Man of Steel
08-02-2008, 11:09 PM
A sad, but necessary farewell by Pradamaster on Jul 9, 2008 10:43 PM EDT in Free Agency
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.
3 recs | 15 comments | Add your comment
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Washington WizardsSan Antonio Spurs Roger Mason (G - SAN) roger mason2008 free agency
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Did he really make that much more?
I thought he got a 3-year $9 million offer last year.
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Jul 9, 2008 11:21 PM EDT reply 0 recs
Thankfully, no
Mason made the vets minimum last year. He got a comparable offer from San Antonio, but for three years.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on Jul 9, 2008 11:26 PM EDT up reply 0 recs
Actually
Last year, the SA Spurs offered Roger a 3-year deal, worth roughly $3 Million… (ie: $1Million per year)...
He turned that down and signed a 1-year deal with the Wizards for the Vet minimum $770,610
by Rook6980 on Jul 10, 2008 1:00 AM EDT up reply 0 recs
NIce
Nothing like a $3 Million dollar per year raise…..
He earned it… Good for Roger
by Rook6980 on Jul 10, 2008 1:01 AM EDT up reply 0 recs
Link?
I’m recalling this too, actually, but where was this reported?
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on Jul 10, 2008 1:01 AM EDT up reply 0 recs
Link
It was widely reported at the time…. but here’s a link to the Washington Post story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/15/AR2007101501547.html
And a San Antonio link:
http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79042
and one at Hoopsworld:
http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.asp?hd=20071008
by Rook6980 on Jul 10, 2008 1:35 AM EDT up reply 0 recs
Adios to a good guy
I was skeptical when I heard that Mason turned down guaranteed money from the Spurs last season to sign a one-year deal with the Wiz on the hope he would earn more this season. But he proved me wrong (and lots of others) and he’s laughing all the way to the bank, so good on him.
As for his time with the Wiz, he was a dependable backup who helped us win games and was always ready to play . There are a lot more talented players, but he’s as professional as they come.
Congrats to a guy who seems like a genuine good guy.
"Now, obviously individual production does not unilaterally equal better team production, but there's a high level of causation."
by Vanilla Gorilla on Jul 9, 2008 11:43 PM EDT reply 1 recs
A Great Guy to Have Had
As for his time with the Wiz, he was a dependable backup who helped us win games and was always ready to play.
Amen to that. The game that will always stand out in my mind was last season’s game in Seattle, after the Wizards got hammered by 20 points in Portland the night before. Here was a quote from the Associated Press recap:
SEATTLE, March 26 (AP)—At this point of the season, when the weary Washington Wizards are pushing for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots, they can be thankful for Roger Mason.
Mason, averaging 8.6 points and 21 minutes a game, came off the bench to pump in five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, leading the Wizards to a 104-99 victory over the Seattle Supersonics on Wednesday night.
The Wizards (37-34) remained a half-game ahead of Philadelphia for sixth place in the East. The Sixers beat Chicago 121-99.
“Roger Mason really bailed us out tonight,” Washington coach Eddie Jordan said.
Mason matched his career high with six 3-pointers, and Caron Butler had 21 points. He’s averaging 27.8 points in his last seven games against the Sonics.
The Wizards, once trailing the Sonics by 17 in the third quarter, outscored the Sonics by 12 in the fourth to take that game and turn around a west coast trip that was on the verge of getting ugly. Roger almost single-handedly willed us to victory in that game with his shooting. A true professional that I for one will miss.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
by cuppettcj on Jul 10, 2008 10:10 AM EDT up reply 0 recs
from reading your comment…....I wanna CRY so HARDDDDDD!! hahaha
by ak47 on Jul 9, 2008 11:48 PM EDT reply 0 recs
Nice farewell....
So I’m going to post the same thing I said on the RMJ departure fan shot:
As it’s out with the old (role players) and in with the new for San Antonio, the Spurs provide RMJ with more of a chance at significant run than the Wiz could have. Best of luck.
Nick Young……eyes are officially on you brotha.
Representing DC with Wizards & Stuff - Truth About It Dot Net
by Truth About It on Jul 10, 2008 12:34 AM EDT reply 0 recs
Congrats
Glad to see Mason work out an amicable departure from the team. It wasn’t going to work out between him and the Wizards, but he’s still a good guy who will be easy to root for on another team. Best of luck to the guy.
by MikeMid on Jul 10, 2008 1:28 AM EDT reply 0 recs
D@mn
Good Luck Roger..this team is going to miss you a lot. A shooter of your nature can be vastly underrated. Oh! well, EG came close to batting 3 for 3.
by LoneWiz54 on Jul 10, 2008 7:11 AM EDT reply 0 recs
Good for Roger
He got himself a nice raise and did yeoman’s work for us. I agree with everyone else, he will be missed. Too bad he is going to a team I despise like the Spurs, but good wishes to him.
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Jul 10, 2008 11:08 AM EDT reply 0 recs
i hope
my buddy is still happy about the wizards roger mason jr jersey he bought at the end of last season.
like others, i’m happy for roger. he’s a great fit in S.A. and i hope he does well there.
by DarrellWalkerFan on Jul 10, 2008 12:10 PM EDT reply 0 recs
Sigh
Looks like I have to change my sig. I swear to god, everygame I watched this year, Roger bricked a three….I would get up to go to to bathroom, and when I came back…he had drained four in a row.
I think it says a lot that Roger Mason Jr., started off as a joke for me (originally, ‘Roger Mason Jr., time” was when the Wiz were destroying or being destroyed) and turned into something
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.
