This is probably a dumb question but what's the feasibility of getting Cato back? How much money's his contract worth?
After watching him get tee'd up fior pulling Bobby Sura's foot out from under him last season, Kuck Felvin Cato.
I'm with you tooth, there are no needs to burn bridges. You can look at Kelvin's actions as hate for the Rockets or you can look at as passion. If JVG wants him back after coaching him for a year, I would be happy. I know JVG is not the end all-be all of basketball talent, but in order for a player to be useful to the Rockets organization, Jeff Van Gundy must want the player first.
IIRC, Cato only tripped Sura b/c Sura had been getting into it with Francis the whole time. I don't think it was against the Rockets as a whole but merely just against Sura.
As far as a backup 5/4, we could do worse than Kelvin Cato. Of course, we could do better; but JVG and Cato clicked. Cato got a little meaner with JVG at the helm, and even played through pain. That was a first in his career. I remember Steve, Cat, and Cato looking none-too-happy when holding up their Magic jerseys a year ago. I think Kelvin would be happy to return. But the feasibility of getting him back? He has an expiring contract, so we would have to combine expiring contracts and draft picks....and that's if we have an assurance we can re-sign him for a lesser contract. So....stranger things have happened, but...
I don't care because I think Sura needs protection, I care because they were all alone in the middle of the floor and Sura had the ball. Everybody was looking right at them. It was not only classless, it was extremely stupid.
I'm not defending Cato or anything.......in fact I despised his whole demeanor. The fact is, Sura has a knack for pissing opposing teams off. I'm glad he's on our side though.
I remember getting so pissed at Sura when he played for other teams. He's one of those "pest" guys that you love to have on your team but hate to play against. But as for Cato, I would like to bring him back. He would be a great backup for Yao when Deke is done. JVG turned Cato into an intense player that played good D and a decent rebounder for the most part.
I'm all for getting him. Since he is about to be a FA, he should play pretty well this season(lord knows he should be rested). Beyond this season, let someone else deal with him. Of course, this means that we would have to deal with Weisbrod again, but considering the way we raped him before, perhaps we could do it again.
Cato would actually be a nice addition as a backup. His rebounding and defense have really improved and the Rocks certainly could have used him when Dallas was cleaning up the offensive boards. He would make this team better on defense as you would have an extra body inside to help Yao out considering that Padget, Howard & Weatherspoon are all undersized and not as athletic as Cato. Maybe a little too high a salary for a backup though.
Weisbrod's gone back to hockey. So we won't be dealing with him. I would like to have Cato back as a backup 5/4. with the shooters we have now we could afford Cato at the 4. We do have expiring contracts in Baker, Mooch &Ward, so that could be done from that standpoint.
Kelvin Cato makes starter money but plays like a half-decent back-up. He's a decent but not great rebounder. His positional defense leaves much to be desired. His offensive game is execrable - even at close range. Cato is a big, warm body. That's all. There are plenty of other guys like Cato we can get - without the baggage and poor work ethic.
MEMO to the Dude: Come out of the cave and get a dose of fresh air. Weisbrod was fired. Your so called rape forced him out
I honestly would rather have Kurt Thomas as a Rocket before Cato. Cato was a liability offensively and his butter fingers aren't exactly what we need. If he can't at least catch the ball then what's the use. What were his stats this year anyways? How much is his salary compared to Kurt Thomas's?
