questions about Griffin... he raved about him (but didn't specifically say how much of an impact he would have) and even though it's been discussed before, I asked him where he envisioned him playing. He said he did not see Eddie as a 3 at <I>all</i>... that he would be a 4 and maybe even a 5. One of the guys mentioned off the cuff, "but he won't be guarding Shaq will he?" and Rudy joked that with the new rules, "half our team will be guarding Shaq". I also asked about the new rule changes, how he was against them at first. He said he definitely was because he felt it cut off the driving ability of star players like Carter and Francis and made the game less attractive..... but he says the way they are set up <I>now</I> he likes it -- he feels it will actually open things up <I>more</I> for those players. Like I said, Rudy T was very cool..... even went out on the court and showed us how he felt some of the rule changes would benefit. Here's how my interview with Cato went: Hey Kelvin ... ask you a few questions? No. Busy? Yes. .. as Kelvin sat in a chair all by his lonesome. I thought, "Good point... he must think he's playing if he's sitting there doing nothing." I just said OK I'd catch him later but it pissed me off. Then I thought about the vicious Blinebury article the other day and thought Kelvin must not be too happy with the press right now. I only had questions ready for Francis but he was tied up with UPN, who was there to film interviews in preparation of their Rockets TV coverage this season. I'll try to catch him tomorrow... Which reminds me -- <B>if you have questions you want me to ask, please post them</B>. I'd like to ask legit questions we would like to know that haven't been answered .... I used to just want to think of something (anything) intelligent to say so I could do an interview but now I just prefer to observe everything (wish I could take/use photos) because the thrill of just "doing" an interview isn't as big. Questions I have for Francis are like: "Will Damon Jones be able to fill Moochie's role or do you still feel Moochie is vital to the team's success?", "What will it be like to face Michael Jordan in your hometown?" and "What impact will a player like Marc Jackson have on the team?" Rudy raved afterwards about the play of Damon Jones and Oscar Torres.... from what Feigen said to me earlier, Rudy is high on Torres and they think he will make the team. Torres really does look like Drexler in the face/body.... I never saw any practice.... for the second time we got in afterwards. REALLY hoping to see some scrimmage action soon. I did eavesdrop on a conversation Rudy was having at one point and he asked the person if they had "heard anything".... and the response was "all I know is his friends are telling him, 'Take the deal!'" .... so they had to be talking about Moochie. The conversation continued but that's all I caught. Collier wasn't present today.... not sure where he was.
Oh, you are "one of the guys" in the media now 'eh Clutch. Ooooh, I hope it doesn't go to your head, and you start using bad sports metaphors...hehe. anyhow...j/k ... I'm jealous. Don't mind me. Oh man, can you explain this? It mainly refers to the 3 sec violation, right? Which means they could place a center out high at the key (like Laimbeer would do) and that defender cannot stand a "zone" away and be in the lane as in the last rules. I could see that. Same with on the baseline...the defender once could be in the lane, just not 2 zones away. hmmmmm
clutch: "I thought, "Good point... he (Cato) must think he's playing if he's sitting there doing nothing." WHAT A GREAT LINE!!
Does Torres speak English? Just curious because I know Portland had a few problems in crunch time w/ Sabonis and communication.
Great job Clutch! I see Rudy said he didn't plan on him playing 3 at all, but where did he plan to play Griffin before Mo got injured? Mo was signed for 6 years, where was Griffin going to play? And did he change his plans of playing him at 3 with the Rice acquisition. Griffin coming off the bench at 4 is fine, Griffin playing regularly at the 4 (this season) is trouble. Lets get Jackson in here! Interesting! He has a multi-million deal, probably the biggest payday of his career, and probably a little more then he's worth, and he's holding out? If he takes this deal, and saves properly, he'll be worth a few million dollars and set for life, and playing on a playoff-caliber team. Take the deal! Moochie, Torres and Jones would beef up our backcourt considerably!
Any Wizard question come up? If not, possibly you could broach the subject of his role on this years squad. What situations will he be used in? How he will mesh with likes of Rice, Griff, Kenny and so forth. Just some slow pitch softball for what must be a hectic time.
Did Cato know you were Clutch City? That might explain why he didn't want to speak to you. I'll bet his mom is telling him everything we're saying about him.......or, maybe she's really him. How about asking him his plans in regards to Jackson. Is Jackson going to start at the center or PF position? Also, ask him if he has any comments about Cato's attitude, other than the fact that he likes the word "fire" coming out of Cato's mouth.