3 recs | 15 comments | Add your comment
Read Related
Washington WizardsSan Antonio Spurs Roger Mason (G - SAN) roger mason2008 free agency
Email | Print |
Comments
Display: Expanded Collapsed
Did he really make that much more?
I thought he got a 3-year $9 million offer last year.
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Jul 9, 2008 11:21 PM EDT reply 0 recs
Thankfully, no
Mason made the vets minimum last year. He got a comparable offer from San Antonio, but for three years.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on Jul 9, 2008 11:26 PM EDT up reply 0 recs
Actually
Last year, the SA Spurs offered Roger a 3-year deal, worth roughly $3 Million… (ie: $1Million per year)...
He turned that down and signed a 1-year deal with the Wizards for the Vet minimum $770,610
by Rook6980 on Jul 10, 2008 1:00 AM EDT up reply 0 recs
NIce
Nothing like a $3 Million dollar per year raise…..
He earned it… Good for Roger
by Rook6980 on Jul 10, 2008 1:01 AM EDT up reply 0 recs
Link?
I’m recalling this too, actually, but where was this reported?
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
by Pradamaster on Jul 10, 2008 1:01 AM EDT up reply 0 recs
Link
It was widely reported at the time…. but here’s a link to the Washington Post story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/15/AR2007101501547.html
And a San Antonio link:
http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79042
and one at Hoopsworld:
http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.asp?hd=20071008
by Rook6980 on Jul 10, 2008 1:35 AM EDT up reply 0 recs
Adios to a good guy
I was skeptical when I heard that Mason turned down guaranteed money from the Spurs last season to sign a one-year deal with the Wiz on the hope he would earn more this season. But he proved me wrong (and lots of others) and he’s laughing all the way to the bank, so good on him.
As for his time with the Wiz, he was a dependable backup who helped us win games and was always ready to play . There are a lot more talented players, but he’s as professional as they come.
Congrats to a guy who seems like a genuine good guy.
"Now, obviously individual production does not unilaterally equal better team production, but there's a high level of causation."
by Vanilla Gorilla on Jul 9, 2008 11:43 PM EDT reply 1 recs
A Great Guy to Have Had
As for his time with the Wiz, he was a dependable backup who helped us win games and was always ready to play.
Amen to that. The game that will always stand out in my mind was last season’s game in Seattle, after the Wizards got hammered by 20 points in Portland the night before. Here was a quote from the Associated Press recap:
SEATTLE, March 26 (AP)—At this point of the season, when the weary Washington Wizards are pushing for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots, they can be thankful for Roger Mason.
Mason, averaging 8.6 points and 21 minutes a game, came off the bench to pump in five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, leading the Wizards to a 104-99 victory over the Seattle Supersonics on Wednesday night.
The Wizards (37-34) remained a half-game ahead of Philadelphia for sixth place in the East. The Sixers beat Chicago 121-99.
“Roger Mason really bailed us out tonight,” Washington coach Eddie Jordan said.
Mason matched his career high with six 3-pointers, and Caron Butler had 21 points. He’s averaging 27.8 points in his last seven games against the Sonics.
The Wizards, once trailing the Sonics by 17 in the third quarter, outscored the Sonics by 12 in the fourth to take that game and turn around a west coast trip that was on the verge of getting ugly. Roger almost single-handedly willed us to victory in that game with his shooting. A true professional that I for one will miss.
"It's OK for the Bullets to trade baskets, as long as they can score on their end." -- Words of wisdom from Phil Chenier
by cuppettcj on Jul 10, 2008 10:10 AM EDT up reply 0 recs
from reading your comment…....I wanna CRY so HARDDDDDD!! hahaha
by ak47 on Jul 9, 2008 11:48 PM EDT reply 0 recs
Nice farewell....
So I’m going to post the same thing I said on the RMJ departure fan shot:
As it’s out with the old (role players) and in with the new for San Antonio, the Spurs provide RMJ with more of a chance at significant run than the Wiz could have. Best of luck.
Nick Young……eyes are officially on you brotha.
Representing DC with Wizards & Stuff - Truth About It Dot Net
by Truth About It on Jul 10, 2008 12:34 AM EDT reply 0 recs
Congrats
Glad to see Mason work out an amicable departure from the team. It wasn’t going to work out between him and the Wizards, but he’s still a good guy who will be easy to root for on another team. Best of luck to the guy.
by MikeMid on Jul 10, 2008 1:28 AM EDT reply 0 recs
D@mn
Good Luck Roger..this team is going to miss you a lot. A shooter of your nature can be vastly underrated. Oh! well, EG came close to batting 3 for 3.
by LoneWiz54 on Jul 10, 2008 7:11 AM EDT reply 0 recs
Good for Roger
He got himself a nice raise and did yeoman’s work for us. I agree with everyone else, he will be missed. Too bad he is going to a team I despise like the Spurs, but good wishes to him.
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Jul 10, 2008 11:08 AM EDT reply 0 recs
i hope
my buddy is still happy about the wizards roger mason jr jersey he bought at the end of last season.
like others, i’m happy for roger. he’s a great fit in S.A. and i hope he does well there.
by DarrellWalkerFan on Jul 10, 2008 12:10 PM EDT reply 0 recs
Sigh
Looks like I have to change my sig. I swear to god, everygame I watched this year, Roger bricked a three….I would get up to go to to bathroom, and when I came back…he had drained four in a row.
I think it says a lot that Roger Mason Jr., started off as a joke for me (originally, ‘Roger Mason Jr., time” was when the Wiz were destroying or being destroyed) and turned into something