I am starting to wonder about Cat. I do not get to see games often, but when I do, Mobley (even if he is on fire) looks like he may be hurting the team. I saw him referred to as a black hole in one post, i find this very accurate. When I see the box scores I get seeing 5-15 or 7-21's. I think this team is further along in rebuilding than a lot of people think. We have 1 of the best 3 pgs in the league, We have a blossoming 3/4 (Griff) who looks like he could be the next Garnett. We have another solid 3/4 (Kt) who can start, but is probably better suited for a 6th man role. we have a solid Back up Pg( Mooch) and a guy that in a year or 2 will be a good sg (Oscar). Obviously as of now, Cato is not a consistent force in the middle, so our defense, just by that is limited. I look at Minnesota, who has the same problem. They have no solid center, and KG is the defensive force on that team. But what they do have, is KG, Terrel Brandon, and a solid, consistent sg in Wally Sczerbiak. Now, EG is not yet KG, but Francis is WAY better than Brandon. But I think what makes Minnesota good is the fact that Wally is consistent. I'm not saying Franchise never has an off day, but when he does, he tries to get teamates working to win the game, as opposed to Mobley who seems to jack up more shots. I think Mobley is a great player, but I don't think he has the mental game, or the desire to make everyone around him better. If the chance came I think a Mobley/Wiz or Mobley/Kt package could land us something nice. Preferrably a sg with Mobley's talent, just a tad more consistancy and mental game.
BOOO!!!! BOOO!!! <in the manner of Princess Bride> Whatz wit all de Mobley hatas? Give Cat a break. He's been playing his heart out, even though with injuries. The guy gets a couple sub-15pt. games and he's holding us down? Don't forget he gave us three straight- 30+ performances last week (it was last week, right?). I'm not saying he's perfect. But he's still a top-10 SG. Why is Mobley always getting singled out? The guy's one of the few on the team who can actually ball. Trading Mobley should be out of the question unless a spectacular deal comes up.
Its not that Francis 3422 is a hatin' on Cat, he makes a valid point that too often Mobley comes down the court and takes an ill-timed shot, when no Rockets are under the basket to block out and get a rebound, or to pass it off when someone when he is covered He also makes a valid point in saying that Mobley doesn't get as many people involved. Although Mobley is not the point guard, hence not a distributor of the ball, he still nonetheless is something of a blackhole, because once the ball goes into him, he never passes it back out. Case in point I went to the Dec. 26th game against the Suns, and I couldn't help but yell out along the with the fan sitting below and my girlfriend next to me for Cat to stop shooting the ball and pass it to the open man. I have seen way too many games where Cat has taken a bad shot with two or three guys covering him. I understand he plays his heart out, and as a fan I appreciate that in the modern times of athletes playing more for money rather than the love of the game, but heart doesn't always win, sometimes you have to think. As for saying that Cat is holding back the team, I wouldn't say that.
Whatz wit all de Mobley hatas? Give Cat a break. He's been playing his heart out, even though with injuries. The guy gets a couple sub-15pt. games and he's holding us down? Don't forget he gave us three straight- 30+ performances last week (it was last week, right?). I'm not saying he's perfect. But he's still a top-10 SG. Why is Mobley always getting singled out? The guy's one of the few on the team who can actually ball. Trading Mobley should be out of the question unless a spectacular deal comes up. I've been kind of thinking the same about Mobley. In order to get to the next level you've got to have a mental game. A great talent, but man he just donl't seem to get it. It still will be hard for Rudy to trade him.
Cuttino didn't hurt the team too bad tonight. What's concerning me about Cuttino is that he's been shooting horribly lately but continues to jack up many shots instead of getting other teamates involved. He's in a slump right now. It's just in his nature to be selfish and a selfish player in a slump can be detrimental to a team. Hopefully he can get his jumpshot back because we all know no matter what, he will continue to jack up shots whether he's on or off.
I don't think he's holding us back lets just call it like we see. He's a good player. Top 10 in his position probably not, but still a solid player in the Vernon Maxwell mold, More of a scorer than a shooter, shot selection is terrible, confidence is always high. We can't even consider doing anything with him until Francis is resigned. I just think he a good player and not a great player like some think.
About trading Mobley. I wouldn't want to trade him anyway, but trading him before we secure Francis for a long-term contract would be just plain stupid.
the Cat man is playing on two really bad ankles! I heard through the locker room vine that his ankles are baseball size after every game and he has to ice and heat before and after games and practices.....dude needs to be off for 1-2 weeks minimum...he looks like he does not have the hops anymore....this will also give us a chance to tank it for Yao Ming...we are now 2 games out from the Yao Ming sweepstakes....we need to sit him and KT now...
I do have one major gripe with all of the guards last night: Kenny Thomas. KT was absolutely on fire last night. He had the full offensive arsenal on display last night hitting Js, jump hooks, you name it. He was like 8 of 11 from the field at the half. And he was virtually invisible in the second half! Why? Because the Rocks' guards once again put on a ball-handling exhibition during the second half at the expense of ball movement and team play. And it's not just Cat and Moochie, Steve is just as guilty. We all know that the Rocks' are weak up front, but the guards aren't exactly getting the job done either. They are making the game harder than it has to be.
I'm sure this was discussed before... If we used Griffin, KT, Mo, Franchise... Which player works better in that group? Cat, Torres, or Rice There are not enough balls on the court if Cat is in that lineup. He would have to adjust his game to expect to be the last option if he was inserted among that group. Do you want an offensive specialist to be the last option? Cat is a first option kind of guy. But when he excels, other people's offense suffers. To me, the last option should be a defensive demon or a passing fool. Cat is an awesome off the bench, injury replacement, second game of a B2B , and final shot player, if he can adjust his ego to it. (Although he does rebound well for a guard)
I know it was like 4 days ago only, but was Cuttino guarding Reggie in the Indiana game? If he was, chasing Miller through all of those picks plus chasing Houston through picks every damn time down the court may have had a little to do with the bad shooting of the last few games. The more I watch Cuttino's defense, the more I am impressed with it. You rarely see his man drive past him and he consistently is up in the guy's face or chasing him through picks and making it difficult to score. Even that last shot Houston hit last night was with Cuttino playing defense about as well as it can be played. Anyway, the point is Cat is a pretty good defender (even if his height doesn't always allow for the best results) and is good for this team overall. Do not trade him.
Some, but not the whole game, as Isiah forced him to guard Harrington most of the 4th. Moochie was actually on Reggie, and vice versa...if you can believe that. It was Francis against Tinsley, Reggie/Moochie, Cat/Harrington and Griffin/O'Neil for about 8 minutes in the 4th then Kenny/O'Neil with 4 minutes left or so. Foster/Croshere swapped turns on Kenny until O'Neil took him after Thomas drove past them for 2 layups (one a dunk, right??). Also, Francis went through the picks chasing down Sprewell last night. They don't really give picks for Houston like they do Sprewell. That was an odd assignment, because usually Mobley always takes Sprewell. I wonder if that switch was due to ankle problems as well, because Sprewell is damn sure the harder assignment. Is this ankle stuff not healing being mentioned on the radio, or are we hearing reports from those on the bbs?
Damn I'm glad some people put more efforts into their posts than me. I would've just been like "No" and added one to the post count but crispee goes all above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks. Only one thing, I wasn't really watching all the picks for Sprewell but if they give more for him than Houston then damn cuz it seemed like everytime down the court (especially moreso tonight since Houston was on and Spree was not) Cat was just running around player after player trying to keep up.
