The one obvious strength of Mobes' game is his quick step and his ability to break down his defender. The new rules cater to guys with a quick step (even more than the crossover dribble, since the refs seem to call palming more). Our team is now designed for leading scorers who penetrate like Mobes since we have so many 3 pt. shooting big guys. If Mobley leaves, how difficult would it be to find another guy who can break down his defender with similar effectiveness? I heard Shandon say he could do similar things offensively, but just wasn't given the chance. I've never really seen Shandon ISO'd - can he step in and take some of those plays? If not Shandon, are there a fair number of other players (particularly non-superstars) who can take their man off the dribble like Mobley, or does Cuttino really have the "best first step in the league" like he professed at the rookie all star game? ------------------
Chances are Cat DOESN'T have the quickest first step in the league, but at this point, it's a non-issue. For one thing, it's important to have confidence, and the guts to take the shot, which he clearly has. The skill is there, and he's definitely got upside. As far as intangibles are concerned, Cuttino's a maturing player, and he'll continue to improve his mental game. But above all, his most valuble asset aside from his talent is the established chemistry between him and the rest of the team, especially with Steve Francis. And as an added bonus, he's not hurting our cap right now. It's unfortunate for him, but he's clearly underpaid right now. The hope is that he will be patient until his Bird rights take full effect, at which point he will be well compensated, and again, will not hurt our cap. Even if we could find another player of his mold as you suggest, whoever we acquired would flat out cost millions against the cap, or would cost us one of our players via trade. No matter what, we would take a HEAVY loss if Cuttino just split as a free agent. Good enough? ------------------ WEBMASTER of SaveOurCuttino.Com "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and STATISTICS..." - Mark Twain -
Mobley is a rare breed. How many 6'4" tweener guards, drafted in the 2nd round, having played not even 2 seasons, are being offered 5-6 mil a year (the new rules do make him more valuable, like you said oakdogg)? That's just his worth on the open market. I think he is worth far more to us than he is to any other team. Our entire offensive system is built around his strengths. In short, I think losing Mobley will not require us to look for a similar player, but will force us to redesign our entire offensive strategy. This is why I think it would be a killer to lose him. ------------------ A little bit better than I used to be
I've not seen a whole lot of either Mobley or Anderson, but from what I've heard Anderson is better moving without the ball. I don't necessarily think he could do what Mobley does -- certainly not as effectively. ------------------
I understand what you guys are saying, but do you think we really need 2 penetrating guards? Sure, it would help but is it imperative? Moochie is a pretty good penetrator, isnt he? My point is, Steve can blow by his defender, and if he is doubled, our shooting big men and Shandon can capitalize. I still want Cuttino though. ------------------ Hakeem, Hasaw, Haconquered.
Wasn't it Cuttino who the Rockets went to down the stretch in close games, though? That would suggest Cuttino's better at taking his man off the dribble than Francis. Regarding the question in the topic, a "quick first step" is probably the equivalent of a 90-plus mph fastball in baseball. It doesn't matter who's the fastest by some infinitesmal amount; once you get to that level, you can beat 90% of the guys guarding you (or batting against you). So the question is, how many of those guys are there in the NBA? Available as free agents this summer? Available in the draft in any given year? ------------------
good points Freak. Our whole offense is centered around the penetration of Francis, Mobley, and Mooch(well Mooch not that much). Losing MObley would force us to use Francis and Mooch and maybe Anderson a lot more, but Mobley is right now the best at the job. Francis may become better but he wastes too much time being fancy and has to learn to drive without playing with the ball too much. Anderson isnt as good of a dribbler as Mobley, but hopefully he's working on that right now. Mooch might be a good penetrator, but he's small and wont be able to finish as well as Mobley. So as you can see, losing Mobley would definately hurt. There are guys on our roster that have similar talents like Mobley, but not as good right now. ------------------ treasurer of the moochie norris fan club
I saw the quote on TV, where he professed himself as having the "quickest first-step in the league.-- Thing is, I believe he was joking when he said that. Both him and the announcer were laughing. I'm only saying this, because you can't take all quotes and apply them because you have to take them in context. No doubt about it though, Mobley has game, and he's likely to average 18 or 19 points next season. Maybe even over 20. He went from 10 points to 16, so a nother 6 point jump(though unlikely, might be possible.) -Elie17 ------------------
Yeah, I know Mobley doesn't have the "quickest first step in the league." I just wanted to know how hard it would be to get another guy who beats his man consistently off his first step or if it's back to square one and all this personnel we got because they "fit the team" are useless. The one guy I remember coming out who supposedly has an extremely quick first step who also went pretty late was Corey Hightower. Funny thing was Kenny Smith said he was almost like Cuttino's twin. He went real late in the second round and was traded for by the Lakers. I wonder if guys like that come out every year. ------------------
Maybe Cat has a quicker first step than Francis, but I think Stevie is MUCH better at taking his man off the dribble, cause of his big time killer crossover? I don't think Cuttino's crossover is nearly as good as Francis's. I mean Francis's crossover is up there with the best of them(Iverson, Marbury, and Tim Hardaway). I know Tim is old but he still has a great crossover. Remember what Francis did to the Clippers that one play? I forgot whose ankles he demolished, was it Troy Hudson? I don't remember. But Steve played around with whoever it was like that guy had never played basketball before! Stevie just went at him and pulled back, again and again. WOW!!
Yeah, it was Mr. Hudson... I still laugh whenever I think about that video. That was about the most humiliating sequence of events I've ever seen happen to someone on an NBA court. Well, with the exception of Larry Bird trying to guard Michael Jordan and nearly snapping himself in two. ------------------ Just shut up and post
Anyone who was able to watch most of the Rocket's games this season like I (league pass)knows that Shandon is nowhere near as effective in iso as Mobley. He always went to the same moves. In the post he would dribble, dribble, dribble and then take a low percentage fadeaway which usually clanged off the rim. When he would drive from the wing he always tried to use this stupid spin move (damn, that move pissed me off many a game) in which he almost always lost the ball and generously helped the opposing team to a fast break. I'm not saying Shandon is unskilled offensively, just not good in isolation situations. All of his biggest offensive performances came in the natural flow of the offense. Shandon's drives were most effective when another teammate had broken down the other team's defense and he could streak through the lane without much opposition (thus avoiding the dreaded "spin move"). And when he was shooting the ball it was usually an open shot created by Steve or Cuttino's penetration into the lane. Shandon probably was our best player at scoring without disrupting the offense (aside from Walt's late season blitz) and he and Cuttino fed off each other well when they were both in the game. But as far as using Shandon to replace Cuttino's offensive production, I just can'e see it happening. ------------------ AstroRocket-the newly self-appointed president of the Pig Miller Fan Club
