i think the rox need a replacement for cato, he has his hot streaks, but other than that, he isnt that great
A couple of years ago Cato could barely hold a candle to Jason Collier, but now I think he could start for most teams in the league. Top 10? Let's say he's cusping it. Go Cato!!
Are you telling me you didn't see a change in Cato last season? And where did his trade value enter into the conversation? What exactly does that have to do with the statement I made?
i dont even think catos contract is killer. i think its moochies and taylors. both are a year longer that cato, and both thus far have given us nothing in terms of earning their keep. cato atleast gives us 15 solid minutes of defense and rebounding.
Oh yeah, that Theo Ratliff and Alonzo have been very consistent haven't they? Oh, and who in the world can stop Big Ben and Eddy Curry's offense? Shaquille O'Neal is not only the best, but the only consistent dominent big man...And Yoa Ming looks like he will be the only one to fill the void in the league's do-nothing position. When healthy, Yoa Ming and Ilgauskus are the second and third best in the NBA.
I believe your heart is in the right place, but yor mind is somewhere over the rainbow. What back-up center is better than Cato? or making the amount of money he is making? Not only is the trade worthless, but its darn near (mission impossible)
I laughed pretty hard when I read Eddy Curry. I might have to start discounting your posts a little from now on. (not really, but curry being top 10 is pretty funny)
If you watch tonights preseason game, Amaechi is nowhere close to Cato. I'm glad he isn't our back up center because we'd be in trouble. Cato looks good tonight. 9 points and 8 rebounds.
I thought it was a joke when I saw this thread, but I guess not. If Cato was a top ten center don't you think that some teams without a top center would want him and want to trade for him? He is a back up, a good back up but not top ten.
I like it! Throw Amaechi in for extra measure when the team wants to go big! Intimidating if nothing else....
Based on what Cato has done last year and this year I'm ready to call him the top backup center in the league. That's not a bad thing for the Rockets since we don't need a starter. Reminds me of something Bum Phillips said about Earl Campbell- When asked if he thought Earl was in a class with the greatest NFL running backs of all time- Bum replied " I don't know what class he is in but I know it doesn't take very long to call the roll"
30. Chris Kaman, Clippers: Melvin Ely may have something to say about this ranking. 29. Erick Dampier, Warriors: Stop me if you've heard this before. Damp plays like a beast in November before taking the next 11 months off. 28. Shawn Bradley, Mavericks: Bradley is what he is and he will never be anything more than that. Sadly, I have no idea what that is. 27. Adonal Foyle, Warriors: If the Warriors can dump Erick Dampier’s salary, the increased minutes could enable Foyle lead the league in blocks. He averaged 2.5 swats in 22 minutes last year. 26. Scot Pollard, Pacers: Pollard is slated to start at center for the Pacers, but I doubt he gets enough minutes to make a sizeable fantasy splash. 25. Raef LaFrentz, Mavericks: Get ready for another exciting season of nine points, five boards, and one block per game. 24. Marcus Camby, Nuggets: Remember when Cotton Camby was consistently ranked among the top-10 centers? I can’t. 23. Mehmet Okur, Pistons: Now that Uncle Cliffy has been traded, Okur should get plenty of clock for Detroit. Okur becomes a restricted free agent next summer. 22. Derrick Coleman, 76ers: Will D.C. play through injuries for new head coach Randy Ayers? Doubtful. 21. Vlade Divac, Kings: The Brad Miller trade was the beginning of the end for Vlade, who turns 63 in February. 20. Alonzo Mourning, Nets: The NBA could use a successful comeback from Zo—so could the Nets. Unfortunately, I’m not getting my hopes up. 19. Rasho Nesterovic, Spurs: Rasho will not significantly improve upon 11.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, and 1.5 bpg in San Antonio. 18. Antonio Davis, Raptors: Davis, who turns 35 on Halloween, is coming back from ankle and knee injuries. I hate to say it, but A.D. is no longer reliable. 17. Brad Miller, Kings: Minutes—or lack thereof—could turn Miller into a bust on this deep team. That said, Chris Webber’s knee injury could keep Miller on the floor. 16. Lorenzen Wright, Grizzlies: Lo may be the most underrated double-double guy in the league. 15. Keon Clark, Jazz: Not sure how this UNLV-alum will vibe with Old School-alum Jerry Sloan. Still, Keon’s a sleeper. 14. Zach Randolph, Trail Blazers: The bet here is that Zach the Ripper plays too well for Mo Cheeks to take him off the floor. Take a seat, Dale Davis. 13. Brian Grant, Heat: The Rasta Monsta quietly averaged a double-double last season. 12. Jamaal Magloire, Hornets: I expect Magloire to average a double-double with solid blocks in his fourth season. 11. Michael Olowokandi, Timberwolves: With the Clippers in the rear-view mirror, Kandi finally gets to start his career. 10. Nene, Nuggets: No, I didn’t forget his last name. Nene left it in Brazil over the summer. No center steals the ball like Nene, who averaged 1.6 swipes as a rookie. 9. Kurt Thomas, Knicks: Yeah, Crazy Eyes is playing out of position, but who cares when you average 14 points, eight rebounds, a block, and a steal? 8. Eddy Curry, Bulls: All you need to know about Curry is that he averaged 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and 32 minutes in April. 7. Theo Ratliff, Hawks: Not only did Theo stay healthy last season, he led the league with 3.2 blocks per game. 6. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cavaliers: Big Z pulled himself off the trainer’s table to average 17.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks last year. More amazing, however, is the fact he started 81 games. 5. Ben Wallace, Pistons: The two-time Defensive Player of the Year averaged 15.4 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, and 1.4 steals last season. 4. Yao Ming, Rockets: After averaging 13.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.8 bpg, and 1.7 apg as a rookie, Yao cranks those averages to 16.5, 9.5, 2.5, and 2.0, respectively, in year two. 3. Jermaine O’Neal, Pacers: Memo to commissioners: J.O. should be center/forward eligible this season because the Pacers are weird at center. That being the case, he’s the third-best center and arguably a top-five overall pick. 2. Shaquille O’Neal, Lakers: Not that he needed to, but Shaq reaffirmed his greatness by averaging 27.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks when he didn’t even care. 1. Tim Duncan, Spurs: I don’t care if he’s center eligible or not, Duncan is the No. 1 overall fantasy pick regardless of scoring method. Period. http://www.fanball.com/ph/article.cfm?id=1670 I pretty much agree with this...obviously there are some PF/C thrown in there...but they can play center better than Cato...even if they typically play PF. I'd maybe put Cato in there around 25. Great Backup center...but that's about it.
