Unfortunately, the snow storm prevented me from getting home on time to watch the first half. But, I caught it on the radio. While driving home, I heard the Knick announcers say the following: "Mobley has all the talent in the world, but he has to learn to be a team player." "What is Mobley doing?" "Mobley has the worst attitude towards basketball in recent memory. He plays 1 on 5 basketball." "It must be demorilizing to a big man when he gets a rebound, starts the break, and by the time he gets to half court, Mobley has already JACKED up a three." "Its just hidious the way Mobley plays. He just barrels into players hoping to draw the foul. Where is the in-between game? He is still young. But you have to wonder if he is going to ever get it." So, of course, I think that these bastards are completely biased to the Knicks and I think of Coach and start screaming as I pay the toll to the GW Bridge "BIG MARKET BUTTKISSERS!" But, at half time, Jonathan Feigen gets on the radio and they ask him about Mobley. Feigen says that the 14 shots Mobley took in the first half is TYPICAL Mobley and that the 5 shots Francis took shows that Francis is LIGHT YEARS ahead of Mobley in his all around game. He also went on to say that in the locker room, people are rumbling about Mobley and his JACK mentality. I finally got home and saw for myself what he meant. I also saw it in person last month. I also saw it when he scored 41 points. I also saw it when he goes 1-11. Personally, I don't like Mobley's attitude. I don't like his attitude at all. I don't like the ball hog mentality. I don't like his b****ing to the officials. He shoots TOO DAMN, DAMN, DAMN much. And I sure as hell don't like his one on one game or his total lack of defense. Tod the Bod might be right when he said during his rookie year that Mobleys game is not a good one. Yea, Francis loves him. He is never late for practice. Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. So, I will make a prediction. If Mobley stays on the team with this attitude, we don't win squat. If Mobley decides that he wants to win a championship, he has to develop a game similar to Drexler. That is, take over when Francis can't. Take over when Francis is hurt. He needs to learn to play one on one defense and not try to outscore people. He HAS to pass the ball a alot more and think TEAM first and not be a ball hogging, shoot first, second and third, pass occasionally when his arm is tired of shooting type of player. Then with Webber maybe coming here next year, we can start talking about playoffs and all the magical, pretty things that comes with being a team. We won tonights battle. But the point is to win the war. Someone For now, I will change his nickname from CAT to JACK. I think is more fitting right now until he matures or until we trade him for front court help. ------------------ Nadie En La Vida Es Eterno [This message has been edited by Almu (edited February 06, 2001).]
Lemme let you in on a little secret: Cuttino's a SHOOTING GUARD... Sure, we'd be happier if he was shooting 50% from the field, but he's not. How many guards do? Put him at SF or PG and these numbers are nearly catastrophic, but at SG that's about what one should expect. As for the ISOs, he IS fast, with a quick first step. It's a good play that often works. Not always... And he's not even starting. Show me another 6th man who can - on a regular basis - get you 20+/- pts? And a few assists, rebounds, and steals to boot... I'm not real big on all this talk about landing CWebb, but if I'm him and I want to win, Cuttino definitely makes Houston a more attractive place to run the ball. The Steve/Cat backcourt doesn't work if you take Cuttino out of it. ------------------
Almu- So you're assuming Francis can take over the game and he wants to. My point is there have been great players (especially PGs) that didn't dominate offensively even on their own teams. Magic & Isiah were 2 great PGs who arguably weren't the teams #1 options. Magic was always second offensively to Kareem. Magic ran the offense and created shots for Kareem and others. Isiah at times was the center of the pistons offense, but when Vinnie was on the court Vinnie played much like Mobley (taking a lot of shots). Isiah would also at times defer to a hot shooter like Dumars or Aguirre. Mobley has alot of flaws. Problem is he is an excellent one-on-one player and Rudy seems to like him with the ball. Until Francis proves on a night in and night out basis that 1) he can dominate a game 2) he wants to be the man every night, that Mobley will continue with his current game. Ithink if Francis does step up that Rudy would talk to Cuttino and try to slow him down. However at the same time you don't want to break a young players ego, and there are very few players in the league who really want to take the last secong shot to determine the outcome of the game. Mobley may not thrive in this situation but he isn't afraid to be the goat either.
