Yes. I coyly wanted us to miss the playoffs so that RudyT and his crew will be shown the back door. I am glad. Getting JVG was just what the doctor ordered - icing on the cake.
Whatever. That is the mentality of eternal complainers. Truth be told - if RudyT would have been presented with this scenario he would done otherwise i.e. feature Yao with every other but Cato. RudyT was not man enough. But JVG is man enough to try common sense things like these - just try it first and then see what happens. Ming and Cato on the floor together is being overrated? Think again - it has been reported that Cato has not been this motivated like this before (yes he showed signs last year but) thanks to JVG's approach. Cato loves to play for JVG and it shows. JVG deserves all the credit in the world for this twin towers!!!
Not to mention that now post entry passes are not being excused as nuances that's difficult to master. Timely entry passes are now facilitated, and that's done in a matter of several weeks. I was dreading for the Rockets' charateristic collapse in the fourth quarter in the last game, and was happy to see that the Rockets played all of the 48 minutes without lapses. Despite Yao in foul trouble, the Rockets rode the Nuggets, who just beat the Spurs, for the whole game. Hope they keep it up. I'm sure I won't be more frustrated watching them play than last year. At least they play hard and focused and Mobley is actually showing signs of improvement at shot selection.
That right. It's JVG offensive philosophy and emphasis on defense has made the most impact. The main problems weren't Cato, or him moving into the 4. Cato is a residual off of the major improvements of the system. If Francis, Mooch and Mobley were still doing the iso/clearouts, it wouldn't matter how much Cato worked!
Sam, Main reasons...JVG, Francis, Yao...and new system. Role players feed off that. Cato has played this hard for the last two years. We need Cato at the 4 right now. It's a necessity; can't be Griff. Can't be a softy-MoT. I hope it's Braggs.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/2195186 "Van Gundy had floated his idea of playing Cato at power forward. Before Maurice Taylor dislocated his left shoulder in training camp and before Eddie Griffin dislocated his career, Van Gundy suggested playing the 6-11 Cato alongside 7-6 Yao Ming in the Western Conference, which is rich with power forwards. He was told it wouldn't work, and this bit of analysis came from someone who should know. "He told me before the preseason started he was going to try to play me and Yao at the four and five," Cato said. "I told him, `I don't think that's going to work.' He said, `Well, let's give that a try and see what happens.' So far, it's been OK."
