Sam, I am disappointed. While it is great to honor a superstar like Cato, you can not forget a true legend like Walt Williams. He was the Wizard way before Roy Oswalt. And where is the Stacey Augmon appreciation thread?
I told this story in a different thread but here goes my best memory of the great Cato: A friend and I were at Dave and Buster's, sitting at the bar, and watching some Rockets highlights. We then began discussing how badly Cato sucked. As you might imagine, this went on for some time. Eventually the bartender came over, gave us a couple of beers, and said, "It's on the guy over there." Sure enough, there was #13 sitting by himself drinking. We had the grace to be embarrassed at the time, but it makes for a good story now. Best pre-season player of all time.
What was your welcome-to-the-NBA moment? In practice as a rookie [with Portland in 1997]. I got dunked on like crazy. Rasheed Wallace, Jermaine O'Neal, Gary Trent, they took me to school. They enjoyed it. I didn't. What was your most embarrassing moment? My third year, I went up for a dunk on a breakaway--there was nobody around, and I was feeling cocky. The ball hit the rim and went up 50 feet in the air. I was waiting and embarrassed at the same time. When it came down, it went through the net. If I weren't in the NBA, I'd be ... A probation officer, doing something to help kids who people don't understand. I'd want to be there to explain what this world is all about. If I were commissioner for a day, I would ... Cut out the little, stupid, ticky-tack rules, like how long your shorts can be, how long your socks have to be, where you can sit on the bench. I'd get rid of all that petty stuff. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1110156/index.htm
Truly a prince among men. I remember typing CATOMIC in the #clutchfans chatroom many times after he would throw oop after vicious oop. Lisa Malosky had a tendency to call him Calvin Kato.
So we can randomly tribute any former Rockets and ask for a sticky. Great control of the board. Thanks.
Excellent Thread! I'm glad we finally have an [OFFICIAL] one. I was getting so tired of trying to sort through all the different Cato tribute threads.
cato was aa very serviceable big man. he basically averaged like 7 rebounds in 25 minutesd a game. if he played 30 minutes a game that would be 10 rebounds a game or clsoe to it. He had agood inside presense on defense. Dont knwo why everybody has bad recollection of cato. he complemented Yao very well and was an enforcer. sometimes i thikn ppl on this board has bad recollection form anything or anybody associated with the francis-mobley years, which really isnt fair
Remember in that preseason game when he started foaming at the mouth? That was awesome. I saw him a couple of times on the streets when he played here. He must've lived in or near my old neighborhood (Lakes of Parkway). Once saw him cruising down Eldridge in a Rolls Royce. My mom and I were gawking at him at a red light, and he sped off when it turned green. I then saw him a couple of years later checking out at Kroger. I think he was buying booze and he had at least 3 chicks with him.
CATOMIC FTW!!!!! I remember Yao's rookie year i went to a game whee James Posey went off scoring on the clippers from 3 ball and SF got into a a skirmish with Andre Miller. Cato just sat on the bench and kept looking at the clipper dancer girls the entire time. Afterwards the game he tried to go say Hi to one of them and Keith Jones kept him moving towards the locker room
^These Cato anectdotes are like "The Office" in their awesomely awesome banality. And they are awesome because they involve Calvin. MORE PLZ
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The triple double w/13 blocks? I was there. Good ol' Summit. I thought he was the second coming of Olajuwon.
Whenever they played Golden State on the road, he would always dominate and have an incredible stat line. It was uncanny.
