and jerry stackhouse's defense is the reason he IS? how about past allstars like allan houston? his defense was stellar, right? is there a "stroking" smilie? cat wasn't an allstar because his team sucked and he was the 2nd most known player on his team (behind a guy called "franchise"). if the rockets were a top team (read: if they had a post player or 2) last year cuttino would have been an allstar. (edit) oh...and cat's lack of an eraser in the paint is the reason he hasn't been mentioned in the categories of kobe bryant, vince carter, and ray allen (overrated).
Cat has the athleticism to play much better man on defense than he currently does. As is he often stays too high, moves his hands and hips instead of his feet, and sometimes just plain doesn't pay attention. People who argue that he hasn't had the support are forgetting a few things...He often played with Hakeem, who is still an intimidator, and that shot blockers do allow you to press more, but that gambling defense isn't automatically the best answer anyways...The best defensive coach in the NBA, Riley, goes absolutely nuts when his guys gamble for the ball on D...See the dissapearance of Eddie Jones' steal numbers since joining the Heat. Good one on one perimeter defense is still about keeping your man in front of you, and moving your feet. Cat often doesn't do that. In terms of team defense, playing the lanes, rotating, etc. it's a harder one to evaluate, because the Rockets as a rule let these things slide. Cat does too, but it's hard to hold him accountable for something so endemic. I would have to say that the Rockets play very poor fundamental defense, and that usually translates into very poor team defense.
Since were here lets go ahead and analyze all of Cat’s game. Right now Cat's biggest asset is a team liability. I'm talking about his first step. Lets face it; it is what got him into this league. Problem is he still hasn’t figured out how to use it properly on offence or defense. Oeilpere hit it on the nose. With his first step no one should be able to get around him. If they do they should be driven right into the teeth of the defense. Instead he is usually in full chase mode. Hopefully he has worked on that this summer. On offence he still hasn’t figured out how to use his first step to get separation from the defender ala Allen Iverson. How many times a game do you see Cat shooting the ball with a defender draped all over him and a hand in his face? Too often when he gets by his man and pulls a second defender towards him he goes up and shoots with that man in his face instead of passing the ball to the man left open by the second defender. If he doesn’t try to drive by his man he goes straight up and tries to get his shot off. He has improved in this area. Last year he added a drop step to his pull up jumper. He didn’t do it enough but when he did it usually resulted in a wide-open shot and we all know what Cat is capable of if he can get an open shot. I’m not trying to sound like I don’t think Cat is a good player. He does make a lot of the shots I’m talking about but he makes the game harder than it needs to be. I believe as he matures and the game slows down for him these aspects of his game will improve. He still has a lot to learn before he becomes the all star a lot of people here seem to think he is.
I have a bit of a hard time judging how well Cat played last season. He had gimpy ankles for the most part, at least until the last 30 games or so, and everyone of consequence except for KT were injured. (Cato- mentally) I would like to see him play better D, and I think he can, but many of his sins will be erased by a strong interior presence (as has been said) and a healthy team. He has the physical tools to play GOOD defense. Cat gets ripped for not using them. He deserves it. Oeilpere is dead on. You could say the same about Steve, and we do. Steve deserves it too. Cat's better than Steve in that department, which is not sayin' much. (that's not fair... he's MUCH better... still not sayin' a lot) I'm hoping this season is a break-through for them both. Rudy couldn't use the system he intended , for obvious reasons, and now he has a whole new box of goodies to play with. I would love to see the stack of napkins he was caught scribbling plays on. Would Cat make a great 6th man? Of course! He did it before. But he's too good for that role now, IMHO. It's been said that this is a make or break season for Rudy. I disagree. I think next season will be. How the team plays D will make the difference between a season of growth and a quick exit in the playoffs, or a break-through year that stuns the League and sends us into flights of ecstacy. I'm betting on being high as a kite in May. We did it in '86 and we can do it again.
The cat? Hmmm Well he can shoot can't he. I wasn't a big fan of his but you know cat...his defense means taking more shot at the other end and outscoring his oponent. I'd say bad defense but great offense!
Second Tier All-Stars are picked by the Coaches - not writers or fans. The coaches all know which players hussle on D. Every Coach in the League knows Cat. They have strategies to defend him and draw plays to exploit him. There is a reason why opposing shooting guards looked so good against the rockets.
I don't use tarrot cards, but I can help all of you guys see what I see. All you have to do is take of those rosy tinted glasses and presto!
dude, cat's defense had nothing to do with his non all-star selection. teams with losing records do not get 2 all-stars and had steve not been voted in we wouldn't have had 1. simple as that. when he tries cat can play very good defense. he has the natural ability/quick feet to stay in front of anybody. of coure we know most of the time he doesn't seem to focus on it.
Please venerable Yoda, help us all to SEE the way! Lead us to a more rewarding understanding of basketball and just the galaxy in general!!
HP: Some how I expected more. Argue, agree, blast my ass, or rub my back. But say something worth reading,dammit.
