I think it's time to take a break from the 10,000 threads about trading Dream & talk about the future of the Rockets without Dream. What would be the ideal center for our new up tempo offense, who would fit that role, either in the NBA or college & why you feel they would be the right candidate? Any ideas? I don't follow college games, so I'm totally ignorant of the college talent. I would think that we need a center that is about 6'11", with a broad wing span for blocking shots & soft hands for grabbing rebounds. He should be quick enough to keep up with the guards running the floor, doesn't have to be real bulky, & needs to have an outside shot. I'm thinking that a player with the body type of a Garnett would be ideal for this fast paced offense. How about someone like Keon Clark or Jelani McCoy? I haven't seen much of McCoy, but Clark reminds me a little of Garnett, albeit not as skilled. The game seems to be moving away from the more traditional big man in the middle, probably due to the fact that there aren't as many around anymore. Guys like Dream (at this point in his career), Ewing, Mutumbo, & even Shaq are going to become obsolete, in my opinion, because the game is getting so much faster. I think that the perfect center would be someone that could defense our lineup. Maybe a young Dream or a less injury prone Cato? Let me hear your opinions on this. ------------------ [This message has been edited by Hottoddie (edited January 23, 2001).]
A young Dream, obviously. But we all know that is easier said than done, so we can rule out that possibility. The second coming of Jordan is a lot more likely than that. So, that leaves us with our young, unproven, shot blocking center, Cato. If we could have the Cato of the pre-season, with rebounding numbers, we would be set. Don´t see it happening, though. I suppose a younger Mutombo would fit the bill nicely. Blocks and rebounds like a madman and does not demand the ball. Of course, that still leaves us with another problem. You mentioned up-tempo offense, but the truth is, we don´t have fastbreaks, as the rebounding is mostly done by the guards. So we need a rebounding PF to go along with that C, which should provide us with a lot of fastbreak opportunities. Boy, do i miss those Barkley long distance passes... ------------------ "Dream another dream, this dream is over... Dream another dream, this dream is over... Dream another dream..." - from the Van Halen song, "The Dream is Over" (Thank you, Freak). Fitting, isn´t it?
I thought the Cato of the Middle of last season when he was blocking shots and getting a lot of dunks from Steve coming from the week side (i.e. the Pheonix game) would have been perfect. It seems like it was just a flash and he hasn't been the same since he hurt his wrist last year. ------------------
Cato got most his dunks from Mobley and the 2 Shakes. That's a large part of how we won the Super Bowl Sunday game against the Lakers. Plus, Drew lighting it up. No, really! Cato and Mobley came off the bench together, in tandem, largely to run the 2 Shakes in the 2nd and 4th Q.
Actually, LaFrentz would be great for the Rockets. He's long, has range out to the 3 point line, rebounds well, blocks shots, and has good ball-handling skills. He's not the heaviest guy, so he has trouble defensively, and is really more of a PF, but he would be ideal in a Rockets uni. ------------------ "ON-BEE-TAH-BULL!!", Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon, alumnus, University of Houston
Marc Jackson is perfect fit...I've seen some of his highlights and he can shoot for his size with 3 point range I might add...He gets all of the boards and can bang with the big boys...he's a free agent next year so there's a great chance we can pick him up...probably will win the rookie of the year award...wonder what's the max you can offer someone on his second year? [This message has been edited by ChenZhen (edited January 23, 2001).]
Hell, I'd settle for a healthy Cato! ------------------ "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Gandhi
Your assessment of this team's center needs are pretty good. This team could very much use an eraser on the frontline, but one that run the floor atleast reasonably well, can rebound, has good hands and good lateral movement. The sad part of the whole thing is that if Kelvin Cato could stay healthy, show more intensity on the glass and would catch passes better, he would be the man for the Rockets. Watching the way the NBA is developing, I no longer think its that big of a deal if your starting center is not 7 feet tall. I personally would have no problem starting a 6-9 or 6-10 player in the middle like Toronto does with Antonio Davis as long as that player meets the needs of the team. If the Rockets cant sign Chris Webber this offseason, I would be more than happy if they signed Davis and plugged him in at the 5 spot as he is a very good rebounder, a good shot blocker, good defender, sets excellent screens and has significantly improved his offense over the past few seasons. Davis who is capable of playing both PF and C along with Collier and when he decides to play, Cato, is more than adequate in the middle for this team. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
Honestly I think you need a center who is good defensively, can rebound, and is not a big offensive threat is the best fit for the Rockets. If we get another center to the likes of a scoring machine like Garnett, we are going to have problems with who gets the shots on the offensive end. If you need examples then look at the Lakers last year with Rice, Bryant, and Shaq or the Blazers with Pippen, Smith, Wallace, etc... The Rockets already have four potential 20 pointers p/game with Francis, Mobley, Anderson, and Taylor. I say if Cato gets healthy then just keep him. He can rebound, block shots, and doesn't complain about not getting the ball on the offensive end because he knows he can't shoot and that contract will keep him happy!
