Um, sorry but you're wrong. For a couple of years his first step was up there with anyone in the league. I'm not saying he was the best finisher, but his first step was EXTREMELY quick. Combine that with his good mid-range shooting, and you've got a pretty good player on your hands. For the record though, how much your first step matters is fairly debatable. Joe Dumars (you know the guy that did a pretty decent job defending Jordan), said Tim Breaux had one of the quickest first steps he'd ever seen. Too bad, Timmy couldn't shoot worth a lick, among other things. He did reverse dunk on Deke one time though.
I loved that team with Cat and Steve........... We were underdogs, but we played with guts......... I miss that...........
No he didn't HE TOOK LESS MONEY to stay with the Rockets [Rockets prompt rewarded his loyalty with a trade to Orlando . . . kind of the anti-Boozer] Rocket River
Damn what sad news! The Cat was a very good player in his time here. He came from nowhere to the NBA (2nd round!) and his story is pretty impressive. Pretty darn good shooter and defender, gave us many great times! It's sad to see him go like this. I wish all the best for his health!
I was a big fan of Cat. I used to love when he took those step back mid range jumpers. One of the few players I continued to root for after he left. Good Luck, Cat.
always loved cuttino's game. and any man who meows at halftime (when hot/in heat!) in the locker room has my undying respect! lol! cat, to me, was the big loss in the tmac trade. he was ALL HEART, DEFENSE, AND EFFORT. he banged samantha, defenders, opposing point guards, and anyone who doubted his skills! take care of yourself cat. ur a lifetime rocket in my book.
the more I think about it, it's truly ironic how as much as I didn't/don't like steve, I love(d) the cat. and they're best friends I guess for me it comes down to maximizing your talent. no one...NO ONE...can doubt that cat maxed out every drop of his abilities. came into the L unheralded with a questionable j. developed a deadly shot, a lightning quick/long first step, and some serious defense. I could excuse his occasional heat checks, cause that's part of being a scorer. that happens. I could excuse him being a slot machine. dude would not go right . he was nascaresque. didn't matter though. he kept bringing it. every game. no one ever doubted his love and dedication to the game. he is and always will be, one of my favorite all time rockets. right there with madmax.
Cuttino was my second favorite rocket after Dream. I loved his game and always thought he was the better player between Francis and him. I just remember the year he averaged over 20 points a game on two bum ankles. I thought we gave up too much to get McGrady. If somehow we would have kept Cat, we would have had no problems getting past the first round.
thats terrible Cat was and still is one of my favorite players in the league. i used to go to a few clipper games every year out here in LA to see him play and hear their old PA announcer go "CUTTINO MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOBLLLEEEEY!!!" It would send chills down my spine. Loved the alley oops him and steve would have on the fast break.... the guy played hard when he was here in houston I hope him all the best and hopefully he will get to suit up for the knicks this year. He deserved that larger contract he got from the clippers he was totally underpaid for what he produced on the court from his days in Houston. Not saying he was starving but in today's sports world of athletes trying to get the most $ possible he took less to stay somewhere he wanted to be.
If the Cat was a horse, having an enlarged heart would be a good thing: http://horsesonly.com/crossroads/xfactor/heart-1.htm Today, the normal weight of a horse’s heart is 8.5 pounds. Even though Secretariat’s heart was not weighed at autopsy, Dr. Thomas Swerczek, head pathologist at the University of Kentucky, estimated it at 22 pounds after finding the second-largest heart in Sham (Secretariat’s Triple Crown rival) and weighing it at 18 pounds. "I have done thousands of autopsies, and I had noticed differences in heart size in horses before we did Secretariat," Swerczek said. "I had picked up the difference in the male and female hearts and noticed that some were bigger than others. "But I didn’t pay much attention until Secretariat came along. He was completely out of everybody else’s league. Looking back at what he had done, it was easy to put a connection to it. The heart was what made him able to do what he did. It explained how he was able to do what he did in the Belmont Stakes – a mile and a half race (Secretariat won by 31 lengths in track-record time). You would have to have a large heart to do what he did. It would be impossible for a horse with a small heart to do that."
