Rockets Hot Topic #1: Does Cuttino Mobley Finish The Season a Rocket?

My gut tells me he will still be here come the end of the season. I think the only way Cat is traded is if he is PACKAGED with Eddie or Rice or both for a STUD 3rd "Star Player" and I have my doubts the Rockets will be able to pull it off.

 

He will be here, but if he does not learn to share the ball he will be gone before the next season 2004-2005. I could see him being used on a draft day trade to move up.

 

Mobley will finish the 2003-04 season in a Rockets uniform.

I just have a feeling that JVG will be able to harness and channel Cat's enthusiasm. Those "heat check" shots are Cuttino's primary flaw but they should be fewer with a lot more of the offense being run thru the post.

 

Didn't Cat, at the end of the season, comment that the reason he started focusing on defense was because that was what he thought the Rockets really needed out of him? He said all he wanted to do was win, and if it meant focusing on defense, he was fine with it?

If he starts out the season like that, there should be no reason to trade him at all. Last year, he was shutting down players like A.I. and T-Mac (Yeah, I know he won't be able to do that night after night, but I think he can become that defensive player that we need.)

If he plays hard defense, he will make it to the end of the season.
If he worries more about points, then I hope he is traded (Though I think he will stay... he has changed his game every single year in the league to fit what his coach wanted from him.)

 

depends on how he plays, innit?

 

Personally I think he'll be moved because we need help at other areas, and a rotation of Pike/Francis/Griffin at the 2 is WAY more than adequate.

I believe he'll be moved in a pckage with one of our frontcourt players, for a frontcourt player and a great backup PG.

I'm hoping for something like

Mobley
Rice
Griffin

for

Wallace
McInnis

Obviously, I'm hoping Portland isn't able to work anything out with someone else, and they decide that they must lose Rasheed before the season ends. It's very risky for us though, as Wallace and McInnis could both walk after this year, however, that would also clear 18M off our cap. I don't think that puts us in a position to sign anyone, but it's not nothing. But then again, we're giving up 2 young and solid players in Griffin and Mobley. But the lineup is too tempting to resist:

Yao/Cato
Rasheed/MoT
Griffin/Pike/Rasheed
Pike/Francis/Griffin
Francis/McInnis/Moochie

Yao, Rasheed and Francis starring while Pike and Griffin serve as the PERFECT role players for them? Sounds awesome to me.

Anyways, the point is that if something as interestnig as this comes up, and I am positive it will with the trade bait we have, then Mobley will be neeed to complete any deal.

 

If the Rockets made that deal ( and I don't think they will)

I'd run

Yao /Cato
Taylor/Wallace
Wallace/Griffin
Francis/Pike
McInnis/Francis

Scoring from every spot,with good ball movement, inside out.

However - Portland won't let McInnis go - he's the starting pg. They don't need Cuttino, they star DA. They don't really need EG, they have Zach Randolph.

If Cat goes it would be more logical that he goes to a team that would make room to play a scoring 2. The thing is, there's not very many teams that would make room for him, IMO.

Atlanta with Jason Terry as a pg. Toronto with VC as a sf. Most teams have an adequate option at the 2, and wouldn't be hungry to give up value for Cat. The league is just loaded with 2s. You need a team that is trying to get rid of someone and is willing to displace a player to fit him in. It's kind of hard to move him, but I think the Rice/Cat package will be shopped, but Rice/Cat/EG may be what it takes to get talent and size back.

 

I hope we could do that too! I would add a future 1st rounder for them too....how old is Wallace?

But unfortunately, I think pasox2 is right. Why do they need Mobley when they got Wells? And why give up Wallace for Griffin? I don't know....I wish!

 

Well...just to update...here's the Portland depth chart from Espn :

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

pg 2g sf pf c

D. Anderson Bonzi Wallace Randolph D.Davis
D. Stod. Q Woods Patterson T Outlaw Boom boom
J.McInnis CSmith (U) Dudley


We know Portland has been trying to move Wallace and Patterson all summer. If Bonzi and/or Q.Woods can play sf, there may be a place for the Cat. There might be a place for EG behind Randolph. Rice's expiring contract they'd want. So...it's possible.
Portland would just have to be really motivated to run DA at the point, Cat at 2, and Bonzi 3.

Frankly, I think DA is just a much better, much more versitile player than Cat and they're better off not mucking things up. The payoff isn't there vs. just letting Wallace expire, uless they can make a subsequent trade of Cat, DA or Bonzi for a true point.
The only true point I know that gets shopped is Jdub.

Now, Jdub + B.Knight or Wes Person for Wallace would be somewhat more attractive, if I'm Portland. Don't know about the new "character" contract there, tho.

 

Doesn't really matter, the point is that we wouldn't think twice about sending Cat away in a package for a damn good frontcourt player, especially now that we have Francis, Pike, and Griffin who can cover the 2 spot.