Why Cuttino Is a Lock to Stay a Rock...

Cuttino will stay. Mark my words.

This whole situation has caught Mobley by surprise, and he wants to milk it for all the attention that he can get. I don't blame him, he had to take a back seat to the hype that Steve got this year, so he wants his moment in the spotlight. Can you blame him? By saying that it is coin flip between Toronto and Houston, he hightens the suspense of his situation. It's a "neck and neck going down the wire..." type deal. He also adds to the drama by saying that he won't decide until Aug. 1st, soaking all the media coverage he can get until then. Cuttino knows(as do we) that the Rocks will throw plenty of money his way in the future and have surely already promised it in a barkley-esque wink-wink deal. Cuttino also is confident in our system, our coaches, our WARM city, and that we are closer to a championship than the Raptors. All this without even mentioning that he loves Steve like a brother, and that's a big emotional attatchment to break.

No way will he bolt to Toronto for higher taxes, colder weather, and an unknown system. Cat knows that in Toronto, the only air-time he will get is if he ever throws an ally-oop to Vince "The Media Hog" Carter.

Cast off all your burdens and fears, Cat will remain a Rocket for years to come where he will get his fat jack and a ring or two.

Have fun basking in the media spotlight Cuttino, you deserve to get a tan.

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"You couldn't have stuck a pin up his @#! with a jackhammer. Yeah, I'd say he was pretty tight." -- Barkley on Pheonix Sun Chris Carr(...I think) after he missed a game winning free-throw.

[This message has been edited by today (edited July 18, 2000).]

 

When I say "close" to a championship, I mean being one of the top 4 teams in the league, regardless of Conference. The reason I believe that we are closer to a championship is this.

1. McGrady is gone. That will be a big setback to their organization and kills their youth movement.

2. The Raptors front line is OLD. Willis and Oakley might have 1 or 2 more years left, and Anonio Davis is all they have left. So, they would have to add a star PF or C in order to bolster their frontcourt.

3. Going to Canada to play ball will not draw any big name free agents as long as they have other options that will pay them similar money. So, this narrows their hopes of getting a star PF or C.

4. They have no PG, and they didn't even draft one. They have a huge hole here with Workman, Bogues, and Dee Brown currently on the roster as the only PG's.

Cuttino is making his choice based on Toronto's current team. He knows that Alexander has a reputation for pulling off deals in order to give the Rockets a championship caliber team. Nothing in the Toronto Owner's past has led us to believe that he has the same mindset as Alexander, so Cuttino has no clue if he will fork over the dough to make Toronto a contender. Toronto is filled with way too many question marks.

Next year, Toronto will have a better chance of getting a championship(slim to none, and slim just left town), but I am looking 3-6 years down the line. We have much more young talent than they do, and Cuttino knows that he is part of our plan to win another championship in 4-5 years.

One note on the Rocks: I believe that Cato is our future center and will dramatically improve this year to be a 12/12/3 player. Everyone agrees that our backcourt is stacked, and I feel that Cato plus a strong free agent PF or a trade for a PF will secure us in the frontcourt.

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"You couldn't have stuck a pin up his @#! with a jackhammer. Yeah, I'd say he was pretty tight." -- Barkley on Pheonix Sun Chris Carr(...I think) after he missed a game winning free-throw.

[This message has been edited by today (edited July 18, 2000).]