Mobley bashing...geez. I guess you really miss bashing Barkley or something. Achebe told me during a game chat that he was a Barkley apologist, so he said maybe we could use a Mobley apologists. I'm not sure if I want to be the apologist, but I can offer a close look at him. Really, I'm trying to understand Mobley and trying to understand why Rudy uses him so much...or did in late Nov/December at least. I agree that Rudy should restrain him more, especially when Francis is cruising. I'm also trying to understand the bashers. Is Mobley bashing really about bashing ISO plays? Is it about not liking his game as a personal preference? Is it because you miss bashing Barkley? hehe In the Dallas game it was good to see Mobley defer to Francis and give up the ball and get outta the way. He seemed to do it reluctantly though. I'm talking about the two times he passed it behind his back out front to Francis and once in the corner. (To my deep disappointment, I did not see the thrilling win against Portland, so can't comment.) General comments about Mobley bashing Blanket statements like he shouldn't be in there in the 4th will only lead to you hating to watch fourth quarters, because he will be in there...and he will be asked to shoot last minute shots, too. For two reasons, (1) The Toronto game (when everyone started bashing Mobley hard). In that game, Toronto doubled Francis aggressively all night. Francis did not respond well. Francis will see that a lot more. (2) Anderson shows up with lazy defense a lot. I'm expecting a lot more from Anderson on the defensive end, and sometimes he just doesn't bring it out to the floor. On those nights, Rudy should get the better defensive player out there in the 4th. Nights like (1) and (2) will result in us needing Mobley at crunch time. Rudy is pulling Mobley back. And I've seen a little restraint coming from Mobley after Toronto and that disastrous Chicago 4th q....let's hope that leads to "Maturity". We certainly need Mobley to play well...and improve on what he does. I don't expect to see him play a different style. Don't forget what bashing did to Starks Right now, I want Mobley to keeping dreaming of being an all-star. If Starks can do it, Mobley can. But you know, Starks really hasn't been the same since the bashing he took from NYers after the 1-17 in the title game. Let's not do that to Mobley. He's too hard of a worker for that. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited January 20, 2000).]
Anderson is the far superior defender than Mobley. He's made a lot of clutch defensive plays this season. Plus he doesn't force his shots. Mobley is a decent defender but not on Shandon's level.
Outlaw. I think maybe I should preface my statement somewhat: "Rudy should have the best defense players for that "night" out on the court in the 4th. In my opinion, Anderson is a streaky defender. Let's not get into an argument focusing on that statement. I'm a lover of defense and have seen a dozen games live and more than that on TV. Anderson has had lazy performances. I watch his defense closely because he's a new player and I love defense. Right now, I expect more from him. And by his lack of 4th q minutes, I think Rudy expects more from him too. With Mobley, Rudy knows he's getting a full-out effort on defense every night. That's why I've seen Mobley guard Pippen, VCarter and Finley in the 4th quarter, to name a few. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited January 20, 2000).]
OK, I'll play Mobley basher. Way too frequently, Mobley takes dumb shots with a man in his face and 15 seconds on the clock, not even glancing at his teammates. In the Portland game, he did virtually nothing but this. When he does it, he not only squanders possessions, he ices his teammates. Other Rockets can't get into the flow of the game, the offense disappears, and we're constantly running back on D to try to prevent a fast break the other way. Mobley is a great 1-on-1 player who thinks he can make an NBA game out of that skill. Rudy is trying his best to bridge that gap, by starting with the iso and hoping to provoke a double team, thereby freeing up other Rockets to go to the hoop or to shoot the open J. When Mobley jacks up the premature jumper instead of trying to penetrate or waiting for the double, he kills that whole strategy and is worse than useless to the team. He MUST get control of this bad habit, or we'll have to trade him.
Will, I hate that, too. The only thing that makes sense to me is he must be thinking the defender is backing away from him and he needs to take the shot, to keep the d honest. That's not the only way to keep the d honest. He can learn a drexler drop step. I'd like to see him explode to the hole while catching a pass sometimes. Anderson does that. I don't know what to say...I can't understand why he would shoot off the dribble directly over a defender. That's got to be one of the hardest things to do in basketball. I am fine seeing streak shooter's catch and shoot though when he's got some spacing.
I guess it's that old line about discretion being the better part of valor. We all love Cuttino for his valor, but the man has got to learn some discretion. And he's had too much PT by now to excuse it as a rookie mistake.
That little long range jumpshot that Mobley always takes with a defender in his face has got to be the most pointless and lowest percentage shot in the NBA. What exactly is the point of taking such a long two, when a couple of inches farther back, and you get three points. Add that to the fact that someone is in his face, and it seems he is just trying to prove a point to the opponent when he takes those. He needs to come off screens, create spacing for himself, and catch-shoot. Those are high percentage shots which most probably won't make the highlight reel, but will have a better chance of getting on the scoreboard. [This message has been edited by thacabbage (edited January 20, 2000).]
the guy is a gifted player but in the game vs portland in the 4th before he was about to be subbed in or something for no reason dribbled down the court launched a shot with 15 seconds left before he left the game for good. He needs to pass the ball especially on fast breaks! hey partner if you watched the portalnd game the better defenders were out there on the floor except Dream and carlos when healthy.I d much rather have walt or anderson in there in the 4th then cat "jacking up shots" mobley.
Freak, I can deal with turnovers, silly fouls, and other young-player mistakes, but I can't deal with selfishness.
