Live Stream of Spurs Press Conference 7.11.08

[spursdotcom]

Click here http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/spurs_sign_mason_080711.html to watch the presser live of free agent signing.

[Brutalis]

As live as the last one right?

Heh.

[mardigan]

Dude says all the right things, he sounds like a Spur already. Cant wait to see what he can do.

[timvp]

Click here http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/spurs_sign_mason_080711.html to watch the presser live of free agent signing.Thanks! Great work. That's the first time the live streaming worked for me and it ran smoothly.

Very good interview and Mason said a lot of interesting things. He said that the Spurs have gone after him the last two summers. He said that in Washington, they oftentimes put him on the other team's best player. He says he talked to Antonio Daniels about how everyone is treated equal in San Antonio's locker room. Mason told a story about working out with free agents last year in August and then Tim Duncan showed up and worked out with the free agents (TD must live at the practice facility because that's what everyone always says :lol).

RC made an interesting point in that Mason had to get a lot of his three-point looks last year off the dribble and on the move ... and how with the Spurs he'll get a lot more open looks in the inside-out attack. We'll see how that pans out.

I'm not sold on Mason yet but at least it seems like he understands what the Spurs will need out of him on both ends of the court. :tu

[Bruno]

I've liked what he has said. He seems to be a nice guy.

And RC could easily win the worst dressed GM award.

[spursdotcom]

Thanks timvp, glad it worked for everyone today. I assure you that it was streamed yesterday and we did have viewers online watching.

We'll have the complete presser up shortly for those of you who couldn't view live.

[duncan228]

Mason told a story about working out with free agents last year in August and then Tim Duncan showed up and worked out with the free agents (TD must live at the practice facility because that's what everyone always says :lol).

Duncan's work ethic still impresses me, even after all these years.

[rj215]

Duncan's work ethic still impresses me, even after all these years.

First ballot HOF and best PF ever.....no doubt.

[Solid D]

I hope spurs.com posts the video of the presser for those of us who missed the Live feed.

[duncan228]

I hope spurs.com posts the video of the presser for those of us who missed the Live feed.


We'll have the complete presser up shortly for those of you who couldn't view live.

It seems they will, I haven't checked.

[Solid D]

RC made an interesting point in that Mason had to get a lot of his three-point looks last year off the dribble and on the move ... and how with the Spurs he'll get a lot more open looks in the inside-out attack. We'll see how that pans out.

I'm not sold on Mason yet but at least it seems like he understands what the Spurs will need out of him on both ends of the court. :tu

Interesting. A Washington Wizards fansite posted some opinions regarding Mason's success in the Princeton offense, where Mason did less spotting-up on the perimeter and more movement. The movement seemed to improve Roger's shooting. I guess the Spurs will figure out whether to run 4-down very often when they insert Roger for some "instant offense".

This was the link to that fansite:
http://www.bulletsforever.com/2008/6/6/547379/player-evaluation-roger-ma

[spursdotcom]

as promised

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/mason_pressconf_080711.html

[duncan228]

Wow Solid D. I was just going to post a blog from that same site. I'll put it here. :)

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2008/7/9/568383/a-sad-but-necessary-farewe

A sad, but necessary farewell
by Pradamaster

As many of you know, I interned last summer at Comcast SportsNet. My main job was to be their Blog Show intern, but I had the same experience other interns did, in that I logged tape, helped to cut highlight packages and did some field work.

During my time there, I met exactly one Wizard. It was Roger Mason.

It was actually pretty random. He apparently runs a basketball camp down at George Washington over the summer, and we were shooting some puff piece about it while also hoping to get him to comment on his free agent status at the time. Initially, it didn't seem like one of Mason's finest moments. When we arrived, there were several kids randomly shooting around with almost no supervision. Mason was nowhere to be found. We were told he'd arrive any minute.

A minute passed, then another, then several more. Finally, an hour and a half later, Mason showed up with a sheepish look on his face. He quickly came over to our crew, and I figured the interview would happen right away.

Instead, Mason and my producer chatted for a good 10-15 minutes off camera, talking about things that had nothing to do with basketball. Events they both attended, job complaints, etc. Throughout the exchange, save for the beginning, my producer was doing most of the talking. Mason stood there, listening attentively, but not talking much. He was so genuine off-camera. I never really got a chance to jump in, but honestly, I didn't want to. It was so intriguing watching an athlete be so quiet and unassuming when the cameras weren't on.

