Last year I became very frustrated with Cuttino and Steve and nicknamed them Cutturnover and Fancy. This year I have noticed SIGNIFICANT improvement, maybe it is their new styling hair do....but they are both playing great ball. I am pretty sure I saw Steve setting teamates up for easy shots and a fast break being run in the last game. So.....Cutturnover and Fancy....RIP..... Welcome Cuttino and Francis.......you two are growing on me. DaDakota
I got no problem with the two of them. I just wish they each could get 2 or 3 more assists a game. I also hope those passes are thrown into Yao.
I really don't see that much of a diff between them last year and this year... At the Tor game I went to, Mobley forced too many off the dribble 20 ft jumpers for my liking. I wish they would be more assertive at starting the offense early. If you are going to drive to the basket, do it before the shot clock runs down. The shot clock is your enemy, not your friend.
Actually, I dont think Cuttino has changed much at all. Steve does indeed though, look to be making more of an effort to get his teamates involved.
RIP...so close to Halloween...a coincidence? I think not. 2 from SF and 1 from Cat would leave me ecstatic. Absolutely. Excluding fast breaks, the Rox seem to get the ball across mid-court around the 18 second mark and due to on the ball pressure the offense usually starts closer to mid-court than the arc. After dribbling and/or ineffective passing, they resort to one on one at about the 4 second mark. At this point, they have severely limited their options.
I am encouraged that you are seeing progress. The Indiana game looked alot like last year; only 8 assists! In the Denver game Steve still passed up wide open players for his patented "one on five jump in the middle of them for an impossible circus shot" move. I didn't see the Toronto game. But if you are hopeful, I am encouraged. I have been very frustrated with his style of play in the past, but any progress is welcome.
I would hold off on that eulogy, guys. It's still early, but by my count they've played 1 solid game out of 3. Call me when it's 1 bad game out of 3. Not trying to be a pessimist or hater, and I wouldn't trade those 2 for anyone. I'm just not putting all my hopes into 1 game, its still a very long season. FWIW, I'm comfortable with these 2 being the big scorers, but they're still not initiating the offense soon enough, and they're dominating the ball far too much. Steve is still over-pentrating, and Cat is doing too much 'posing' (i.e. standing and holding the ball) when he gets the ball. This must improve.
How and the **** do you throw up 20 shots and only make 8, Is that good shot selection? I am refering to Mobley, Dont get me wrong, I love the guy but alot of the shots he took were not called for, There were times when he Had 8 to 10 secs on the clock and he would wait until 2 secs so he could take the shot. I do realize that we are missing 2 key personnel but when you can get an easier shot, For god sakes pass the ball!!!!
Ask Jason Kidd or Allen Iverson. 8 of 20 is 40%. That's Kidd's <b>career</b> average and better than Iversons FG% last year (39%) and so far this year (35%). However, I agree with you. Mobley's shot selection sucks. I can't even imagaine what his field goal percentage would be if he let the shots come to him rather than try to force them. I mean, is there anyone in the league who takes tougher shots than Cuttino? Iverson is the only one that comes to mind.
I actually think that as the rotation becomes solidified, and MoT, Tmo, and KT, and Rice get healthy and back, that Mobley will not take so many ill advised shots. I also think that Steve will pass the ball better. It seems already that Hawkins has gotten the trust of Steve, and the ball. I am encouraged...... DaDakota
Well, Iverson's shots are so tough simply because he's always guarded by somebody that's 5-7 inchest taller than him. Iverson has a LOT of picks set for him to free himself for shots, or else he'd get everything blocked. Mobley probably has the sweetest jumper on the team, and he can afford to shoot more fall aways because he's 6' 7" and his shot has such a high arc on it, so it has less of a chance of being blocked. What Rudy needs to do is run that play for Mobley that he used to run for Bullard all the time. Bring Mobley off a double pick from the baseline and get him a 15-17 foot jumper from the top of the key. He can make that all day long if he wanted to...
Dada, I am with you. It seems to me that Wink is an MVP candidate for this week. His overall control of the game will change slightly but not lessen. He is setting a pace and once the others catchup, look out. All the naysayers are not seeing that right now we have a dominant backcourt, However, it a backcourt that is not joking and are commited to involving the frontcourt, as evidence by the way the Hawk was involved. In fact if EG was hitting his shots, the dominance would have even more visible. Probably the most telling factor to these guys this year is their defense. They are using their quickness and they have a plethora of support being them.
I agree. I'd like to see the Rockets try free up Cuttino much like Indiana did with Reggie Miller all those years. The fact that he shot around 46% the second half of last season is pretty impressive given the shots he takes. In my opinion, he's definitely one of the best shooters in the league.
When you have DaDakota praising Steve and Cat, then you KNOW the season's going well. I, too, think that our team will improve dramatically with MoT and Rice back. Francis and Mobley KNOW that MoT can score when they need him to, and they would feel comfortable giving shots to a well respected veteran like Rice. If MoT can hit at a 49% clip like he did last time he played, and Rice can hit at somewhere betwen 46 and 50%, then this team will be unstoppable.