Have patience my Rocket Brothers. Mobley is the real deal, he's just a little raw and over ambitious. It's just his youth talking. A year or two down the road, people will see that he has superstar potential. Plus, him and Steve have developed some nice chemistry (we've gotta keep Steve happy). Also, Mobley's defense goes unspoken. Unlike some you, I think Mobes is a tenatious defender. He's 6'4" and he will block a shot, steal a ball, and box out better than most SG's in the league (Eddie Jones excluded). In short, keep Mobes. This guy is special and I knew it last year when he had the balls to take the last shot in the playoffs. Don't give up on Mobes cause there's no way he'll give up on the court for H-Town.
wizard, Wish I wouldn't have seen that game...I was in Orlando, though. I don't doubt for a second the best defense was on the floor that night. If Anderson did a stellar job, that's what I want from him. That's what we need. And he should be in there then. Absolutely. Knowing he can play some fine defense is what frustrates me when I see him reach for loose balls (rather they go at them), let Finley just walk into the lane, not get back on transition defense in a hurry. I want the d. every game, all game. I know I'm getting that effort from Mobley on d.
Last year, Cat's rookie year, I saw Gary Payton blow by him and go straight to the hoop for a layup -- only to have his shot blocked by Mobley from behind. How Mobley caught him, I have no idea. I bet GP has no idea, either. If Mobley played with Anderson's diligence, he'd be one of the best backcourt defenders in the league.
Mobley's shot selection is the worst part of his game. There are a lot of "big names" out there that I wouldn't want on this team. John Starks (I used to want him, but I don't think he's a fit here), Nick "The Brick" Van Exel, etc. These are guys that get their points as scorers and not necessarily in the confines of any game plan. I love one-on-one play... but Jordan did that best. He did it with the express intent of breaking down defenses as a whole, not just his defender. Mobley turns it into a pure one-on-one issue where his bricking shots ends up in rebounds for the opposing team. This happens because most of the Rockets aren't even in position to grab the rebound. I've only watched a few of their games, but I've seen Mobley jack up shots with no one under the basket, barely inside the 3pt line with a guy glued to his face, etc. He's getting a scorer mentality rather than a team/shooter mentality. I think in the long-run that's detrimental to this team. To gauge how important this is, consider what Francis played like when he first got here. He was running and gunning and as a point guard thought he was the first option. Since then, his FG% has gone up, his assists have gone up, his playmaking skills and his shot selection have improved. He has turned into a legitimate point guard in half-a-rookie season. This has in turn reflected on his team's performance to a great degree. So those of you saying Mobley has only played 1 season and not to criticize him, I say he hasn't improved as much as he should have in that 1 season. If anything he's taken a step backwards. I point to Francis' transformation as proof of what Mobley can do albeit at a different position. HeyPartner, SmeggySmeg, Achebe... trade him. ------------------ Rocket fuel pumps through these veins...
Cat can be a loose cannon some times, and the return of Hakeem, in particular, is going to slow him down enough to make plays instead of just passes. Sometimes he moves before his brain does. Still, he's got the nerve to go in there strong to the rim, and Rockets fans gotta love that. We've been asking for it for years.
How much does not starting bother him? He keeps looking like he has something to prove. Witness his imitation of the Francis dunk. Mango [This message has been edited by Mango (edited January 20, 2000).]
ok..to be perfectly fair Cat does need to keep himself under control more..but he does show signs of being a real good player in this league if given enough time....so you say.."Francis can do it in half a season"? well folks..in case you haven't noticed..Mobley IS NOT Steve Francis. the Franchise is gonna be HUGE one day soon and even tho' I'm a big Mobley fan, even I can acknowledge that he will never be as good as Francis. BTW...I agree with haven I REALLY REALLY wish we still had Dickerson!!! I absolutely LOVED that guy last year GO ROCKS!!!!!! 6 straight!!
you guys are spoiled. Cuttino has only been pro for 89 regular season games. Last year he played 35~ of those as a pg in the DIT system. This year he's played 39 as sg. His responsibilities have totally changed w/ the injuries to both Chuck and Dream (as in magnified). I became fairer in my opinion(s) of Mobley because of others' arguments... % of success (heypartner), streaky shooters (4chuckie?) and scorers vs. shooters (popeye). I think the most immediate and compelling is heypartner's:. (hopefully this paraphrasing is acceptable partner)If I give you the ball and you do good things w/ it a higher percentage of the time than other alternatives, you're going to get the ball alot more. That's the way Rudy coaches... and, it makes alot of sense to me. Cat's first step flat out demands a double team. It's not that the opposing team has a choice. If he's played ISO at the right hand side of the key, he'll destroy his opponent on single coverage. I don't have to explain that the double team leaves someone open. I'll leave it to heypartner to prove that when Mobley's play is being called, that it's %age justifies as much. as Will mentioned: discretion vs. valor. For a reminder as to the valor, remember the Portland game in which Dream was injured? Do you remember Cat blowing past Mr. Defense time in and time out? Do you remember his eyes when he lifted up and drained the 3 over Pippen? I want that guy playing on our team. Dickerson (nice hair) would have passed the ball at the first opportunity. as to the discretion: his career is young (39 games as far as I'm concerned). I don't think he's going to make the same mistakes through the rest of the season. In the meantime his 20 point performances will cancel out his 5 point performances.
