I would actually rather get rid of Taylor or KT before getting rid of Cato. Without him the frontline is just too soft for my liking. Cato brings the size, the toughness, the defense, and rebounding that this team needs. I really think Yao is going to need a 'banger' type to help him inside against the Webbers, Shaqs, and Duncans of the league. Taylor and Griffin haven't really shown any signs of filling this role and Kenny may be too undersized to fill the role. I see Cato being the Thorpe/Willis to Yao's Olajuwon. He's the perfect role player to compliment Yao. He's not someone who needs the ball in his hands, which is good considering how many players on our team need the ball in their hands. He can get all his points off of put-backs and garbage points. And with Yao's great passing ability, think of all the easy dunks Cato will get.
Eventually, this team will have to trade one player out of Cato, Kenny, Mo, Eddie in order to ensure MPG for everyone. If they are not open to giving Cato mins at the 4 spot as he wont have enough at the center position or feel they would do best by trading him, I think it is essential to replace his defense and rebounding. Trading Cato for say Brent Barry would appear to solve the glut problems on paper, but the frontcourt is in serious danger of being really soft. Im not even debating whether Yao will play 35 MPG next yr b/c I think he will. The issue is that Yao needs to be "flanked by power" as Bill Walton puts it. Thus, if the Rockets feel Cato cant/wont play any PF minutes, they need to figure out a way to acquire a PF type that can rebound and defend. KT is ok but isnt the rebounding animal that Cato has been, Eddie Griffin is just soft and Mo needs to show he is back from his achilles. Of all the possibilities discussed, the Brent Barry one seems like the ideal one for both teams. Barry has this season and one more on his contract and would fit the Rockets needs real well. They would not have to trade Cat to make it work b/c they could just rotate the three guards, Barry, Mobley and Francis. Mobley's MPG would have to drop, but thats fine. The Sonics have had huge problems defensively, and it is showing as their quick start is now ancient history. They have a very talented player in Desmond Mason that they can insert into the starting lineup if they trade Barry. Its a win-win for both sides.
Eventually Cato might have to get traded if Yao gets stronger physically and learns to defend better and keep out of foul trouble. But I don't think it's going to happen this year. Cato is proving to be an important player in this rotation as long as he keeps up the hard work on both ends. We need him in order to have a chance to make the playoffs this year. I would have thought about trading KT if Griffin was more experienced and stronger and if Mo-T was playing like he did before his injury but KT is our best defender and rebounder at the 4 and he should be kept in the team as well.
We won't make the playoffs without a starting quality C in return for Cato. mark that down. Yao is playing great, but at some point, the fatigue will get to him, and at ANOTHER point, he'll hit the rookie wall. Yet another point to make is that Yao and Collier will be our C's in the playoffs. Griffin and MoT at the PF position. You know everyone's going to cream us with a weak frontcourt like that right? Anyways, let's go over some salaries so that you guys better appreciate Kelvin Cato: Dikembe Mutombo - 16.1M Bryant Reeves - 13M (Although retired) Zydrunas Illgauskas - 12.25M (not horrible, but..) Raef LaFrentz - 7.3 mill Shawn Bradley - 4.7 mill Marcus Camby - 6.8 mill Kelvin Cato - 6.7 mill Lorenzen Wright - 6.1 mill Marc Jackson - 3.6 mill (this one's ok, but no D or rebounding) Rasho Nesterovic - 2.4 mill (pre-extension, will be in the 6M range) David Robinson - 10.5 mill Greg Ostertag - 7.8 mill Theo Ratliff - 9.4 mill Nazr Mohammed - 5 mill Cliff Robinson - 8.4 mill Brad Miller - 4.8 mill (best contract on this list) Ervin Johnson - 4.0 mill Elden Campbell - 8 mill Antonio Davis - 12 mill Vin Baker - 12.4 mill Tony Battie - 4 mill Alonzo Mourning - 20.6 mill Brian Grant - 11.1 mill Luc Longley - 7 mill (yes, they're still paying off his salary) Andre DeClercq - 3.3 mill Todd MacCulloch - 5.0 mill Jahidi White - 4.9 mill Erick Dampier - 6.9 mill Adonal Foyle - 4.4 mill Michael Olowokandi - 6 mill (?) (woth anything below 9M) Shaquille O'Neal - 24 mill (4M more than Juwan Howard, hahaha) Dale Davis - 8.1 mill Arvydas Sabonis - 7 mill Vlade Divac - 11.2 mill Scot Pollard - 4.8 mill Keon Clark - 4.5 mill Calvin Booth - 5 mill Jerome James - 4.5 mill 20 of those guys make more than Cato, and don't you tell me that, based on last season and this season's production, he's the 21st player on that list. The average salary for C's? >>>> $8.025M Cato makes 1.325M less than the average C in the league. This answers your question: Yes, Cato is a very hot commodity. Should we trade him? No way no how. He is essential to our playoff hopes. Ming will have many many many tough stretches. He struggles with his stamina. The way Rice is playing, getting a replacement is only a sllight marginal improvement. What we gain from swapping (or adding) Rice with player C, we lose from switching to Collier playing backup C. We're overstacked at SF, and we can't trade any of the players there. T-Mo showed flashes and it's quite obvious that he will be a commodity once his shots start falling. He is a gym rat, so you know his shot is going to improve sooner, rather than later. We can't trade Boki, because he's an unknown with high potential. As for Rice, is not impossible, it's very difficult to move him...But, if he continues his current run of form, is it even worth trading him? Note that he's the only veteran on our team, and is currently the only 3-pt threat also. Move KT, and put Collier on the IR (if he already isn't). There are enough minutes for MoT, Griffin, Cato AND Ming at the 4 and 5. All 4 can play at least some C, and all excluding Ming can play PF. It's a good mix of talent.
