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Could Cato be out of the package?

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by canoner2002, Jun 24, 2004.

  1. reptilexcq

    reptilexcq Member

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    This is exciting. If we can keep Cato that would be AWESOME..absolutely awesome because this team needs Cato because Yao needs Cato and because both Yao and Cato form tough interior defense. Cato can play Center position and come off the bench for Yao also.

    If the Rox have to wait til July 15 to save Cato...DO IT!!!
     
  2. madmonkey37

    madmonkey37 Member

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    Damn Magic fans are starting to warm up to the idea of having Cato even though he has a large contract. Hopefully Yao will prove next year we dont need Cato, but I would like to have him around if Yao starts to fatigue.
     
  3. hooroo

    hooroo Member

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    Can't the Rox do better than Juwan Howard for Cato? Dunleavy jr's trade value would be down at the moment after disappointing finish to last season can CD use Cato + ??? to get him?
     
  4. Vengeance

    Vengeance Member

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    Isn't it amazing how two years ago we'd have done anything to get rid of Cato and now we're hoping we don't have to include him in a trade . . . times have certainly changed!
     
  5. Desert Scar

    Desert Scar Member

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    Does Orlando really want to get rid of Howard? I am surprised the trade does not boil down to Francis/Mobley for McGrady.

    If I am Orlando I don't want Cato because of cap implications plus I have a younger cheaper version in Hunter. Though no center, J Howard is better and cheaper than Cato so I see no reason to trade him in Orlando, unless I really want to clean house with older mroe expensive players--but that brings us back to why take Cato?

    For Houston, getting T-Mac and Howard and keeping Cato is great--because those guys won't be any good in 4 or 5 years but can help you win now.

    If I am Orlando, I don't make J Howard part of the Houston deal and trade him elsewhere (like for trade exemption + draft pick or young prospects), same for Cat which I get from Houston (rumared int he Caron Butler deal), I might even turn around and trade Francis (Arenas or some other similarly talented but younger player), but is sounds like they want keep him. Dwight Howard, Francis, Gooden or Butler, and loading up on draft picks, potential cap space, or younger prospects would give them a future. But no sense having guys with less than 5 years shelf life taking up big or even modest salary slots.
     
  6. redgoose

    redgoose Member

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    We better get rid of Cato! :mad: Trade him somewhere else if need be.

    Now that we we will have J. Howard and Mo, we won't need Cato starting in the PF position. He will only get his minutes backing up Yao, which will only be up to 15 minutes a game. Way too much money for such little play. We can just grab some scrub back up center as long as he can pass the ball and block a shot a game. :p
     
  7. Desert Scar

    Desert Scar Member

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    Yao still needs rest (at least 12-15 minutes) and we could use the extra defensive force. Sure Cato is expensive for just this role (15-20MPG), but his contract only goes for 2 more years and he would be an asset.

    The only way I would want to trade him just for cap relief is if we got a defensive 4/5 like Swift or Etan Thomas with the MLE who can cover the back-up 5 duties Cato does along with providing a better option for the 4 spot.
     
  8. Pat

    Pat Member

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    I would love to keep Cato.

    Here is how I see the mintes. Usually you want your starters to be in the range of 35 to 40 minutes a game.

    I would be pleased if we get 35 out of Yao. That leaves at least 13 minutes at center.

    I like Howard at PF, but i would like to see him slide to the 3 for about 10 minutes a game. So if he plays 40 minutes a game, 25-30 at PF and 10-15 at SF, that creates a need for 18 minutes at PF.

    That leaves 31 minutes for a big. I feel comfortable with Cato getting those. I don't like MoT plus a new "dime a dozen big guy" stiff splitting them.

    I love JJ, but fourty minutes is way to much. He did it fine last year, but he is an oldster, and to keep piling on the heavy minutes is pushing our luck. I' love to see him at no more than 35 minutes, perhaps 8-10 of that at the two, backing up McGradey. As mentioned earlier, Howard fills in here, perhaps a little Boki of Padgett also.

    McGradey palying 40 minutes at the two, JJ backing him up.

    Somebody at the PG. Personally I hope Fisher, Lue as the back up, Gains as the learner.

    To my mind, a big who can back up center AND play significant minutes at PF frees up Howard and JJ to slide down.

    Can't help but notice that I left MoT out of this. That is ok by me. I really don't care for his one dimensional game. Though he does score well, I would rather see a big banger like Cato get the minutes and give us the big "subs" of Howard and JJ at the 3 and 2.

    I really don't see JVG going much deeper than 8 most games. Most of these players can play two positions and that gives us a lot fo flexibility.
     
  9. canoner2002

    canoner2002 Contributing Member

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    Cato and Howard are two reasons why this trade is good. Cato is a starting C and will be more efficiently in Orlando. Howard is better than what we have, but Orlando don't really need him.
     
  10. RocketFan007

    RocketFan007 Member

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    Although he is a great rebounder, Thomas is not a good shot-blocker, he only averaged 0.7 blocks a game his last two years at UT. However, I think that he'd be a good guy to bring into camp and see if he can make the team, he seems like a JVG kind of guy to me.
     
  11. dconover

    dconover Member

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    Right... every GM in the league is stupid and passed on the guy. But let's bring him to camp as I am sure he would be better than Cato. I DOUBT IT.
     
  12. dconover

    dconover Member

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    Well said. If we traded Stevie and Cat for McGrady and Howard... we got a steal. We need no part of Lue or Gaines.

    Our 8 man rotation would look like this...

    C Yao/Cato
    PF Howard/MoTaylor
    SF JJ/Howard
    SG McGrady/JJ
    PG (Barry, Fisher, etc)

    This would be much better than trading Stevie, Cat and Cato and having to find a pf and pg.

    I hope that Ford knows what he is talking about. Of course, is the MLE going to be enough to bring in a quaility point?
     
  13. Deuce

    Deuce Context & Nuance

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    The MLE will be enough to bring in a PG. You could probably get Barry for the FULL MLE for 4 years. But I am not sure we want to commit to 4 years. You could probably get Fisher for 3/4 of the MLE. You could probably get Bob Sura for 1/2 the MLE. You could probably get Troy Hudson for 3/4 the MLE. There are options out there.

    I think Cato will be in the Orlando package so I would assume he wont be here. That means we would need a PG and a backup C. We could probably find that with the MLE and the 6.9M Trade Exception.
     
  14. Desert Scar

    Desert Scar Member

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    Lue or Gaines have almost no worth to Orlando with Francis, Mobley and Nelson there. I think they even left Gaines unprotected, which does show you what Orlando and Charlotte think of his prospects (unless Orlando and Char both knew the Bobcats would take Puchulia). Still Lue is a decent back-up and marginal starter--and would be a nice addition because w/o Francis the Rockets don't have a quality starter OR quality back-up.

    I agree I would like to keep Cato, maybe moreso than probably receiving Howard who is the better player but who is awefully similar to MoT in what he brings.

    Either way, we can find a back-up C/defensive 4/5 in the FA market. And it should cost us nothing to get Lue and/or Gaines so it sure does not hurt to ask. It would be nice to have Lue or Gaines to back-up a Barry (1st choice), Alston (2nd choice), Fisher (3rd choice), Hudson (4th choice) or Arroyo (5th choice).
     

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