With all the talk about KT reaching his potential. That he does not have much more left to expand on . . . .I have to ask Does anyone think Cutinno has reached that point? Is the Cuttino we saw last year the best he will be? Is his upside equal to Rashards? [ok he is not tall like rashard but otherwise] Rocket River
I think all players benefit from playing with good players, and this year Cuttino and Steve should benefit from playing with the best collection of talent the Rockets have seen in years. I expect them to do VERY well this year.... DaDakota
i think cuttino had a good year, last year. but not his best, he's still young and shows a lot of potential of being an all-star,one day. both the cat and reshard are very good players. and most likely will be even better players as every season goes by.
I think he still has room to improve. Although I think his scoring numbers will go down, I hope his percentages go up as well as a few more assists. With all the additions this year (Rice, Taylor, Ming, Nachbar, and an improved Griffin) I think his overall game will improve.
I think where Cat needs to improve is in the Basketball IQ area. His real talent is scoring. He does this night in and night out even when defenses are geared to stop him. When Cat is on he cannot be stopped except by himself. I cannot believe that he can get any better in the scoring area. Defense Passing Less turnovers These are the areas he needs to improve in and should with more time in the league.
I think he's about 27 so he has at least another 3-4 years of all-star caliber play in him. Because Lewis is only 22 I have to say he has more upside than Cat but I don't think he will ever have the overall offensive skills Mobley has (handles, ability to create own shot). We probably saw Cuttino's max for ppg last year but I don't think we've seen his maxed out potential. Every year he's been in the league he's gotten better and took himself from the 41st pick in the draft and our backup PG to a 22ppg clutch SG in 4 years. The collection of talent around him can't help but help his game a little bit and if Rudy starts running plays this year, I'm certain his output can increase (19-20pts on fewer attempts than last year). He's a gym rat and is always working to improve his game which is one of the traits I like most about him, and I think he can raise his overall game more this season.
I think Cuttino will be at his best around the age of 33. When he can no longer drive past the man in front of him, he will be forced to think for the first time in his career. He is a smart guy, so his transition to a smart player (hopefully) will be fun to watch.
I think Mobley's outside shooting improved drastically this season. He just doesn't miss very many wide open shots anymore. It's the crossover-pumpfake-turnaround-fadeaways he takes that lower his field goal percentage. His Bball IQ is the only thing I think he really needs to work on. Also, having Yao Ming, Mo Taylor, and an improved Eddie Griffin down low should help things. Not to mention having Steve back for the full season (knock on wood). So even if he has reached his limit, the fact he will be playing with a much better all-around team this season will improve his game.
I think Cuttino will improve every year for the next few years. No one on the the Rockets can score like him that is why I think he will lead the team in scoring again. His defense will and overall skills will improve over time, but his strong point is scoring. I think he will score close to 25 ppg this year, because Francis is going to become more of a "True PG" and get the ball to his team mates.
I just wish he would work on controlling his emotions a little better. I hate it when he gets a foul called how he throws a little tantrum (flailing his arms, running down court after play is stopped, screaming for a foul when he drives to the hoop, etc.). I think once he and Steve have some help on the team and don't feel like they have to win every game themselves, that will help. But the tantrums take him out of his game, and the team suffers for it. No doubt about it, the guy can flat out score. We just need him to have his head in it a little better, and he can make the next step in to all-star status (hopefully)...
i don't think people properly recognize exactly how good cuttino mobley (not cutinno Mobely) really is. #1 - no true point guard to set him up. as electrifying as steve francis is, if cat had a true point guard to set the plate for him, he'd be getting much easier shots, not have to create every shot for himself, and therefore be hitting at a higher percentage. #2 - no post presence. having a post presence would make it next to impossible for teams to double team cuttino. see: kobe bryant. #3 - played a good portion of last season on 2 bum ankles. still came through with arguably his best season, playing without a healthy franchise player, playing without a supporting cast, utilizing a injury-limited repetoire of moves. everyone keeps complaining that cat needs to improve on his passing. well, have you ever considered that maybe his teammates need to work on setting him up for easier shots??? ask not what your cat can do for me, ask what you can do for your cat!
Exactly. His scoring is about as good as it can get. He could have better shot selection, but defense and basketball IQ are his main areas to improve on. This will come with experience. Better teammates don't hurt much either.
Verse:- Don't you think the from this year on Steve Francis MUST play the TRUE Point Guard! He is not going to be called on to be the game saver but the game maker as he now has the talent & shooters to increase his Assists & Steels. Mobley etc. should benifit from this, although Mobley should have more quality in his game but less points ie: Francis 18,Mobley 18, Griffin 15, Yao 15, Tayloy14, Nachbar 12, Thomas 10, Rice 10,Cato 7, Norris 5. Francis improving to 9 or 10 assists and 4 steals. The following season there would be a major shift as Yao would be NBA experienced and taking over as the Rox main force!
Yetti (aren't you a legendary, mythological creature?) francis does need to be more of a playmaker. however, i also think he does need to be the clutch shooter difference maker. damnit, he has the ability. the whole nba knows it. in fact, i have resigned myself to thinking that this past season was one long experiment for stevie in learning how to take over games. the year before, he worked on involving everyone. hopefully, this year will be the year he puts it all together. if he does, we might witness an mvp performance. and cat will be the primary beneficiary of steve's ascent to the throne.
Yeti = Abominable Snowman Yetti = ?? The second half of last year shows what Cat is capable of right now, with an off-season of working on D and passing, I can only assume that next year he will be an all-star.
Cuttino definitely has not peaked yet. Here are some things he can still ralistically improve in: Offensively, 1. As mentioned before, he stands to benefit from better shot selection (and thus shooting %) and passing. 2. I can also see him developing a Jordan-like fadeaway over the next couple of years. He already does a good job of getting his shot off over people, and it seems like he'll transition over to this kind of game as his first step slows down a bit. 3. With better big men, Cuttino, Steve, and Nachbar should be able to get out on the break more and getting easier buckets. 3. His free throw % dropped a little bit last year. I could easily see getting back into the upper 80's. Defensively, 1. He's got decent size and quick hands which to this point have allowed him to be lazy on defense. If he can focus more on D, he could become a decent stopper. 2. Having Eddie and Ming patrolling the paint will let him take more risks and not have to crash the boards as hard as previous years. Like lots of other Rockets fans, Cuttino has driven me crazy quite often over the last couple of years, but he's really about to enter his prime now. He works hard on his game and and his tenacity on the court cannot be questioned. If he's willing to welcome Eddie and Ming as the future of the tam (along with Francis) and accept his role, he should flourish even more in the future.
