If the Rocks would not have resigned Cato in the summer...........

May I ask you one question?
Who would you rather have $4-5M Brad Miller or $5-7M Cato?


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Hack a Shaq you'll be winning
Hack-him you'll be dreaming.

 

I would rather have Cato because he is one of the best shot blockers in the game. If you don't beleive me ask Shaq (Jan 30). Even if Cato isn't the best offensive player because Steve, Cuttino, Shandon, Taylor, and maybe Walt are the offense for the team.

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www.Rockets2000.net

 

Chicago would of grabbed him away from us. Reason houston gave him such a big deal was because they wanted cato to take the contract now so he doesnt become a free agent and leave.

I would rather have Cato than Brad Miller. Miller doesnt impress me , his rebounds is the only thing that does. Besides I dont think he fits with us.



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"I talked about what degenerates they [Mets fans] were, and they proved me right. Just by saying something, I could make them mad enough to go home and slap their moms."

John Rocker

 

If Cato can block shots and stay out of foul trouble, he is worth his contract. I just hope his offseason improvements are as good as I hear they are.

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What're you trying to cover up for him or something?!?! Cato sucked on Offence last season because he DOES SUCK!!
Put him on the Clippers and i assure you he'd still be awful on offence.

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Ostertag for Three!!!!!

 

I think it's a little telling that Cato was 3rd string on the Blazers.... after the notoriously underachieving O'Neil... and that they were willing to part with him so easily.
The guy has been in this league for several years now... I seriously doubt he's going to improve that much more.

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Shandon Anderson rocks.
The lottery sucks. Playoffs 2001.

 

First of all, how has Jermaine O'neal been "nororiously underacheiving"? The guy came straight from high school, to one of the best teams in the NBA, which also just happened to have its best talent at his position. You'll have to try to explain to me how he's underachieved. Secondly, who says he played behind O'neal? O'neal actually arrived at Portland a year before Cato, and Cato still played more than he did:

'97-'98: Cato played 13.6 minutes a game, O'Neal 13.5. O'Neal had already played 10 minutes a game the year before.

'98-'99: Cato played 12.7 minutes a game to O'Neal's 8.9.

Easily? Would you give up a 2nd-string player for someone that could get you a ring?

That's a pretty ridiculous statement. Last year was the first time he got significant time, and that was only 25 minutes a game. And don't give me any crap about how he should have played more at Portland if he was any good. He was playing behind Wallace and Brian Grant.

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"I am NOT ****ing Kip Winger, okay? You want to talk about rock & roll, I'll sit there all day, as long as someone's buying the drinks. But don't expect me to be like everybody else. If you want an amusing anecdote, talk to Mark Slaughter. I'm sure he'll say something like, 'Yeah, we had a couple of lite beers and ran down the hall in our underwear. Whoooooo!'" - Chris Robinson, Black Crowes, Rolling Stone, January 24, 1991

Metal Sludge

 

The Blazers missed Cato quite badly last season. Had they had him instead of O'neil then I'm almost certain they would be NBA champions right now.

I'm astonished that there are SO many posters here who rip Cato for his lack of productivity but would've been more than happy if we'd drafted Pryzbilla instead of Collier. Pryzbilla is unproven but has potential. Cato has more potential than Pryzbilla. Isn't it a little bit hypocritical to be high on every other players "potential" except for Cato??

If you want a potentially good player watch Kelvin Cato this year!! Last year was the first time he's had significant minutes in the NBA. By his own admission he wasn't in shape (if you'll remember he was expecting to play about 10mpg and then the trade went down RIGHT BEFORE PRESEASON)

If we're to believe reprts that say Cato is working hard to get in shape then we should all be slobbering at the mouth with anticipation of seeing a fine shot blocker at work and seeing an athletic 7 footer running the floor with Francis.


Get off Cato's case until you've seen him play.

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I agree with CompaqC . Cato SUCK(ed) of offense. I say we give him atleast till the allstar break to see what he can do. By that time we should have figured out if he is lazy or if he is actually willing to work his ass off.

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Vote for the Rockets & Have FUN or be Assimilated.

 

No one in the NBA is worth their contract... It's just a game and they are making millions... But it's supply and demand. We would most assuredly had to pay more for Cato this summer than we already are. Simply because the demand for legitimate athletic shotblocking centers is much greater than the supply.

