Man, I posted on here a while back that we should trade him for front court help. But, if Cato keeps showing up like he has lately, and Cat keeps scoring like he has lately, they will both prove me wrong. For a while there Cat was making one boneheaded decision after another, and clanking shots with regularity. Lately, he's really been practicing better shot selection and seems to be getting a better handle on things. Last night was a little frustrating the way he jacked up that off balance fade-away with 18 seconds on the clock instead of running the clock down some more. But, hopefully in a couple of years he will have mellowed a little and won't make those kinds of mistakes anymore. So, I'm glad I was wrong about that, and I hope Cat keeps producing like he has lately. Now, if we could just get a W!!!
AXE, I am pleased to join you on this one. I was frustrated with him too. What he is doing is no surprise of course but he just was doing way to many crazy things for me.
Mobley is AWESOME. I think his ankles might be starting to feel better. His first step looks much quicker then before.
I've always liked Cat, and I still maintain that he was incredible pickup for so late in the draft.....still, he is inclined to make some boneheaded moves though. I think we are all more inclined to pick on him more than we should because we're looking for a scapegoat. The Rockets have a lot of talent and a good championship winning coach; we expect a lot more than we're getting. Nevertheless, Rudy is an old dog learning new tricks, and most of our talent is still several years away from being in their collective basketball intellectual primes. We've also had quite a bit of injuries. Despite the talent in both coaching and players, we're probably exactly where we should be in terms of winning percentage. Mobley will probably never be an all-star, despite his very obvious physical talent. Then again, he may even surprise supporters like myself. Nevertheless, I would caution against riding him too hard for what appears to be obvious bone headed plays. I still maintain that he's encouraged to do a lot of what he's doing and for good reason. Mobley gets off a lot of shots in very heavy traffic; some he makes, some he doesn't. Still, he gets to the foul line quite a bit from these "bone headed" plays. His percentages aren't as good as Francis', but they're damn close, and he's being paid less than half of what Francis will be paid. NEVER underestimate the power of getting your opponent in foul trouble. Rudy is a very numbers oriented coach, and no one here (that I know of) has ever done a statistical analysis of how well a player plays when he has one foul, two fouls, three fouls and so on. I'm sure steals and blocks go down dramatically, and I wouldn't be surprised if other numbers drop. Players don't want to sit, and therefore, they don't want that next foul. For that reason, I feel strongly that although the Cat may be coached to improve his decision making skills, he's NEVER restrained from playing the way he does. He's simply too dangerous to the other team's number of fouls remaining position.
keep mobley sure but he is having some very good games after a bunch of bad games. consistency and basketball wits is what this young man needs. lets see if he can keep it up.
Cat is awesome but he needs to be the second option in game winning situations. The nack he had of hitting the big shot is gone. He is now a good player/scorer but a bad clutch player. Personally I wish he was an okay scorer but a great clutch player like he was last year. That is what is missing this year. We need Mobley of last year where he won alot of games for us.
I think this recent spectacular playing points out that he should have been put on the IR for a longer period during that losing streak because he played hurt and prolonged his injuries and poor play caused by the injuries.
Mobley has always been a good ball player to me, its just that he makes too many mistakes in close games but I never wanted to trade him.
Mistakes can be corrected. Talent cannot. The Rocks would be morons to dump Cat. He isn't a cap burdon and is very talented. When Steve is out there, Cat is much better.
Steve, Cat, Griffin. Nothing missing from that trio. Thrown in players like Mo Taylor, Glen Rice in the twilight of his career, a ressurgeant(sp?) Cato, Moochie Norris, and Oscar Torres. What do you get? A group of guys averaging around 26 or so years old. Between Steve, Cat, Mo T, Griffin, and Cato, we have a core group that's averaging 24 years of age. Also, it will be 3 or 4 years before anyone here turns 30. Forget that, it will be ONE year till all these guys are 20. Rebounding, defense, shotblocking, scoring, hustle, chemistry. We've got it all, and not a lot of teams can say that. All we're waiting for is health. P.S. Props to Cat. he's doing a great job, and with slightly better decision making, he can be an INCREDIBLY gifted offensive 2-guard.
Keep Mobely, but make him the sixth man off the bench. He fits into that role perfectly because he can create shots on his own and the team will not lack for scoring when he is on the floor and the starters are resting. But he kills the team with the hogging the ball when he is on the court with the starters. And never give him the final shot.
Did some of you people who are knocking Cats clucth abilities watch the last game against Charlotte? It was Cuttino who send it into overtime. Also it makes no sense whatsoever to put our second player on the bench. I mean what other team has done that? Who would you people suggest start in front of Cat? Torres?!?!
I like the supporting facts for your argument. We won't win big because of Cat. We can win big if Cat is a part of our team. Cat takes A LOT of pressure off of Steve. Steve and Cat are better when each other is on the floor. Last season several players described Houston as having the most "feared" backcourt to make defensive preparations. As Griff matures and if MoT can keep his offense, Cat is very dangerous. He can drain a shot if given any daylight or he can run around you. He'll get smarter (people's decision making abilities typically don't get worse with more experience) and the team will get better. On second thought, lets bench him until his contract expires and then cut him. I'm sure we'll be better if we do that.
Totally agree with you Sane. Also Mobley is GOOD, but he needs improvement. He'll get much better by next year, his big faults are clear and he'll work on them. True he hogs the ball a bit and true he doesn't have the greatest shot selection, but with his talent, his shooting ability, and his quickness combined with Francis, they still are the best backcourt in the league. Keep Mobley definitely, and unless we get another guard who can play as well as Mobley and is as compatible with Francis, the Rockets can't afford to have Mobley as a sixth man. I've been a Mobley fan from the start and I'm not backing away now.
I don't think any of you guys realize the difference between a winner and a loser. Cat is a loser. He is a 6 ft 3 Jerry Stackhouse. In the NBA, smarts is as important, if not more important than skill and athleticism. Sadly, Cat is not a smart basketball player. He makes horrible decisions, and in crunch time, he is the last guy I want having the game in his hands. He is a good 6th man, but he is average to below average as a starting SG. Take off your blinders and realize that Cat would be a backup SG for most great teams.
With experience he'll get smarter, and less of a ball hog. The chemistry between Francis and Mobley is hard to reproduce though. He has his faults, but nothing he can't work on. Sure he may not be as smart as some other guards, but with his close relationship with Francis, his talent and shooting ability, Mobley can become great. He is already an integral part of the Rocket's offense and taking him out may be crippling, not to mention disorienting, for the Rockets.
kidrock8, you're clearly dellusional. Toronto were willing to move Vince Carter to the SF spot to be able to sign Cat. You wanna know where else cat would start? Try these places: Boston Charlotte Cleveland Denver Golden State Our very own Rockets Sonics Jazz Grizzlies The only ones you can even begin to argue about are Charlotte and Seattle, which can go either way.
Everybody please notice the OPINION expressed above. So Barkley is a loser? You would dump Barkley or bench him if he is on your team (during the prime of his career -- as Cat will enter in the next year or two). (Feel free to substitute any player with Barkley that diddn't win a championship) Jordan was called a ball hog. He is anything but now. You can't just replace a talent like Cat. But Cat inevitably will become more mature as he ages.
