let me say that I sincerely believe Cat and Steve can both be in the top ten in the league in steals per game. they are already two of the best blocking guards in the league. they have to make it their priority. if JVG gets that out of them, their defense will be key to the success of this team. If our guards ever give us the tight defense our big men do, this team will rock. remember when Rudyball meant Dee-fense? Dream-OT-Horry-Elie on the floor at the same time. If Steve and Cat buy into the heavy D, they will gain stature in the league ala the backcourt of Detroit 15 years ago.
If Cat and Steve selfishly steal the ball all the time, how will Yao Ming improve his blocks per game. GIVE YAO THE DAMN BLOCK!!!
I know you're being facetious, but I would answer "by getting the steals in transition." Actually, Steve's already in the top ten, so we just need Cat to get about .5 more steals per game, which he should be able to do. Cat should be top 5 in the league in steals. No reason he shouldn't be getting 2 steals a game. With his long arms, his quickness, his quick first step, and his slightly shorter height than this opponent, he should be a top thief in the league. Steals are merely one indicia of defense. Standing alone, they don't mean the player is better at defending. They mean something in the aggregate, however, as they add up to possessions gained or lost, and that's the ball game.
perhaps, perhaps, perhaps Perhaps is not a word I would use, having watched him play. One doesn't have to play the passing lanes to get steals. that's the cheap way, the AI way. Cat could get an extra steal a game just by getting back on defense instead of complaining to the refs every time he shoots. Cat shoots 15 times a game and rims it out over 8 times a game. So about 7 times a game, Cat is standing there looking pleadingly at the ref, slapping his arm and whining for a foul call. Meanwhile, his man is running down the court for an easy bucket or setting up someone else for one. Is that what you mean by "playing his man instead of the passing lanes"?
Every game i have watched or been to it's the same thing either he is complaining or he is just overacting at times. He is a very dramatic player that kind of gets annoying at times.
Uhmm....weren't you just stroking AI a few posts back by posting stats that showed him as the number one in the league in steals as one of those 37 players "better" than Mobley? Which assertion would you like to retract? Or can you spin something that will make both statements sounds legit?
There is a reason that point guards find the lane so easily against the Rockets while shooting guards have a tougher time. Cat stays in front of his man. He has learned that penetration is the worst thing you can allow to happen on defense. Penetration means the team has to rotate and create mismatches. Penetration means that you have already lost that possession and only a lucky block, bad pass, etc. is going to stop the other team from scoring. That is why he doesn't get steals. Most of the time, steals mean you are not playing defense with your feet. I would be perfectly happy if we got 0 steals and just forced a low shooting percentage and had a high rebound percentage as well as committing very few fouls. That is the right way to play defense, the way that works all the time. Steve stealing the ball once or twice per game does not help as much as his man blowing right by him resulting in a layup or an open 3 for a teammate 4 or 5 times a game hurts us. To say that Cat needs to improve on defense more than Steve does just proves you have no idea what you are talking about.
here it is, Pole read it again and I think you will see I made none of the representations you claim. steals are one indicia of skills, and success in the area is correlated with success as a team. bottom five in the league in steals is not a place to be. like I said, if Cat wouldn't lolly gag to whine to refs 5-7 times a game, he could pick up another .5 steals a game IN TRANSITION. is he playing tight defense when he turns to the ref and starts begging for the foul call while his man runs upcourt?
1) how does getting back on defense increase the # of steals? 2) how is getting steals better than decreasing penetration? 3) FriendlyFan, are you going to sit there and tell me that Antoine Walker, Caron Butler, Paul Pierce, Steve Francis, Jamaal Tinsley, Bonzi Wells, Ricky Davis, Steven Jackson, Jason Terry, Brent Barry, and Dirk Nowitski are better defenders than Cat Mobley because they have more steals??? all those dudes, imo, are sieves compared to cat mobley. this is why stats suck. they don't make anything easier to see. they don't illuminate anything. they are numbers which anyone can twist to support their illogical arguments. they are the devil's handmaids. they suck. and if you think that tmac is a better defender than KG since he's 19 spots ahead of him, then you suck, too.
