What I want the Rockets to showcase for next season

I'm really afraid that Cato's contract is going to hurt us. He's making far too much money for a backup, but he doesn't really do enough, and he seems to be fragile.

Rudy and CD jumped the gun in awarding him such a large contract... I'm afraid we're going to regret it for years. I still hope he proves me wrong ... if he could just give us 3 blocks a game, 10 points, and 10 rebounds, I'd be satisfied.

 

Cato is good enough. He is better than alot of centers in the nba. Some ppl here are so use to having a dominant center that they want too much out of the center spot.

The Power Position spot has to be helped and so does the small forward. This draft we have to go and get those 2 positions. Then when hakeem is gone the rockets got to go after a BIG Free agent.

 

Duncan will sign for the maximum...$9m. Anything else is an insult.

All centers with athleticism or a shooting touch get more than $4m, Vince. Witness Issuck Austin and Bison Hell.

In those terms, Cato's salary is on par. That's just what centers get paid. By the way, here is his pay.

$5.3333
$5.9999
$6.6666
$7.3333
$7.9999
$8.6666
---------
$42m

By demanding the max, Duncan's agent will get him:

$9.000
$10.125
$11.250
$12.375
$13.500
$14.625
$15.750
-------
$86.625m

Duncan will get nearly double per year than Cato, at his max. I'm glad the CBA has that under control now. $86m may seem unfair for Duncan; but if we don't cap him, Cato would likely get Bison Hell pay.

 

Heyparnter: Dele is a nut, but he also put up some decent numbers before his retirement... in 97-98 he managed 16.2 pts and 8.9 boards per game.

Cato didn't prove anything before he was awarded his contract; he didn't even have one decent season.

Is 10 pts, 10 boards, and 3 blocks really too much to expect from a starting center?

 

I'm glad to see that the "center issue" is being discussed. I have been debating this myself with some of my friends for a long time.

With the current big-man state the NBA is in, if you are over 6'10 and have the slightest ability then you are a good center. That's just the way it works right now.

Take a guy like Tim Duncan, for example. Probably the best big man in the NBA, but he doesnt have any special skills. He has a basic game based on solid-fundamentals. The rest of the centers in this league suck so bad, that this makes him look all-world. I'm not saying I don't want Tim Duncan, I would love to have him. I'm just saying that if every center in the NBA worked on their fundamentals and had average-athleticism, then everyone would be Tim Duncan...which would be average. Nothing special. That is why I think guys like Kevin Garnett and Hakeem (when he was good) are/were so special. They had special skills beyond the basics. Normal big man weren't supposed to be able to do those things no matter how hard they practiced.

Look at the guards in the NBA, however. If you're going to make it in this league as a starting point guard, you have to be awesome. Far different from the center position where if you're above 6'11 and can catch a ball, you're the man. This is probably why I respect the little guys so much. They have to work to develop extraordinary talents just to be in. Even then, most don't make it in the NBA. Take the best perimeter players, for example. Guys like Francis, Iverson, Jordan, they had to be absolutely outstanding to be the best at their position. The best big men just need to pat down the basic fundamentals, and their hall-of-famers.

Now, lets look at Kelvin Cato. With the current "big man state" the NBA is in, he could become an All-Star averaging 14 points, 10 boards, and 3 blocks. That is pathetic. The man is 25 years old, has had personal, professional trainers to help him, and still doesn't have even a decent postup game. Outside from the dunk, his offense is non-existent. Still, because he has athleticism, and height, he is a valuable asset in the NBA. I have seen junior high kids on the playgrounds display better postup moves than the ones procenters (like Cato) show on the court. This is not a knock on Kelvin Cato, I just wanted to explain how someone with such limited skills, can be considered so much in the current NBA.

I guess like they say, you can't teach height.

 

Cato had this one huge game in the preseason with a triple double, but hasn't really done much ever since then. He doesn't seem to be much better than guys like Keon Clark or so. The Rockets should think about trading him.

 

Keon Clark is not better than Cato.

 

haven,

I agree he hasn't shown much, and I agree he better grab 9-10 boards and get 3 blocks to warrant that pay. yes indeed. I'd say those are second tier (6th-10th best) center numbers, to warrant his second tier center pay. My main point was his contract is 2nd-tier center pay. As thecabbage details, centers are a hot commodity.

Cato will have no trouble scoring 10 ppg as long as Francis does he job properly.