He might be a shooting guard. But he needs to chill the hell out. Being a shooting guard means that you can shoot. It doesn't mean you should every time you touch the damn ball. I am glad he isn't afraid to be the goat. Thats a good thing. But when three players come at you and you still shoot the ball, that is not being a goat. That is being another type of mammal. Its called being a jackass. ------------------ Nadie En La Vida Es Eterno
For what it's worth, you're right: Cuttino takes WAY too many shots, and he ain't hittin' enuf... But at this point, I still put the rock in his hands with 10 seconds to go. His or Steve's, whoever's open... Those are our go-to men. Count 'em - we have more than one. That is a luxury. ------------------
Thanks for the props Almu. Basically, my impression of Mobely hasn't changed one iota since his rookie year. Mobely is the biggest ball hog on the team (and maybe the league) and because of players like him (and Mooch), and the constant one-on-one basketball, the team is hard to watch (as Rocketman also suggested). Last night was an awesome win. There is nothing that I like better than sticking it to the Knicks. But let's not lose sight of the fact that the Rockets are three games under .500 and have one of the worst records in the West. They aren't going to make the playoffs, and the one-on-one style of play (and particularly Mobely) is the reason why. The problem is that when Mobely has a half-decent game, he forgets all of the crappy games that he had before (and so do most of the posters on this board). Rudy has let his players run ragged all over him. This team does not appear to have any discipline whatsoever. I have a lot of problems with Hakeem. Personally, I think that he is a whiny b****. But he is right on the money when he criticizes the style in which the Rockets are playing basketball right now. The team would win a lot more if used the drive to open up the passing lanes and to find the open man. The old Rockets used the dump-in pass to create shots. The new Rockets should use the drive to that effect. The problem is that once Mobely starts moving to the basket, he doesn't think about passing at all.
I don't pretend to know why the Rox have been so... un-energized... the past few games. Obviously, morale's a problem now. The Knicks game helps alot. But when they have to face it at home... tod the bod is insulting Cuttino coming off a pretty good game, and it must be answered... I'm personally satisfied with a 9 of 20 performance by Cuttino, 'cause it'll turn out to tally about 25-28 points. I couldn't care less how many shots he takes. It he's in there for 25 minutes and he takes 20 shots, but only makes 8, I'm happy. For him, that means maybe 1 from beyond the arc, 7 from the field, and probably 3 FTs - a total of 20 pts. And he's usually in there longer than 25 minutes. Try around 40. It wouldn't surprise me if he was scoring 30ppg a year from now. All he needs is a little discipline. But even without that missing discipline, he has what it takes. He should be averaging closer to 25 ppg. Also, do you really deny that Mooch makes both of them (Steve & Cat) more effective? Since they're both really shooting guards, it's nice to have a REAL PG - who does NOT hog the ball... ------------------
For Cuttino Mobley to average thirty points, he's going to be taking thirty-plus shots. I would be amazed if suddenly he turned up with discipline. If Cuttino Mobley is scoring thirty a night, then I can pretty much guarantee that the Rockets remain a lottery team. ------------------ The Badministrator
Almu, I was listening to that idiot Mike Breen and John(ticket scalper) Andreise. Those guys are so biased towards the Knicks that it is comical. They actually believe every offensive foul call is legit and that is not true. Dont put any merit into those clowns comments about mobley cause their idea of quality bball is 70 point to 71 point games. ------------------
"If Cuttino Mobley is scoring thirty a night, then I can pretty much guarantee that the Rockets remain a lottery team." Why? Where else are those thirty points going to come from? Is Shandon going to give them to us on a nightly basis? Kenny? Matt? No. But we NEED those points to win. Even to stay competetive (lose gracefully), we need those points. How do we replace them? We can't expect Steve to do all of the scoring. No one else will step up to the task. That's why I say let Cuttino shoot. ------------------
From all this Cat ripping you would have thought we LOST by 14! So, I will make a prediction. If Mobley stays on the team with this attitude, we don't win squat. I'm glad you weren't running Philadelphia, because Iverson would have been traded, and Philly wouldn't have the best record in the East! You guys overreact, and are ready to run Cat out of town. This is his 3rd year! Some people take longer to mature then others, look at Iverson. I guarantee that when Cat gets traded, or signs somewhere else, and the people who are saying that he can't win a championship with us watch him play well and win with that team, they'll immediately starting ripping into Rudy and Rockets management for letting him go. It's one thing to criticize his game, but to say that a 3rd year player will NEVER win a championship and is destroying team chemistry is jumping the gun. ------------------ Dream a deadly Dream. . . [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited February 06, 2001).]