It's that quality that made Roger Mason an easy guy to support. He never got in trouble, never complained about his role and played the same way no matter how many minutes he received. He could be counted on to start and play a lot of minutes, but on nights we didn't need him, he could still be of some use. He improved his game so incredibly from year to year that I was often shocked at what I was seeing. I remember how skinny his arms looked when I saw him that summer, yet those arms were still good enough to launch from deep and handle the ball solidly.

As a person, I'll miss him. I realize why all the coaches and beat writers love him.

Yet I'm also happy about this development, because I was worried that the organization would value his character over the needs of the team. Next year, and in the years to follow, we won't need Roger Mason's services. Gilbert Arenas should return, Antonio Daniels is there to back him up, and Nick Young is the shooting guard of the future. Meanwhile, fragile Caron Butler had no backup and plenty of solid options were available to fill that hole for the remaining money the Wizards had under the luxury tax. To spend that money on a fifth guard—even one with as high a character as Mason's—would have shown where the organization's true motives lied.

Luckily, we won't have that chance, as the Spurs scooped him up for 7.5 million over the next two years. As it turns out, Mason's annual salary is for more than we could have afforded anyway.

And that's great for him. It's only fitting that Mason goes to a classy organization like San Antonio's. He turned down a similar offer from the Spurs last summer because he felt he could make more if he had a good season, even though he was well behind Arenas, Daniels and Stevenson on the depth chart and had no guarantee to even return to the Wizards. In the end, he got his chance, made the most of it, and will now rake home a lot more dough than he would have received last season. He deserves it, and I'm overjoyed to see him get his chance to make a difference on a real contender. San Antonio will definitely put him to good use spotting up behind the three-point line.

But the Wizards also deserve this chance to use his money to sign someone to fill Mason's spot in the rotation. That's why Gilbert left the money he did on the table. Now, the Wizards have no choice but to use it on someone else. Someone that will help this team far more than Roger Mason possibly could have.

Goodbye, Potomac Rainmaker. I'll always cheer you on.

[timvp]

Interesting. A Washington Wizards fansite posted some opinions regarding Mason's success in the Princeton offense, where Mason did less spotting-up on the perimeter and more movement. The movement seemed to improve Roger's shooting. I guess the Spurs will figure out whether to run 4-down very often when they insert Roger for some "instant offense".

This was the link to that fansite:
http://www.bulletsforever.com/2008/6/6/547379/player-evaluation-roger-maI read that earlier and yeah it does a good job of covering some of the fears regarding Mason. The Princeton offense is very kind to "combo" guards who lack size to be as productive in other offenses. A perfect example is Bobby Jackson. As a King, he flourished in the Princeton offense. Shot the ball well and could play either guard spot. In just about every other situation, his lack of natural point guard skills and size for shooting guard has caused him to be far less productive -- especially in terms of shooting percentages.

The transition from the guard spot in the Princeton offense to the shooting guard spot in the Spurs' offense is going to be a big change. It might work or it might not work. Combine that transition Mason has to make with the fact that he has only one good season shooting the ball in his career dating back to his sophomore year at Virginia and his bust potential is probably pretty high.

At best, Mason will be Barry minus playmaking and passing skills but plus defensive skills. At worst, Mason will be a shorter post-1999 Jaren Jackson. Hopefully his hair isn't an indication of which path he'll end up taking . . .

[Solid D]

Thanks a million, spursdotcom! Next order of business...replace Goran Dragic with Malik Hairston on the roster! :)

[Solid D]

At best, Mason will be Barry minus playmaking and passing skills but plus defensive skills. At worst, Mason will be a shorter post-1999 Jaren Jackson. Hopefully his hair isn't an indication of which path he'll end up taking . . .

I thought about Jaren, too, when they signed Roger. If he plays defense anywhere close to the way Jaren played D, then the Spurs made-out like bandits.

[GrandeDavid]

I really liked that interview and love his professionalism and he seems like he'll be a good fit, at least in attitude and humility.

[clubalien]

Mason told a story about working out with free agents last year in August and then Tim Duncan showed up and worked out with the free agents (TD must live at the practice facility because that's what everyone always says :lol). :tu

Timmy =recuiter
you think he was actual friends with KiDD no, he just was trying to steal him over in free agency

[T Park]

Interesting comparison.

Roger Mason could be = Jaren Jackson

[DPG21920]

Interesting comparison.

Roger Mason could be = Jaren Jackson

That would make him an upgrade for sure over Finley. We will just have to wait and see. I still want Finley back though as insurance. KT is a must as well.

[DPG21920]

At least defensively. From an offensive standpoint would be about the same (about 39% fg, 36% 3 pt, around 8 points a game)

[Spurs Brazil]

Thanks for the video