Kelvin Cato: A Major Commodity?

Imagine that, Kelvin Cato a major commodity. Is Cato turning into a true double double guy that can also put up 2+ blocks a game?

We saw his transformation starting last year as he was fouling less and rebounding more. Now this year he has continued to rebound, continued to stay out of foul trouble, started blocking shots again and looks like he has added something (maybe a lot) to his offensive game. This is truly the Kelvin Cato that the Rockets had envisioned when they signed him to a 7mil a year contract.

Just to put things into perspective here are his stats before he left the team because of the death of his grandmother:

11 rebounds a game
2.2 blocks a game
1.2 steals a game
6.6 points a game
28 minutes a game
3 personal fouls a game

Since coming back he has continued to rebound well and started showing some variety in his offensive game by successfully using the hook shot and fade away with great consistency…so far. In his only game that he logged more than 20 minutes of play he had 12 rebounds, 22 points, 82% shooting and 6 blocked shots against one of the more physical front courts in the league. Cato controlled the backboards in that game as he has done all year when he has been in the game.

So where am I going with all of this? Most people can probably figure out that this is leading up to a trade.

Not immediately but closer to the trade deadline if Yao Ming looks like he has adjusted to the NBA or maybe not even until the off-season. The play-offs are a must IMO so Cato should not be traded if it looks like loosing him would prevent us from making the play-offs.

Why not just keep him?

1. Yao Ming will be the starter here for the next decade. He has already shown the ability to learn very quickly and adjust his game. As his minutes continue to increase Cato’s will obviously decrease.

2. When Cato’s doesn’t get to play Cato pouts, when Cato pouts his production plummets, when his production plummets he looses value as both a back up to Yao Ming and as a tradable player. Cato has already said that he needed a pep talk and encouragement because he was not getting playing time when he re-joined the team a couple of weeks ago.

3. Collier has looked good when playing this year. He is certainly not starter material but he has put in some very quality minutes particularly against Cleveland. Collier is a lot cheaper than Cato and doesn’t seem to get down on himself or the team when he losses his playing time.

4. A good powerfull center that can control the backboards, block shots, provide a real post presence and force Shaq to work on the offensive end is in high demand and short supply. The list of centers in the NBA that might fill this bill is short. Vlade and Motumbo are both old and the only other center that comes to mind is Kandi. Cato is one of the few centers in the league that has size, strength and athletic ability. On top of that Cato is under contract through 2006 with a friendlier contract than Kandi will have once he hits the open market.

Who would be interested in Cato?

1. Dallas Mavericks are the first team to come to mind. Shawn Bradley has had a decent year but he just does not control the backboards and he provides absolutely no inside presence against players like, Shaq, Vlade and Duncan. The Mavs one weakness is someone that can provide a physical inside presence play great defense and control the backboards. The Mavs would love to have a big man that can start at center on a full time basis while allowing Raef LaFrentz to play power forward and moving Dirk to small forward. Cato could make a real difference on this team.

2. Orlando Magic – Here is another team that is a true low post player away from being a serious contender in the east. The Magic have not hid the fact that they want and need a big physical center. The one player that they have coveted the most is Tim Duncan but he will probably stay in S.A. next year again. They may be in a position to go after Kandiman in the off-season but would it be easier for them to just trade Cato?

3. Seattle SuperSonics

4. Miami Heat

5. New York Knickerbockers

6. Toronto Raptors – If they had Cato then maybe Antonio Davis could play his natural position of Power Forward. Wasn’t this the plan when they traded for Hakeem?

7. Minnesota Timberwolves? Would they be interested in putting Cato in their front court along with KG after signing Marc Jackson to a contract last year?

8. San Antonio Spurs? With Robinson retiring at the end of the season and Tim Duncan not wanting to play center in the NBA would the Spurs be interested?

What kind of player would Houston want in return?

Someone with a good outside shot that can make it hard for teams to stay in a zone. A smart role player that understands defense and passing. An off guard or a good pack up point guard? Do any of the teams have a player that we would be interested in that they would be willing to give up?

Brent Barry – One year left on his contract. Would Cato be enough to make them consider trading him?
Mike Miller – He seems kind of redundant to Grant Hill. If Hill remains healthy and the ankle holds up would the Magic consider trading him?
Grant Hill – This one seems highly improbable but he has a huge contract and his health is still a question mark. If the Magic could get an inside presence would they be willing to cut ties with him and let Mike Miller start along side of McGrady?