Almu, are you really quoting homey radio announcers as if it is fact. sheesh. According to Gene Peterson, they are wrong on all counts. This kid is doing everything he is told. You should have seen the first two shots, if you question his inbetween game. Those first two 15 footers, set up Sprewell for some blow bys. Oh, and you should have seen the excellent drive and dish to Shandon after setting up 3 NYers to at the rim. Dream loved it so much, he acknowledged Mobley's unselfish play with a finger point followed by a clenched fist "Yeah!). Too bad you didn't see it. Too bad you aren't seeing the growth. But at least you have an excuse, being in NY getting no sleep with baby. Now tod-the-bod, what is your excuse? [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited February 06, 2001).]
1. Kobe and Iverson are also "shooting guards", but they are both averaging nearly 5 assists per game. 2. Cat has started the last 16 games, he's not 6th man any more, and when he was, he was averaging 32 minutes per game. I don't think Cat has a "ball hog" mentality, I think he has so much confidence, he thinks he can score any time he has the ball. He'll grow out of that. I only have a problem with him when he (and Francis and Norris for that matter) run the pick and roll and try to take the double team off the dribble instead of passing to a wide open (pick one, Bullard, Taylor, Dream etc.) j ------------------
I'm not gonna try and tell you that Mobley isn't a ballhog, but it cracks me up how you guys can dog him so bad and at the same time give props to other guys on the team. He leads the team in points, but he doesn't lead the team in minutes. Why, you ask? Do you think it's because he jacks up a million shots a season. I don't think so. His FG% is only about a point and a half behind Francis'. Is that point and a half significant? Not when you consider Mobley's best attribute: he gets the other team in foul trouble faster than anyone on the team. Hell, that's the best defense in the world....when you get the other team worried about every little move. As for Mobley's "no defense." Somehow he leads the team in steals per minute. Must be luck. Of course Tod doesn't like Mobley---that's because Rudy does. But I'm guessing there must be a reason Rudy is coaching an NBA team and Tod is farting around on his keyboard like the rest of us. You guys need wake up! Mobley is a weapon, and you and some moron sportscasters can dog him all you want, but other teams respect him. And that respect shows in the game. ------------------ stop posting my damn signature
"I don't think Cat has a "ball hog" mentality, I think he has so much confidence, he thinks he can score any time he has the ball. He'll grow out of that" No, he IS a ball hog. What we need to do is play on that. I mean, learn to play on that... That IS why we put the rock in his hands on the last play, isn't it? A ball hog can be valuable, particularly when he's A) young and fast, B) unafraid - fearless, and C) got talent. They can be very valuable. They make good go-to men... ------------------
I decided to compare the stats a little of Mobley and Francis our PG! Francis shooting percentage is a little higher then Cat's, Francis 44.9% Cat 43.1%. Shot attempts are interesting. People are complaining that Mobley is just taking all the shots, and taking away from Francis shots, Cat has only taken 42 more shots then Francis, which is the way it should be since Cat is a SHOOTING GUARD! Francis has actually taken 36 more 3pt shots then Mobley, has 52 more turnovers then Mobley, and he should since he is a 2nd year PG. Mobley is 4th on the team in assist with 99, 2nd in steals, 2nd in scoring, 5th in rebounding, 2nd in FT percentage, and has scored more points then anybody on the team. (Cat 897, Francis 895), so, aside from the occasional bad decision that ALL young players make (didn't Francis get ripped for all his turnovers last year, and sometimes this year?) why on earth would you be in a hurry to trade this guy, or say he is destroying chemistry, or that he doesn't fit on this team, or that he hasn't matured a good deal from the Mobley that only score 10 points a game 2 years ago!? ------------------ Dream a deadly Dream. . . [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited February 06, 2001).]
