ok, i need a serious answer. why isn't cato playing in summer league?

Crispee,

Summer leagues were not the issue. He worked out on his own and by '92 Moses was no longer his mentor. He just had that Champions heart which unfortunately Cato does not appear to have. Hopefully I am wrong. I would love to see Cato come in cut-up and ready to play.


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I let the dogs out.

 

sorry SamCassell, quoted the wrong post....

[This message has been edited by Shandon Anversen (edited July 25, 2001).]

 

Actually, Cato came into last season ripped. Dude worked out and showed up on day 1 in great physical shape. He might have bulked up too much. Big muscles don't necessarily translate into NBA game, Kevin Willis notwithstanding. I'd rather see a player work on an element of his game, say rebounding or shooting, instead of just lifting weights.

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I'm so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month. I am so hip that I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis.

 

ignore my previous post, i meant to quote this one and ask why hagreen has come into the past few preseasons out of shape.

 

I stand by my previous post.

I believe in Hakeem's work ethic enough to trust that he'll be ready to go by the beginning of the season. Now he might get injured during the second quarter of the first game, but those first 15 minutes of playing time will be spectacular.

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I'm so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month. I am so hip that I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis.

 

LOL!!!

oh ****, you're probably right!

 

There are a lot of possibilities out there. It is surprising that the coaches/rockets haven't made a statement of why he's not playing. This is my take:

1. The chances of cato looking like a rookie are very good. Cato pleaded with the rockets to not let this happen. Plus, wouldn't it be insulting to be a 4-5 yr vet and be playing in a summer league?

2. There could possibly be a trade (ya right) so the rockets don't want to hurt themselves by risking injury to cato.

3. Cato: "i played basketball three years ago, i'm not about to do that again."

 

heycrispeecritter,

would you force him to play in the summer league?

 

The only legimitimate reason I can think of is that mgmt. doesn't want him to hurt what's left of his trade value with a bad game or two against inferior competition. We must be looking to unload him to make some more room for Hakeem and others. Any good games he has against this inferior competition would merely be expected and would not increase his value at all. I'm sure we're looking at anything and everything we can do to unload this albatross.

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sorry Shandon, I read the summer leagues rules wrong. Players must attend "NBA exhibition games", not Summer Leagues.

Summer Leagues are not NBA League events, thus are not controlled by player contracts. Teams actually have to get players to sign a Summer League form saying that they voluntarily agree to play.

I'm curious now. Did Cato refuse to sign the form?

 

is cato even with the team? is he on the sideline? talking with the coaches?

or is he just "on the roster"?

 

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shandn has no "o".

[This message has been edited by Shandon Anversen (edited July 25, 2001).]

 

Just to clear this up once and for all, Cato is NOT with the team at all here in Utah. If he was, I would interview him, ask more about him, and he would be probably my secondary focus after Griffin. But he's just not here fellas...

I will make it a point to ask about him, though...

Maybe I can learn something interesting...



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"There are three kinds of lies:
Lies, Damned Lies, and STATISTICS..."
- Mark Twain -

 

thx, DH!!

 

Tough to say. His past successes are not an excuse but the guy has done what it takes to win championships. He did have that work ethic. Maybe he is not the same driven player he was but that is not an excuse for Cato or any other player for that matter.

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I let the dogs out.