Other players that are not on one of the teams listed:
Jon Barry – Would Detroit be interested in a Ben Wallace / Kelvin Cato front court?
Hidayet Turkoglu – He is not going to be happy as a back up behind Peja forever but is there any reason that Sac would want Cato? I can’t think of one.

Those are just a few names. Obviously in order to a trade for any of the players listed there would have to be a 3rd team or other players thrown into the trade but the point of this thread is to come to the understanding that Cato does have some very real value the way he is currently playing. Who knows if Orlando or Seattle would even be willing to trade one of the players listed at any price? The Rockets also need time to decide who is going to be a part of their rotation and who is going to be expendable. Who do you trade with Cato? Thomas? Mo Taylor? Moochie? We obviously need more time to figure out who fits and who doesn’t.

What are the other names of players the Rockets could use?

BTW this is not just another someone must be traded thread. As I stated I think Cato is playing very well and has turned himself into a difference maker. It is obvious that Yao Ming is the future of this team and it looks like the future is a lot closer than it first appeared.

 

Solid, Achebe and Mmanal,

If trading Cato before the deadline will prevent us from making the play-offs then I am not on board with trading him this season. I support that theory in my first post. However, unless you do not expect Yao Ming to live up to his number 1 pick status or unless you expect Cato to turn into Shaq then we simply should not need Cato much after this year.

What are your expectations of Yao Ming?

I expect that by next season Yao Ming will be getting warriors minutes. By warrior’s minutes I am talking about 35+ minutes a game. I expect Yao Ming to be that good. How do you expect Kelvin Cato to react to playing only about 10 to 15 minutes a game? And really, how Cato reacts is not that much of a concern to me but how do you think the Rockets are best served? By having a 7 million a year player getting 10 to 15 minutes a game or by using him to shore up some of our weaknesses?

I guess if you don’t see Yao Ming as someone that will command 35+ minutes a game then we simply have a disagreement on what kind of player Yao Ming will be as early as next year. If you see Yao Ming only averaging around 25 minutes a game then Cato is clearly needed on this team.

All I said in my first post was that at some point our need for Cato will not be close to what it is today. A quick look around the league and we will see teams that are having to plug power forwards in at the center spot and other teams that have a center that is lucky to get 8 rebounds a game on most nights.

The fact that you have teams like the Mavericks that are willing to pay Shawn Bradley 5 mil a year and Evan Eschmeyer 3.5 mil a year just hopping to get something useful from the 5 spot speaks volumes about the condition the center position is in. With teams like Minnesota paying players like Marc Jackson 4+ mil a year certainly there is a big market for someone of Kelvin Cato’s caliber that only makes about 7 mil a year.

Personally I think the Rockets are best served by trading Cato sometimes close to the deadline or after the season to add some more pieces to the puzzle. Not potential superstars just role players that can bring something to the table like good outside shooting.

 

NIKEstrad,
I’m not saying that there is this big rush to trade Cato. I am not even saying that he needs to be traded by the trade deadline. What I am saying is that I think Yao Ming will develop into a 35+ minute a night superstar that can score, rebound, block shots and pass with the best of them. At that point I don’t think having Cato for 10 to 15 minutes a game is not necessary. I am also saying that if Cato just maintains his current level of play then he will have tons of trade value and we could get a real good role player of two that could bring some specialty skills off of the bench. I am in no way looking to shake up our line up but once the rotation is set and we get a feel for who just does not fit then it is only natural for some tweaking to take place. Having someone as valuable as Cato that might not be needed could definitely help us tweak our roster at the end of the year.

Ricerocket,
At no point did I imply anything as ridiculous as trading Cato for Bradley. I don’t even recall suggesting a trade for a big man. At this point I don’t really think we will know what we are going to need at the end of the season or by the trade deadline. IMO, Yao Ming is going to be the starter and a legitimate star on our team for a long time. Once that happens I don’t think a 7 million a year 10 to 15 minute a game player is needed. If you are not open to the possibility that Yao Ming will be the player that I think he will be then fine, but that is another debate all together. Just don’t drag this thread down by sarcastically suggesting that we trade Cato for Bradley as if that is the kind of deal I am suggesting.