I find it hilarious that NY announcers would say these things, considering these little facts: Shots taken per game: Sprewell--15.0, Houston--16.1, Mobley--15.2 Points per game: Houston--20.3, Sprewell--17.2, Mobley--19.1 Free throw attempts per game: Sprewell--4.9, Houston--4.4, Mobley--6.1 Oh yeah, and I almost forgot the most important one. This is mainly for a lot of you on the board, not those NY jag-offs: Years experience: Houston--8, Sprewell--9, Mobley--3 How much for one of those Cat antennae balls?
The only thing I find interesting, is the Feigan comment where people are grumbling in the clubhouse about Cat taking too many shots. If he is correct, this can tear apart a team, and explains the lackadasical attitude we have been seeing. Rudy needs to work on this, and make sure each player understands his role. Cat should be in there to score, but if he is off...as he was in the first half, he should step back, let the game come to him, and get others involved until he gets hot again. Cat and Francis are amazing, but they are REAL young....and therefore....STUPID.....in basketball sense. They will mature, give them time, they have to learn HOW to win, before they start winning. This is where I am most dissappointed in Dream, he should be mentoring these two, instead, he is whining like a stuck pig... HAKEEM...you are the MAN, who has done it all, impart some of your knowledge on the younger generation. Don't make us, the fan, wait 10 years for them to learn how to trust their teamates...like we had to for you, Dream. Teach them now.... DaDakota ------------------ If Mankind evolved from monkeys and apes, then why are there still monkeys and apes?
Let me just state one more time what I mean. Maybe I write too much. Cuttino needs to chill the fu*k out. I don't want him gone. I want him to LEARN in 3 years what it took Steve only 18 months to learn. That is, be a team player and PASS the damn ball so he don't wear out his elbow. And where will the rest of the points come from? Lets see. If you pass the ball, lets say, um...I don't know about 7 times and out of those 7 times you get 6 baskets, thats 12 points right there from OTHER people. I am talking about a 6 assist game that you easyly get with Olajuwon, Taylor, Williams, and Bullard. These players are all capable of getting enough points to take the supposed "pressure" from Cuttino. That way, he won't have to take so many damn shot. And to compare this situation to Allan Iverson is like comparing my golf game to Tiger Woods. Allan Iverson is the MAIN guy in a team with NOBODY else that can score. They all accept the fact that he is the man and thats it. They play their roles accordingly. Whats wrong with Cuttino just learning the damn game. Its not 1 on 1. Look at Kobe. The minute he decided that this is about TEAM and not his dumbass wannabe Micheal Jordan, they win a title. The minute he tries to do everything, the Lakers are all screwed. The quicker Mobley realizes the same, we will be a much better team. Think about it. Six assists per game. Average 16 points per game and work on his defense. He will be an all-star every year just doing that. Why does he have to take a shot when the whole opposing team is in his mug? That is just bad, bad basketball. Tod is right. He has one game and he thinks he is the best thing since Pampers. Finally, I do think that Rudy needs to make this offense less iso and more movement. But that is something else for another day. But this type of play does not encourage creativity nor does it encourage some much needed assists. ------------------ Nadie En La Vida Es Eterno
I'm just impressed that Pole, tod the bod, Almu and Keeley have all posted in the same thread... I feel like it's CC98 all over again. I've said it a million times: Cuttino Mobley is just not an intelligent basketball player. He has amazing one-on-one moves, fantastic quickness and a nice shot. I don't doubt Mobley's desire, his will to win or him wanting to help the team, but I think Cuttino thinks far too often the way he can help the team is get to the ball and tunnel vision focus on the hoop. Mobley supporters themselves have said it: He's in his third year. Hopefully experience will change that (I did like his one drive where he attacked the hoop, drew the defense and found a streaking Shandon for two -- he shows flashes of getting better in this department) and Cat will play smarter, but endless Mobley apologists are ignoring the obvious at times. ------------------ NOTHING BUT .NET CLUTCHCITY.NET
