Cato's overly anxious attempts to block every and any shot in his vicinity often caused him to be relegated to the bench often towards the end of most 1st quarters after picking up foul #2....He'll always be fond in my heart for the savage and viscious manner in which he finished the alley oop dunk pass from Francis... I can recall him sweating profusely after picking up that 2nd foul late in many 1st quarters and the look of incredulous resignation as he accepted his lot in life...a shot blocker extraordinaire...much like a lion pouncing on their prey, with no thought of restraint....Restraint when it came to blocking shots simply was not a concept that Mr. Cato ever grasped....
Epic thread. Kelvin Cato's uncanny ability to maintain complete awareness of his surroundings despite an apparent inability to control his neck muscles was awe inspiring. To quote broadcasting and intellectual giant, Clyde Drexler, "now THAT's porforeel vision!"
ooof. postseason is here. I saw him once at the Staples Center after a Lakers game. He was hanging around by himself after the game and I walked over to where he was but then security told to leave him alone when I called out to him. He looked genuinely shocked that anyone knew who he was. But shortly before, at the end of the game, Cuttino Mobley threw his headband into the stands on his way to the locker room, and I caught it.
To Kelvin Cato- A poem by cwebbster My hand are made of stone I like to dunk I like to block shots When the Lion roars It means I did something good I am pseudo-awesome Ben Wallace is my idol He is my friend My hands are made of concrete I looked into Medusa's eyes Thats what made me stone Im rock solid My name is Cato I wear white suits I drive a Bentley I pimp the ladies They love my stone hands I give good massages Houston will miss me I am irreplaceable Not too many people are made of stone Have fun without me I love Houston My bentley is for sale
My memories of Cato... Almost ever game... alley-oop from Francis. Once, he shot a free throw, and it got stuck on the one rectangular part that connects the hoop and the backboard... (They counted it as a miss)
Actually, I recall he had a season where he was one of the leaders in rebounds per 48 minutes. '02-'03, maybe?
Good post. Keep 'em coming. Another solid reminiscence. I don't know if anybody knows this, but the Francis penetrate, Cato backside Alley-Oop play was known as the "Catomic Bomb"
My favorite Cato memory was a December 1999 game against the mighty suns, in which a lowly last place Rocket squad took the NBA Pacific Division Leaders, the Phoenix Suns, to double OT in their own building, the vaunted America West Arena. While the Rockets ultimately lost, this was a breakout game for Kelvin, who notched 23 points on 9-14 shooting and grabbed 6 boards. A number of these points were scored on the signature "Francis-to-Cato" Catomic Bomb Alley-Oop, which was partially why Steve put up a 24 point, 10 assist night, limiting himself to just 6 turnovers in the process. This was the first of many such 20 ppg nights for Cato in the pinstriped PJ's(maybe about 10, in all). That was when we knew that we had something special in "unlucky" No. 13.
it was also the inspiration for the modern day chris paul - tyson chandler rendition. i saw this on inside stuff with ahmad rashad.
this is unfair. his back to back blocks of Shaq in a game in 2000 are one of my most unforgettable memories as a Rockets fan, and the inspiration of my magnum opus.
VERY prescient of you. You were just awarded Retroactive Rep Points. Where is this young sage btw? This guy kenw what we had.