If Danny Fortson can sign 6 million a year contract and Tim Thomas can sign a 10 million a year contract than surely Cato would have received more... I know I would rather have Cato than both of those guys...
We got a BARGAIN... and I for one believe he will play even better this than he did last preseason... So we should consider ourselves lucky and leave it at that.

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[This message has been edited by Old Man Rock (edited August 27, 2000).]

 

Cato is getting what he deserves, now if he could just learn how to catch the ball, and maybe get a solid move, then we would be talking.

DaDakota

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All you MO-FO's better stop ripping off my lines !!

 

Catching the ball is the main thing I'm worried about - is that genetic or can you learn it ??

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I hope it is something you can learn or else I suggest throwing the pass to Cato in 2 areas.

1. At his head, he misses and it conks him on the noggin.

2. Throwing the ball at his nuggets, he misses, and he gets severely CONKED !!

If you throw it in those 2 areas, I guarentee he will LEARN how to catch.



DaDakota

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All you MO-FO's better stop ripping off my lines !!

 

How long will he spend on the IR after a conk in the nuggets?

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Thefreak: From what I heard of the deal, Portland was told to give up either Cato or O'Neal. They gave up Cato.

As for your point about playing time... I hate to say it, but games probably aren't where most of the progress is made. I'd wager that most progress is made in practice. Sure, there isn't any substitute for playing in games in certain categories (performing under pressure, clutch performance), but most *skills*, the important part, seem to be learned in practice.

CASE IN POINT: Austin Croshere. Despite not receieving meaningful playing time (less than Cato, I believe), Croshere exploded this last year as a result of the tutelage of the Pacer's management.

And how about your ABSURD statement about playing behind Wallace and Grant...

... WRONG... Cato can also play the 5, which was manned by Avydas Sabonis... not a player with the world's best endurance, even 2 years ago.

Granted, Grant or Wallace may have received a few minutes at the C, but nothing substantial. And if Brian Grant can outplay Cato at Cato's natural position... well, we're in trouble.

Cato never showed much at Iowa St. He never showed much skill in Portland. He never showed much in Houston. Logic dictates he won't show much more now.

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Shandon Anderson rocks.
The lottery sucks. Playoffs 2001.

[This message has been edited by haven (edited August 27, 2000).]

 

So Croshere is good and well worth his 7year 51million dollar deal and Cato is NOT worth his 6 year 42million dollar deal.

Croshere
MPG 23.3 PPG 10.3 RPG 6.4 BPG 0.7 SPG 0.5

Cato
MPG 24.3 PPG 8.7 RPG 6.0 BPG 1.9 SPG 0.5

IMHO there's not much difference between them at all - I guess Croshere DOES score an extra 1.6 points so he's worth that extra 9 million for the extra season - of course Cato blocks more shots so maybe we're getting an ABSOLUTE bargain!!

You did of course do your research to discover that Cato did only play sparsely at Portland?
97-98 13.6 mpg (Sabonis 32)
98-99 12.7 mpg (Sabonis 27)

Oh yeah, Grant had 31.8 and 31.5
Wallace had 37.6 and 28.9

Not much PT left for Cato - of course being in his 1st and 2nd seasons in the NBA would probably have something to do with the fact that he didn't play much, can't be expected to come in and take playing time away from a seasoned veteran can you?
If YOU had Wallace/Grant/Sabonis in your team would you play them as much as you could, regardless of position? Or would you make them ride the pine so a rookie could get some PT.

I didn't see Jermaine O'Neal get much court time this year (just 12.4 mpg) - but does that mean that he's useless???


A word of advice:
Before you start talking out your rear end make sure it's still behind you


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Where is this potential everyone sees in Cato? I hear shot blocking mentioned but if you base the blocks on per minute played then Greg Ostertag (yeah the guy with the 6 inch vertical) did better than Cato.
Yeah Cato was young and inxpereinced last year but most guys who have rode the pine the first few years make silly mistakes by being over excited on the court. Cato by comparison disappears. For some reason he played better on national TV, so I see it as a problem with effort. He got his contract and he was content.
The guy is either lazy or content to be underachieving. If he won't show up to play every night he doesn't do us alot of good (he may help this year but once Dream is gone he has to step up).
Also I see as much potential in Pryz as what there is in Cato, they are both physically big (which is the same potential that Cato has) and neither one has done anything in the NBA.

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