What about shane Battier(spell??) of Duke. I don't think he'll be a top five pick, so he could be available when the rockets pick comes. He's also a team player and a leader. What doy'll think? ------------------ Baseball is wrong, a man with four balls can't walk.
Maybe we should take a chance on that 7'5" Korean guy. ------------------ When we tire of well-worn ways, we seek for new. This restless craving in the souls of men spurs them to climb, and to seek the mountain view. -- Ella Wheeler Wilcox
While I agree that Cato is the perfect fit for this team, I'm thinking that we need to start looking further ahead to this off season, when we can draft, trade, or sign FA players. Cato has been here a year & a half already & other than the first preseason, has not really done anything. Throw in all the injuries & basically, (although the juries still out) he's been a bust. How long do you wait on a veteran to contribute? I'll give him until the end of the year, but if he hasn't started contributing to the team by then, I'm going to write him off as a bust for sure. As far as us not needing a center that can score a lot, I disagree. We need a center that can contribute offensively as much as anyone else on this team. As good as our back court is, even they have an off night, so you need to be able to go to another option on nights like that. It's those off night victories that put you among the elite teams. I agree that our PF's need to rebound more, but MO & KT have been getting better as each game goes by & their confidence goes up. I really think that our PF's are a lot more solid than we give them credit for & will only get better. We HAVE to resign MO! Webber might be the ideal candidate to play the center spot on this team in my opinion. He's young enough to get up & down the floor with our guards, has an outside shot that would draw the Shaq's of the league away from the basket, is a great rebounder, & I believe can block some shots (although that's not his strength). I realize that getting him might be a long shot, but Doc Rocket did mention that he could assure us that the Rockets were going to push hard for him in the off season. With the young players, the coaches, the ownership, the fans, & the new style of offense that we have, I like our chances. Would he want to play center in this offense? Only he knows for sure, but I'll bet Francis, Cat, CD, & Rudy can win him over. Or should we just go after the best center to fit our needs in the draft? ------------------
He's sitting on the bench right now.If he can stay healthy and out of foul trouble,I'll bet Cato is our man.Dream casts a long shadow and once his situation is resolved and Kelvin can get the lion's share of minutes ,I believe he'll be fine.Put Webber next to him in 6 months and there you go.Cato just needs to be able to focus on being the starter and he should be able to stay on the court longer..With time on the court and the confidence that goes with it people will be surprised. ------------------ [This message has been edited by hardwood (edited January 23, 2001).]
I think Cato's got a long way to go before he's anyone's idea of an ideal center for this or any other system. He's offensively-challenged, with no moves or shooting range to speak of. He's also a less-than-stellar defender. Shotblocking does not always tell the story: I'd prefer a guy who can play good, solid defense over a man who goes up into the air on every pump fake. Plus, he's a below-average rebounder for his position. I'd like to second the LaFrentz nomination. Issel doesn't like him up in Denver, right? He fits what I see as our future needs quite nicely. Of course, Collier was/is supposed to develop into a LaFrentz type player as well, albeit without as much range on his shot. ------------------ I am Jack's utter lack of surprise. www.clutchtown.com
Well, the best center for the Rockets is probably Reaf Lafrentz(who can shoot the 3 as well post up). I wouldn't mind Dikembe Mutumbo at all. Our offense is obviously going to be run through our guards. No more post plays(at least not more than 4 to 5). Its obvious to see that when watching the Rockets play. So Mutumbo would be a shot blocking player that can rebound and change opponents shots. ------------------
The perfect applicant for that position would have to be Ken Johnson from Ohio State. He led the league last year in blocks. Seeing him play, I think he would be a great fit for this team. He could definitely be a sleeper for us in the first round and his stats are... 12.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 4.6 blocks per game. ------------------ http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/houstonrockets2000
