Cuttino Mobley and his heart return to L.A. for BIG3’s Week 8
Last month, Allen Iverson’s highly anticipated return to Philadelphia disappointed many when he announced less than a half hour before the first game that he would only be coaching that night. Two weeks later, Kenyon Martin returned to Dallas, where he grew up. Martin may not have done much in 10 minutes of playing time, but at least he graced the court. These BIG3 homecomings have allowed its players to do some work in the community they’ve long known — Martin visited his rival high school earlier that week — and remind nostalgic fans of their time living and playing in the city.
Going into Week 8, Cuttino “Cat” Mobley’s Power were 4-3 and had already clinched a spot in the BIG3’s four-team playoff field. Still, his squad came in jockeying for the third seed. From a personal standpoint, he had even more to play for.
At Staples Center on Sunday afternoon, Mobley would be making his second homecoming of the inaugural BIG3 tour. Four weeks earlier in Philadelphia, where the left-handed shooting guard was born and raised, he led all players with 20 points and 28 minutes played. The Power won, 51-44.
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Just like in Philadelphia, Power’s Los Angeles game was scheduled to tip off first. Mobley settled in quickly, hitting his first two shots, both mid-range jumpers. Mobley knew the arena quite well. He played home games at Staples Center for the final four seasons of an NBA career that was prematurely ended in 2008-09 by a heart condition Mobley now says was misdiagnosed. In 2011, Mobley sued the Knicks over this issue before ultimately dropping the suit two years later in an attempt to return to the NBA.
Mobley’s NBA return never materialized, but he did continue playing over the years, at the Drew League or wherever else he could. “Basketball is a rhythm sport,” Mobley told The Step Back following Power’s Sunday contest. “You want to be able to warm up your muscles and do what you can do. Eighty percent of it [staying in shape] is just eating right, getting your rest and just kind of warming up the muscles.”
In fact, Mobley and former Clippers teammate Corey Maggette were playing pick-up basketball multiple times per week when the BIG3 called, asking them to participate. The duo agreed and asked to play for the same team. Maggette unfortunately injured his knee in the Brooklyn season opener and has not played since.
According to Mobley, his routine upon arriving at Staples Center didn’t differ much from most other weeks on the tour. He said hello to arena employees and other people he knew, but other than that, his focus zeroed in on yet another game about to be played. Ever the consummate professional, while Mobley was happy to be back on the court where he made so many positive memories, he was more interested in the task at hand. “It’s always good to be back in Staples Center playing in front of familiar fans,” he admitted, “just coming out here and doing my best and having some fun.”
Recognizable superfan Clipper Darrell was even in attendance, bringing along his trademark half-red, half-blue suit, boisterous vocals and energetic dance moves. Instead of “Let’s go Clippers. Let’s go,” Darrell Bailey chanted, “When I say ‘Big,’ you say ‘3.’”
After hitting three of his first four shots Sunday, Mobley appeared to tire. The 41-year-old hit just two of his final eight field goals and more often deferred to a red-hot DeShawn Stevenson, who finished with 22 points and six 3-pointers. Despite the strong start, Mobley didn’t really have it going that day. His team was outscored by 15 while he was on the court (typically a questionable statistic, plus-minus takes on increased importance in 3-on-3 basketball), and the Power lost to Tri State, 51-42.
Mobley has had a solid BIG3 campaign, however, leading his team, which he captains, in scoring with 18.6 points and 2.8 assists per game. He’s struggled with his range, going 1-11 from 4-point range (there are three 4-point spots 30 feet from the basket) and 11-40 from 3, the standard NBA distance. Closer to the basket, Mobley has appeared much more comfortable with his lefty turnaround.
When asked to assess his play this season, the grizzled vet gave himself “about a B, B+, just for the simple fact that [I’ve] stayed in that race of being as good as I can get at the moment with the short time and notice of preparing your body.” Mobley hopes to compete again next year and believes the additional time will result in “stronger and more aware” play.
Kareem Rush, a first-round Lakers pick who happened to play his final season with the Clippers, logged just three minutes on Sunday and 2007 Clippers lottery pick Al Thornton saw more action that day, scoring 11 points, including a majestic 4-point field goal.
Former Lakers teammates Kwame Brown and Brian Cook (like Rush, Cook was briefly a Clipper near the end of his career) also appeared. Rush and Brown’s 3-Headed Monsters got trounced, 50-33, but Brown, a former No. 1 overall pick by Michael Jordan’s Wizards, played for 23 minutes and grabbed six rebounds and scored four points. Much more excitingly, Cook scored 17 points in nine minutes of action for the Killer 3s. Cook awed the Staples Center crowd when he scored 15 straight points, including three treys and two 2-point shots, to begin the second half. The scoring outburst cut his team’s deficit from 26-8 to 26-23. Ultimately by the end, however, Cook’s hot shooting was not enough, as Trilogy secured a 50-41 win, sealing their 8-0 regular season.
In next Sunday’s semifinal round, Mobley’s Power will take on the second-seeded 3-Headed Monsters whose star player, Rashard Lewis, and head coach, Gary Payton, will be making their own special homecoming trips. At Key Arena, where Lewis and Payton starred for so many years, lots of love and good vibes will surely be dispensed for a city longing for high-level professional basketball.
NBA nostalgia aside, the 3-Headed Monsters are 6-2 with Lewis turning in an MVP-like season. For Mobley and company to have any semblance of a chance, they will have to slow down Lewis, force 48-year-old Mahmoud Abdul Rauf into uncharacteristic turnovers and hit a healthy dose of outside shots themselves. The only time these teams met, Power lost in a one-sided affair, 50-32.
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Mobley says that his heart is completely fine despite the scare that ended his NBA career. He’s of course still playing basketball and working on various business ventures. If home is where the heart is, Los Angeles is certainly one of those places for Cat, along with Philadelphia and Houston.