Clutch, from your camp notes in 1999 when Francis first arrived: http://www.clutchcity.net/feature.cfm?FeatureID=31 You noted how Rudy was placing major emphasis on the running game. Now, how many people think he has succeeded. Let's face it; we still walk the ball up the court way too much for how young and fast we are. Can you ask him whether he thinks they've succeeded on his 1999 plans, whether he sees ongoing improvement, or whether his plans have changed regarding forcing an uptempo game. I recall him saying that he wanted to teach them to run, even if nothing is there, to teach them how to run secondary breaks that break down a defense in a 4 on 4 situation before they are fully set.
Also, see if you can find out what his player rotation is going into training camp. In other words, who's penciled in as the starters & which players come in off the bench first, assuming that Jackson & Moochie will be in camp. By the way, thanks for the updates.
I agree Hottoddie Clutch, ask Rudy if Marc is going to start at PF or center. Hopefully he starts at PF, I want them to give Cato a shot at center and see if he shows any kind of a fire. Having a 6-9 and 6-10 frontline would improve us lightyears and help us compete with anyone in the league.
Please ask "Are TMo,Lanky, and the Wiz fighting for p/t or is it Walt's job to lose?" "If the Jackson deal goes through what postion will you play him @ most?" "What does he think of Darren Kelly?' "Is Cato the opening day starter or is that yet to be determined?" How to conduct a Cato interview: how are you today big guy?........pause for answer are you looking forward to starting?....again wait for response I heard you wrote a children's book is that a one time thing or do you plan on a follow-up?......... how do you think the new rules will affect your effectiveness(don't smile when you ask)? have you worked on your post-game any this off season? have you ever heard of clutchcity.net?...If the answer is yes RUN!! Finally what is your response to Rockets fans who think you suck big ole donkey di............. again RUN!!
YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER THE SOURCE HERE! THE REPORTER WAS JUST PUTTING WORDS IN CATOS MOUTH!! HE IS OUT TO GET AVENGE DREA..., oh.. wait, it was Clutch. Nice job -- not easy to be sure. Nothing like a pissed 7-footer to make you feel welcome. I might ask Cato something way technical but intelligent, maybe about the rule changes to soften him up. Not that I know anything technical or intelligent, but maybe something about the rule changes from the perspective of a shot-blocker/rebounder. Will it be harder or easier to play help defense, something banal like that. Is the lane going to be the same or a different place with zones and so forth. Engage him with garbage. Then I might go for something more provocative like a question about his frustration level with officials: "Do you feel like you need to play a certain way to get calls from refs" or "is it frustrating to get in foul trouble early, and how do you feel that has affected your effectiveness the last couple of years." I would stay away from questioning / crucifying his work ethic or character, but leave him the option of addressing it. If you get cozy with him, ask him if he has a take on the Houston media, Blineburys article in particular. Not that you need the tips, I am just daydreaming. You are fighting to good fight for us, thanks. I might also ask Cuttino about his perceptions of Eddie Griffin's role this year and next. I would be way curious about Cuttinos takes on Eddie. THANKS CBFC
BahDakota, Rice is a consummate 3. So, who is to say if Rudy would still say that if we didn't have Rice. Rudy can't say Griffin is a 3 now, for fear of pissing off Rice. See how the fluid dynamics of the bet still make you a loser, no matter how you slice it <b>Clutch,....question of getting Marc in camp</b> another important question is to ask CD or Rudy if there is any way Marc can get into camp without waiting for the ROFR to expire in 13 more days; that is, can GS renounce him or their rights? <b>Question for Mobley</b> Ask him where he thinks he can improve his game and what has he been working on this summer to achieve that. You know, stroke him a little by saying he is such a hard worker in the Summer....the gist being does he just work on his current game or look to broaden it. btw: he also mentioned recently how he has been a father figure all his life...the eldest...people look up to him, and that he seems to be the Rocket's ambassador for attractive free agents. He said yesterday that he feels he is the big brother to Griffin. Can we get some questions about Mobley's personality. Maybe lead into it with his quote about Griffin being like a little brother, and ask him about his baby from last year. The idea is to lead up to a question about being a "leader" now with Dream gone...being a co-leader...and if the opportunity arises, why did he make that silly statement last year about how "Steve and I are the leaders, and everyone else follows," and did it he regret it.
I am also curious about the play of Darren Kelly. What does Rudy specifically say about him? Does he have a shot to make the team?
Can you ask Francis how he thinks Morris has been doing adapting the Rockets and the NBA style of play. And also how he's been playing in camp and what kind of playing time he believes Morris may get this upcomming season. Thx