Oh man. Eddy Curry may not be a star now, but he might be by the end of this year. Did you see the kid play last year? He had some great games and he's only 20 I think. I think the kid has a good chance to become a superstar.
http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/6630933 1. Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers: Shaq is in a class by himself when it comes to dominating the game on both ends of the floor as a center, but he has backslid among the all-time greats the past couple of seasons with a lack of conditioning and general energy. This is a big year for him in that regard. 2. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets: Yao showed flashes of brilliance last season and he certainly has the talent to be one of the best big men of the era. He has great touch, wonderful passing instincts and good shot-blocking skills. Once he adjusts to the culture and the NBA game, he should be a perennial All-Star. 3. Vlade Divac/ Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings: They've both been All-Stars, offer outside shooting and rebounding. Divac is aging and Miller is the new acquisition who will probably play with Divac while Chris Webber is still recovering from knee surgery. Time will tell how much Divac has left and Miller has to offer. 4. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers: Last season was his best statistically, and not coincidentally, health-wise. If Z is healthy, with Ricky Davis and depending on how fast LeBron James comes along, the Cavs could climb the ladder quickly. But he's one of the few legit low-post scorers in the East. 5. Alonzo Mourning, New Jersey Nets: If he gets his strength back from a year off coping with his kidney disease, 'Zo could be second to Shaq. He also is a gamble who may or may not be able to play once training camp ends. But just based on his talent and attitude, the former All-Star deserves to be ranked in the top five. 6. Jamaal Magloire, New Orleans Hornets: His rapid development chased Elden Campbell out the door in the middle of last season. He's a good shot-blocker and terrific rebounder. He needs to continue to build on three years of improvement and take the next step to being a consistent contributor on the offensive end, too. 7. Rasho Nesterovic, San Antonio Spurs: He often was overwhelmed by the fire and impatience of Kevin Garnett in his five seasons with the Timberwolves, now he'll have the advantage of playing with the more calm Tim Duncan. Garnett hasn't intimidated other teammates, so we'll see if Rasho can use his fine skills now. 8. Theo Ratliff, Atlanta Hawks: Before breaking his wrist in Philadelphia, getting traded to the Hawks, and injuring his hip and abdomen, he was one of the top young big men in the game. Now, he's still a good defender/shot-blocker, but hasn't improved as a rebounder or a scorer. He should be stronger this year. 9. Michael Olowokandi, Minnesota Timberwolves: In many ways, Olowokandi is more erratic than Nesterovic, but the 'Wolves are banking on Garnett's energy driving Olowokandi to a consistently productive level. He has the whole package of scoring, rebounding and shot-blocking and is quicker than Rasho. Interesting. 10. Dale Davis, Portland Trail Blazers: A natural power forward, Davis has been forced to play center in the stout Western Conference, and has been solid on both ends of the floor. He's also consistent on a team filled with erratic players and personalities, which translates to leadership in Portland. For all of his limitations when it comes to hands and offensive skills, he manages to put it out every night and have numbers. Also receiving consideration: Antonio Davis, Toronto; Eddy Curry, Chicago; Lorenzen Wright, Memphis; Elden Campbell, Detroit; Shawn Bradley/Raef LaFrentz, Dallas ------------------------------------------------------------------------- No Cato in this guys top 18.
Two thoughts: 1) The great era of centers occured in the 90's? I must be really old. Look at '85. You might argue Dream and Ewing were pups, but look at their stats. and consider they were barely holding their own against an ancient Jabbar (2nd team All-Pro). Moses was still boss and look at the talent throughout the league at the position. Agreed, it was a collision of two eras but Dream and Ewing benifitted immensely from getting their butts dusted occasionally not only by the usual suspects. And skill? It's not close to comparable to what was around when Dream/Robinson/Ewing were dominant in the '90s. 2) I wish I'd had a time machine last summer so I could see this thread - I'd seen it as a sure sign of the coming apocalypse. Cato deserves props.
Re; the great era of centers... I think that you can make an argument that the Hakeem/Robinson/Ewing era was a second great era for centers...sort of...but the era dominated by Chamberlain, Russell, Thurmond and later Jabbar et al has always been considered the great era for centers. Among the reason why it, and not the late 80's 90's would be considered the great era for centers is this: During their time, if you didn't have a top tier center, you didn't win the ring. Period. Compare that to Hakeem's era and, as much as I love Hakeem, it was the LEAST center dominated era in tems of what equalled championships. In the late 80's Jabbar no longer qualified as among the best centers, and even the Chief's biggest fans would be hard pressed to call him that...the Pistons had Laimbeer and the Bulls had Cartright, Wennington, and Longley. It would be pretty hard to say that the road to the ring ran through the center spot the way it did when the Stilt, Russel, Thurmond, Jabbar, Cowens, Reed, Unseld, ( all of whom are in the NBA's top 50,BTW) etc. were dominating the game