Sane, Read my first post again and any post after that and you will see that I am not pushing to move Cato before the trade deadline, waiting until the off-season would be fine. You are dead on about the production he gives us compared to the salary he makes that is one of the points I was making. Cato should be kept until the season’s end if moving him before the trade deadline prevents us from making the play-offs. That has been my position from the first post in this thread. However, if it is clear by the trade deadline that Yao Ming will be logging 35+ minutes a game next season and that we are going to make the play-offs then we would be foolish IMO not to trade Cato for someone like Brent Barry if the trade were available. Of course it would all depend on: 1. Cato maintaining his current level of play 2. Our team knowing that we will make the play-offs with or with out Cato by the trade deadline 3. The play of Yao Ming 4. And of course the type of trade that was available If any of those 4 items are not resolved by the trade deadline then we wait until the off season and see what kind of deals are available. In his present state Cato is very valuable and I do not advocate just trading him to get rid of him but only to get some real value that can help improve the team. The bottom line is that at some point unless we plan to use Yao Ming and Kelvin Cato on the floor at the same time then I think Cato is more valuable in a trade than sitting on the bench.
A few things I've noticed about Cato: Whenever he senses a trade might be in in the near future, he lowers his level of play, making him impossible to trade. He doesn't want to get traded, and likes it here. So, if we did trade him, we'd never want to provide a single hint that was possible. He doesn't like the responsibility of starting or carrying the team. Part of why I think he's doing so well this year, is because he knows he can go out hard, and not worry about fouling out in the process, since someone else will carry the day. So, I actually like the fact that he wants to be a role player, behind Ming. Not everyone would be content with that role, and I think Cato would. Its never been about the talent or raw physical capability, its always been about what's in his head. He's known as an underachiever. Cato could be the second or third best center in the league if he matured and learned how to harness his ability. Of course, if he does that, why would we want to trade him? He gives us two different styles at center, enabling us to match up to most any team in the league. [/list=1] In my opinion, we should not trade Cato now for the following reasons: If Ming gets injured, do you really think Collier could carry this team? I'd rather have Cato. Ming will hit the rookie (CBA) wall this year, and he gets tired. We need a quality backup. Too many people are aware of his underachiever past, and his trade value is not as high now as it will be when he demonstrates some consistency. Cato's numbers will actually get better coming off the bench behind Yao, since he doesn't have to worry about carrying the team. As his stats go up, so will his value. Wait until the perfect moment, when a team's center gets injured, and they really need a Cato to make it to the playoffs. Then they might trade us something of greater value, that we really want. [/list=a] If we did trade Cato, I'd only want to do it if: We received a young future star center in return: Eddie Curry, Desagna Diop, Nene Hilario or Tyson Chandler. If someone was impatient with their development, and wanted someone coming into his own now, as a starter, not as a backup, and believed that Cato could carry them somewhere in the near future, rather than farther out, then we could still have a backup who was learning, spell Ming, but have strength at the center position for a long time. If Steve was willing to move to SG, and someone gave us a top flight PG, such as Andre Miller, Baron Davis, Jay Williams, Tony Parker, even if we could get Chris Duhon in the draft. [/list=1] And, since I don't expect those things to happen unless one of those teams get in a jamb, which we take advantage of, I think we are better off as a team by keeping Cato. I like our team, and as it matures, and learns how to play together and develop chemistry, can take us to a championship eventually. Yao and Steve will be superstars ... and maybe even Griffin. The Dream would have loved to have the supporting cast that Ming will have.
Although i am currently in England so i haven't really seen Rockets play this year, why not play them both? From what i hear Yao has soft touch and since Cato likes to operate around basket, they should compliment each other pretty well, at least offensively. After all, Cato is quite moblie for center and we have played double post in the past.
