Most of the people hating on Cato probably didn't see many games last season. Cato did really suck the season before, but he was showing a lot of improvement last season. AstroRocket, WinkFan, RocketRiver and LongTimeFan said it best If he just brought consistency it'd be nice. He at least played with some passion and his stats were pretty good for awhile. This guy is definitely overpaid, but so many players in the L are these days. Don't lose faith in him...
This is probably because people are starting to look at him as a backup already, even if he isn't . Therefore, his game looks better than if he were a starter.
Come on... he's not THAT bad... he's probably alot better than alot of other centers....and yes, it does come with a price but, what do you want? Collier can't jump 2 inches off the ground, how is he going to scare anybody? Cato DOES change people shots alot, despite contrary belief... Kevin Willis? The man is no defender...what-so-ever. Granted he might pull down a few boards every now and then - but do you really want him? I cant even watch him anymore, gets the ball in the post and does that hook shot - EVERY TIME. I wouldn't be so annoyed if he ever made it... but what drives me crazy is his shot selection. Why was he shootinng 15+ fters from the wing this year...I remember them saying he loves to play big, he'll teach Cato ----- "Big Kev" shys away from contact and drys to lay it up most of the time, does his little up and under bs that usually misses. With Cato, he dunks on you or you foul him. That's the thing though - he HAS been a good fit. He doesn't score alot, he's not supposed to. They don't feed him the ball down low and he doesn't want them to. He's a garbage man, grabs off. boards and throws it back out, alley-oop here and there, gets a few blocks...you can't have an all-star at every position, Cato is not the problem. Now, even after saying all this.... Go Ming !!
Cato is a nice, if overpaid back-up center to throw at the Daddy in LA. He made strides last year. I doubt that Cato will ever have the pure heart and desire to capitalize on his physical tools, but maybe he will do better with the spotlight completely off. Cato seems to work well with Francis for easy dunks and one can imagine these plays opening up even more with Ming playing the high post and springing both Francis and Cato for easy baskets. The prospect of a skilled big man in Ming kind of underscores how unsuited Cato is to starting minutes for a winning team, but he could be a solid reserve player on this team. Theory: How aout Minq turning into a more athletic Bill Lambier (minus the bad boy BS), with Cato being John Salley/James Edwards?
Last Christmas, during the Rockets "Week of Good Cheer", (or however it was marketed)...I worked in Media Management for one of the agencies visited by the guys. The list included: Stevie, Cat, Willis, Mooch, Rudy T., Van Chancellor, Turbo, George Postolos, and Cato. Everyone of the guys, (Even Postolos) except for Cato was really involved in making an effort to help those less fortunate feel a little better about themselves during a tough time of the year. Cato stood in the damn corner for most of the time, and then when I asked him to help to pass some things out to our clients... he b****ed and moaned about that . In a similar vein, earlier this year, despite much work via intermediaries, Mo-T wouldn't even return a phone call about signing some autographs at an Astrodome gig for Special Olympics) Items like these speak volumes about the character of an individual, and subsequently, what can be expected of them in other areas of their lives. As far as I'm concerned, Cato and Mo-T can both get high, gain more weight, and find themselves out of the NBA in a few more years !!! Thanks for the chance to say my piece on what a piece these two guys are.
