Al Harrington will be a very good power forward and is apparently about ready to tell the Pacer to "start me or trade me" He plays PF in the O'Neal/Al/Artest frontcourt, and also SF when he spells Artest. It would take substantial players/picks and the willingness to take Austin Croshere to get him.
If we dumped MoT's and/or Cato's salary as part of the deal. And certainly, we would get a chance to check out the knee. CWeb probably came back too soon.
Season In Review: Kelvin Cato As the 2003-04 season got underway, the buzz word in Houston was “new.” A new coach, new uniforms and a new arena gave Houston Rockets fans optimism that the end of the season would also produce something new for their beloved team - a spot in the NBA playoffs. After five frustrating years of missing the postseason the Rockets re-joined the playoff party in 2004, falling to the L.A. Lakers in the first round. Obviously not content with their early playoff exit, the Rockets face several difficult decisions in determining how the team can most easily reach its ultimate goal of competing for a championship. Will management see the playoff appearance as the beginning of big things to come and keep the current makeup of the team intact? Or is it time to move in a different direction with new personnel? Join Rockets.com over the next few weeks as we break down each player’s 2003-04 season as well as take a look ahead at the outlook for 2004-05. 2003-04 Notes: Averaged 6.1 points with 6.8 rebounds and 1.39 blocks in 69 games (67 starts) ... ranked second on the Rockets in both rebounding average and blocked shots per game ... made 67 starts at power forward, which stands as his second-highest single-season start total in his career ... finished the season with the second highest rebounding and blocked shots averages of his career ... ranked third on the Rockets with seven double-doubles ... scored a season-high 16 points at Phoenix on Dec. 20 ... set a season high with 15 rebounds on Jan. 3 vs. Utah ... made a season-high six blocks on Nov. 1 vs. Memphis and Apr. 7 at the Clippers ... tied a career high with four steals vs. Phoenix on Nov. 14 ... set a career high with six assists at Washington on Jan. 13 ... led Houston in points once and rebounds 18 times ... reached double figures in points 12 times and rebounds 15 times ... on the injured list from Mar. 18-Apr. 6 with a left shoulder sprain. What a difference a couple of years makes. Take a look at Kelvin Cato's statistics from the 2003-04 season and compare them to his 2001-02 campaign. The numbers are nearly identical with the exception of his field goal percentage, which was markedly higher in 2001-02. Two years ago while the Rockets were on their way to a miserable 28-win season, Cato was vilified by the local fans for his perceived lack of on-court effort or intensity. This season he seemed to come alive under new coach Jeff Van Gundy, chasing every loose ball and rebound with reckless abandon and showing the type of effort that Rockets fans had expected to see since Cato joined the Rockets in 1999. Although his final numbers weren't overly impressive for a starting power forward, Cato's value as a physical presence was made evident during a stretch in late March-early April in which the Rockets dropped seven of 10 games while he was on the sidelines with an injury. Jan. 3, 2004 - Cato scored 11 points, pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds and blocked four shots to help lead the Rockets to a convincing 84-63 victory over the Utah Jazz. "My conditioning is getting better," Cato said following the game. "I got in better condition this summer when we got a new coach." One of the most obvious needs of the Rockets this offseason is to upgrade the power forward spot with more offensive production. Cato did everything asked of him in 2003-04 but the fact is he would be better suited in a backup role, spelling Yao Ming at center or giving the Rockets another defensive presence off the bench in certain matchup situations. The four Western Conference playoff finalists - Minnesota (Kevin Garnett), the L.A. Lakers (Karl Malone), San Antonio (Tim Duncan) and Sacramento (Chris Webber) - all have standout producers at the '4' slot. If the Rockets have designs of getting past these teams in next year's playoffs, moving Cato to a more suitable role and getting more scoring punch at the position should be a priority. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/review04_cato.html
I understand where you are coming from but what about our playmaker Point Guard and our taller more athletic Small Forward?
I think you're mistaken here Deuce, although I'm no expert. I believe Detroit acquired Rasheed's bird rights in the trade. That means they can sign Okur for as much capspace as they want, and then re-sign Rasheed against the cap with full bird rights. Can someone verify this?
