He's a few days younger than Mobley. (27 y.o.) He's #3 in rebounds and #1 in blocks in the league. He doesn't need the ball to be productive. He's possibly Defensive Player of the Year. He can play Center or Power Forward. How about trading Mo Taylor + our first rounder to Detroit for Ben Wallace + their first rounder? Rockets F - Thomas/Rice F - Griffin/Morris C - Wallace/Cato/Collier G - Francis/Norris/Juan Dixon? G - Mobley/Torres This way we won't have to depend on another rookie and Wallace helps the team immediately without disrupting the offensive chemistry. I'm still not comfortable with KT guarding SFs but Wallace and Griffin can help him out if his man gets by him. Detroit gets a hometown guy in Mo-T and a chance at a Jason Williams or DeJuan Wagner for their PG spot.
wallace is getting too much props this year...while i agree he is a legitimate big man, with the hype he is getting, he is going to be awarded a monster contract and fade into obscuirty...and that is not even bringing up his 40% free shooting..
And how would Mo Taylor be an upgrade over Wallace? Ben is a monster for them and they are winning with him. As much as I'd love to see Ben Wallace and Moochie on the same team, I don't think MoT and a pick would be enough. Why trade your best defensive player for an average jump shooter? I don't think Detroit is that stupid to make this trade, while I see the Rockets doing it in a heartbeat. We'd have to take some garbage off their hands and add another good player to the mix for the trade to be serious. B
What B said. Det is predicated on toughness, why trade their toughest big man for a softy? Also, Wallace is a rich man's version of Cato. Cato could potentially grab 10 boards a night and block 3 shots a game.
Potentially is a big word when it comes to Kelvin Cato. I guess it depends on where our 1st rounder is. The Pistons need a PG badly and Wagner or Williams could entice them to do it. I can live with 40% FT if he gets 12rpg and 3bpg. He is signed until 2006 with a very reasonable 30 million/6 year contract.
Why do they need a point guard so badly? You can't be perfect in every position. Heck, the Rockets won with Kenny Smith as our starting PG, we made the Western Conf. Finals with Maloney in the 96-97 season. IMHO, you don't give up proven defensive talent for a soft power forward and a gamble on a pick. Wallace fits great with Detroit, does the dirty work that most players don't do, which helps them win games. That's exactly why I'd like to get him, but I don't think we can make a serious offer to Detroit without setting the Rockets back a couple of years. B
