I haven't started a thread/topic before but with the exception of the Jamison thing are a little slow around here so...... I will readily admit to being pro-Kelvin Cato but this is in NO way meant as a criticism of Dream. In checking out the stats for last season, I came across something that greatly surprised me. For the entire season, in games where Cato played 24 or more minutes the Rockets were 20 W and 17 L. That's a winning percentage of .541 which equates to a 44 win season. I will admit I'm pretty new here and this may have been discussed prior, but I was VERY surprised when the spreadsheet tallied this up. Anyone else surprised? ------------------ GATER
No. Cato makes the game quicker and hakeem makes it slower. ------------------ "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
All Cato has to do for the Rockets is be a solid NBA center. And by that I mean score 10pts., get 8 rebounds, and block 2.5 shots. Cato is good for the Rockets because he does not clog up the lane. Also, Cato is so quick to the ball off the basket; equating thunderous slam Dunks. And all of you, even the nay sayers of Cato smile a little when you all see that. I won't say that I haven't asked for Cato trades. Because I've been as big a proponent to get rid of this guy as all of you. There may be 5 guys in this whole BBS that have stuck to your man the whole season! But a solid playing Cato would do wonders to this team. Imagine all those times that the Rockets go for steals and miss; then Cato would have to block all those shots to help out his mates. Cato is a huge question mark; but in a previous thread I posed the question if you guys tought that he was severly over paid. To my surprise most of the responses said NO. I personally tought that he may be only about 1 million over paid. Cato is only about 2 pts. 2 reb. and 1 block away from where I would be satisfied with his performance and where he would be a huge asset to this team. Providing a defensive presence. CD has implied, expect an improved Cato next season! Why would he lie? ------------------ The guns are cocked and the soldiers are in place, it's time to march and let the battles decide the war.
Well, CD may lie just to increase Cato's value so he can get a good trade for him.... HOWEVER - I think Cato will pan out! Give him a chance - like vince says he's not far off what he needs to be! I'd go so far as to say that he doesn't even need to score 10ppg to be effective - all he needs to do is finish the looks that he gets! As long as he becomes a stronger rebounder then he's fine and we'll do well!! ------------------
How about this for a stat, Shaq averaged 19ppg, 13.5 rpg (season averages around 30ppg, 13.6rpg) in 30.6 minutes against Houston......It's not good, but if u compare it to other teams,we did even better than the Blazers......Or if u compare it to the clippers, he averaged 40ppg, 20rpg, in 37.25 minutes.........WOW........ ------------------
I said it before, and I will say it again! Cato will be a top ten center this year. ------------------ Nice guys finish lunch. - C. Chase
I remember early in the summer Doc Rocket said something to the effect that if Cato wasn't traded then this offseason didn't go as planned for the Rockets. But the more time goes by it seems like that isn't the case. I think it's great that he's working out so hard and all, as has been reported, but the problem with Cato isn't what he can't do--it's what he won't do. So what difference does it make how much of a badass the guy turns himself into this summer if he's just going to cruise anyway. If he could've played last year like he did in the preseason then no one would care if he was working his butt off right now. Seriously, from a pure bball standpoint alone (I know it doesn't work out $-wise) I'd rather have a healthy Dampier (while those alleged GS discussions are still in the air) than what Cato put up last year. However, if he changes his act this year then I'll gladly eat my words. ------------------
Could Jason Collier be our starting center by the end of the season? ------------------ In order to be a success in life, you need 2 things: 1. Don't tell everything you know.
Sure, in his dreams! The only way Collier becomes the starting center is if Hakeem and Cato both go down. ------------------ I am the founding member of the Butt-Nekkid Party! White House here we come!
When Cato plays good enough to stay in the game for 24 minutes, then that is usually a good thing. Finn: how about signing Chucky Brown to play starting center? ------------------ I am so exasperated that I could expectorate.
Sane...Dont forget that part of Shaqs lower numbers were due to him being tossed early in one of the 3 games he played against the Rox. ------------------ "I have amazing, powers of observation"...Pink
hello..my name is Valio...and I'm a Cato-aholic...well, ok maybe I don't have THAT much faith...but I agree with RocketExpert... Cato will be a top 10 center this season...His raw ability is pretty good..just needs to tweek the attitude a tad and I think we have a decent center...I'd like to see him stick around and see how he develops..he's still young and you can see that sometimes when he screws up or something, he gets frustrated and then starts playing worse...but when he's on task (like in that super bowl day LAker game last year) he can come up big with some inspired blocks... ------------------
Ok. So Cato comes into season 99-00 expecting to play about 10mpg behind Sabonis and Wallace and Grant. But what happens? He gets traded to the Rockets who would like a few more minutes out of him - from the bench as a backup for both Hakeem and Barkly. But what happens? Hakeem and Barkly get injuries and it turns out that Cato is our starting center - of course he's not in physical shape to play that many minutes and so many of his performances seem a little half-baked. I think THAT is why Cato has been getting in shape this off-season. It was what he couldn't do, and that was play extended minutes. Hopefully some fitness training will help that which should increase his on-court performances. Of course if he's exactly the same as last year then I'll gladly eat my words! ------------------
It's even "less good" when you consider Shaq only played 15 minutes in the first game. If you take out that aberration as well as the game he didn't play at all, he averaged about 26 pts and 16 rebs against us. And of course the reason he averaged so much against the Clippers was because (listen up all you Olowokandi fans), he went off for 61 points and 23 rebs in one of those games. Kandi Man had 2 points and 5 fouls in 14 minutes of play. Interestingly enough, Mo Taylor had a double-digit rebounding game that night as well as 25 pts. ------------------ Falk that Mo Fo!!!
The main thing that worries me about Cato is his attitude. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't he say last season he'd prefr to "not start..." as he would rather come off the bench? I am sure he did. That is just mind boggling. We are a young team and ther was NO pressure on last season. It was THE ideal time to become a starter. I know some Veterans volunteer for the bench role as their careers wind down...but a young center with a just signed monster contract?!! ------------------
Dale Davis: Ranks 8th in the NBA in Rebounds Per Game (9.9) Ranks 13th in the NBA in Field-Goal Percentage (.502) Kelvin Cato: Ranks 12th in the NBA in Blocks Per Game (1.91) Rebounds Per Game (6.0) FG% (53%) ------------------ In order to be a success in life, you need 2 things: 1. Don't tell everything you know.
Dr. Nue... Um, he averaged 24.3 mpg. Kelvin Cato was playing in his third NBA season. He knows what it takes to be in shape to play in an 82 game season. If it was his rookie year at least he'd have that whole "rookie wall" thing to fall back on and blame. Besides, basketball isn't like football, where Cato wasn't getting enough "reps". He does all the same running, drills, and he's always gonna be either on offense or defense. Also, he's 26 years old. Since when do 26 yr-olds get tired? See, I don't think fatigue was the reason Cato didn't play up to expectations. I think it was more mental. He complained about not wanting to start, even though he was being paid as much as a starter. He was often seen at the end of the bench pouting over something. And, I can even remember him pouting on the court on a couple occasions. You can get in shape. You can get stronger. You can even develop an outside shot. Learning to play defense is a little tougher, and to increase your mental abilities is next to impossible. He showed us his physical abilities last pre-season. He then proceeded to show his mental abilities during the entire regular season, save one or two abberations. I'll gladly eat my words too. But, I'd still prefer not to take the risk of him being a mental midget yet again and trade his butt for someone more consistent. ------------------ I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem. DREAMer's Rocket Page
