Which will he be? With the selection of Ming at #1, it's a foregone conclusion that he will eventually be the starter. However, I don't expect Cato to just step aside & give Ming the job. So, this brings to mind several questions on both sides of the opinion. Will he be a team player by accepting Ming as a teammate & help him adjust to the NBA? Will he accept the role of backup, without causing turmoil when the time arrives? Will he elevate his game to push Ming to be all he can be, thus making himself better? If the team becomes divided, will Cato step up & be the mediator, by giving Ming his support? Or, will Cato go back to pouting, like he did when Dream was here & play with no heart? Francis has already publicily stated that Cato is the starter & appears to have thrown his support behind him. Will the team become divided on who to support? Will Cato fan the flames of dissension? What's your opinion?
Cato is going to be a team player, he has no other choice really. Yes he has had some very mediocre years since signing the big fat contract with the Rockets, but he is a very productive center overall. I expect him to surprise us with a productive year!
cato actually had a solid year. if he can do the same thing from the bench his value will skyrocket and we may be able to get some cap relief before we get 2 max contracts on our hands (ming-wink).
Cato has no fire,no passion and no worries about his job, He will probably be a team player as in the fact of accepting the hand he is dealt. The reason why is because just like all the other overpaid players in the league, they know whatever people say doesn't stop their checks. We can sit on this board and bash Matt Baloney all day and night until the site crashed, but in reality, he makes more in 1 season sitting at home with his gal, than most off us will in a lifetime. Cato will make 6 mill next yr, so no matter what bbs or newspaper personalities say, he's a very rich man. I don't think he'll be the ideal teammate, but i don't think he'll be a cancer either. No one ever said Howard,Kemp and some of these other guys are bad teammates, because they know rain,sleet or shine every week, they will get those outrageous chacks. If i were in the situation, i wouldn't care what anyone said about me. Hell, what i make i don't care what somone says about me.
It wouldnt shock me in the least if Cato went back to his pouting ways. Ya he played better last season than in previous years, but it still was nothing to write home about imo. Its just that our expectations for Cato have become so low that any positive sign is considered good. Kelvin Cato is a real moody guy, and when things arent going his way ie lack of starting spot, he starts to sulk and his play becomes crappier than usual. Folks assume that he is a good defensive center that can provide the inside defensive presence this team needs, but that is not the case. Cato's lack of desire and heart show up big time in this area of his game. The guy blocks some shots (1.3 per game last season) so? Does that mean he's a great defender? Not really, Kelvin's fundamentals in terms of position defense and denying post position stink. Also, he does not understand the idea of boxing out for rebounds. Not to mention as HP pointed out, Kelvin Cato is a drag on a team trying to add more movement to its offense. If the Rockets could find a taker for Cato, I'd go for it, Kelvin is a waste of time.
I really hope he will be traded. Yeah, he has the "potential" to be a decent center, but he is a cancer and he does not have the heart needed. Let him start at the beginning of the season, perhaps he will have a few good games by chance, then trade him as soon as possible...
"Its just that our expectations for Cato have become so low that any positive sign is considered good." Couldn't have said it any better. He's not a cancer.......he's just a guy on the Rockets' payroll 'til his contract is up.
Am i the only one that notices both cato & morris look like that beetlejuice character on the howard stern show? If you dont know who beetlejuice is,Im telling you he looks like a miniature cato,somelike like morris to at jollydwarf.com
ROXRAN, I hope you're right, but that doesn't answer the question. Will Cato be a team player & welcome a player that is projected to be the eventual starter at center (thus, taking his job), or will he refuse to help Ming adjust to the NBA & attempt to rally the players on his side? I'm asking the question because of his history of pouting when he's delegated to coming off the bench. Has he matured enough to accept the role?
Cato improved last year and i fully expect him to improve even more this year. He will be an excellent backup to Yao Ming and might even play some power forward. Oh and by the way it is ok to criticize someone but it is not necessary to call them names.
I really don't think Cato is a cancer. I mean, why would ANY of the players want to follow what he says/does?! He doesn't possess a dynamic personality; not someone who would inspire people to follow, etc. He's more like a BIG PUDDLE of GOO!!!
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kelvin_cato/index.html?nav=page CATO YEAR G MPG FG% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG 97-98 74 13.6 .428 .688 1.20 2.20 3.40 .3 .39 1.27 .59 2.20 3.8 98-99 43 12.7 .450 .507 1.10 2.30 3.50 .4 .53 1.30 .63 2.30 3.5 99-00 65 24.3 .537 .649 1.60 4.40 6.00 .4 .51 1.91 1.09 2.70 8.7 00-01 35 17.8 .577 .649 1.30 2.70 4.00 .3 .37 .89 .71 2.50 4.7 01-02 75 25.6 .583 .582 2.30 4.70 7.00 .4 .53 1.27 .71 2.80 6.6 The improvement that you are talking about, is over the previous year, in which he only played in 35 games & had his 3rd lowest career stats. With the exception of his rpg, fg%, mpg, & games played, his stats last year weren't better than his 99/00 stats. I will give him credit for playing the entire year without a major injury. But, again, his improvement isn't the question. Will he be a disruptive force to the team's chemistry? By the way, what name calling are you talking about?
6.6 ppg and 7.0 rpg on 25.6 mpg. He will be getting less minutes this year. I expect like 6 ppg and 6 rpg this year on about 24 mpg. Yao will get the other 24 mpg and I hope get 10-12 ppg and 8-10 rpg. But they will be a good center combo, 16-18 ppg and 14-16 rpg.
leebigez said it perfectly, as long as Cato has the $$$ rolling in, he could care less about his performance, team, or what people think of him. Pugs
OverRRated: He's not a cancer.......he's just a guy on the Rockets' payroll 'til his contract is up. To me - that a cancer. ron413: Cato is going to be a team player, he has no other choice really. Yes he does have a choice and I think (as you can tell) he is a cancer.
