Harvey: Only 101 Reasons To Like Mason

[Solid D]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Only_101_reasons_to_like_Mason.html

Roger Mason Jr. attended an exclusive middle school that included, among others, Chelsea Clinton. He designed his house in Maryland.

He has his own construction business, and that figures. A Washington Wizards executive says Mason might be the only player who could make more money outside the NBA than in it.

His father was an outstanding eye surgeon who died of kidney failure when Roger Jr. was 11. Then, Roger Jr. decided he had to be “the strong one” because he had a little brother and two little sisters.

The stories go on and on. The newest Spur is part Steve Kerr and part Bruce Bowen, with some David Robinson thrown in, and Mason arrived Monday at the Spurs' media day with the personality in place. Mason went from camera to camera, greeting everyone with a handshake and a smile.

But it won't be long before no one cares. For about the first six weeks of the season, Mason will be asked to ease the loss of Manu Ginobili, and there are reasons to think he can't.

There are also reasons to think he can.

Specifically, there are 101.

The Spurs settled on a few less this past summer when they signed Mason. He is versatile, he can shoot 3-pointers, and he can defend.

They love who he is, too. He's a smart, engaging man who fits in this locker room. Mason has earned his success, and this goes back to when he left Virginia after three years.

He entered the draft because some analysts thought he would be a top-15 pick. Some scouts don't remember rating him that high, but none of it mattered when Mason crashed to the floor during a workout before the draft. He still has the scar on his right shoulder from the surgery that followed, not far from a tattoo in honor of his late father.

Mason fell to the second round. The injury kept him out for nine months, and then he was caught in a regime change in Chicago. He went to Greece and Israel, the kind of path other Spurs have taken before, if just to play again.

He played summer league, too, and the Spurs brought him into their summer program in 2006. They liked him but had no place for him, and the next summer, the Spurs brought him back. Then they offered him a small, three-year deal that wasn't fully guaranteed, and he chose to return to the Wizards in a make-good year.

Mason had bet on himself. And when Gilbert Arenas went down early, Mason slid over a few seats on the Wizards' bench and helped stabilize a group that wasn't supposed to make the playoffs. But it did.

“He has meant as much to this team as myself or Caron Butler,” Antawn Jamison said last spring. “He's one of those stories of a guy who wouldn't give up.”

His coach, Eddie Jordan, called Mason “the quiet assassin” because he showed no emotion on big shots, and the Wizards wanted him back. Handcuffed by negotiations for Arenas, however, they couldn't counter the Spurs' offer.

Few saw the signing as significant. Mason wasn't the sexy free agent that Corey Maggette was, and this goes back to the scouts' initial impression of Mason. He's never been physically imposing; it takes time to appreciate what he does on the floor.

That's partly because it's taken time for Mason to get better. For example, a year ago, he would end every summer workout the same way. His trainer, Joe Connelly, would require Mason to make five consecutive 3-pointers.

This summer, Mason took it further. Connelly says Mason missed only two days; the day Mason signed his contract with the Spurs, he flew back to the Washington area and was in the gym that night.

“He's no longer just a spot-up shooter,” Connelly said Monday. “He's revolutionized his game, and here's my prediction. He will be a candidate for the league's most-improved player award.”

The Spurs aren't anticipating that. But they don't yet know what Connelly knows, and what happened the day before Mason left for San Antonio earlier this month.

Connelly didn't have Mason make five 3-pointers to end the workout. Mason instead shot 109.

And made 101.

[email protected]

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Mason instead shot 109.

And made 101.

:worthy:

[timvp]

Nice article. It may sound weird but this Spurs team may only be as good as Mason turns out to be. If he proves to be an adequate Ginobili replacement and a player who can be the fourth scorer, the Spurs can be damn good. If he endures the typical first year struggles that almost all shooters face while with the Spurs, this team may simply not have enough firepower to get it done.

For a guy who signed a relatively small contract, Mason might be the make-it or break-it player this season.

[Tully365]

101 of 109.... hmmm... sounds like something a paid trainer might say in an interview to drum up some more clients.

[DPG21920]

That is sick!

[T Park]

Sounds like the typical Spur to me.

I'm sure someone on the forum will find a reason not to like him though.

[T Park]

101 of 109.... hmmm... sounds like something a paid trainer might say in an interview to drum up some more clients.

God, I need to post quicker.

[ducks]

Nice article. It may sound weird but this Spurs team may only be as good as Mason turns out to be. If he proves to be an adequate Ginobili replacement and a player who can be the fourth scorer, the Spurs can be damn good. If he endures the typical first year struggles that almost all shooters face while with the Spurs, this team may simply not have enough firepower to get it done.

For a guy who signed a relatively small contract, Mason might be the make-it or break-it player this season.

mason must be greater then mike finley

[DPG21920]

I really hope for the sake of Pop and the rest of the team that Mason hits the ground running. It would be awesome to see Roger explode for 20 points in his first game and get everyone in the city energized!

[Solid D]

So, out of 109 threes, he missed 8. That's his jersey number. Who is this guy?

[Tully365]

God, I need to post quicker.

I've only said positive things about Mason all summer. I'm simply doubting his trainer. Over-react much?

[T Park]

So, out of 109 threes, he missed 8. That's his jersey number. Who is this guy?


He had 8 last year with Washington :)

[milkyway21]

He is versatile, he can shoot 3-pointers, and he can defend.

They love who he is, too. He's a smart, engaging man who fits in this locker room.
Connelly didn't have Mason make five 3-pointers to end the workout. Mason instead shot 109.

And made 101.


hey I like him already :worthy:

[tp2021]

Not exactly 93%, but not bad.

[timvp]

101 of 109 for a professional NBA basketball player whose strong point is shooting three-pointers isn't amazingly impressive. You have to be pretty darn good to make the NBA.

[Allanon]

Connelly didn't have Mason make five 3-pointers to end the workout. Mason instead shot 109.

And made 101.
Unreal. Of course he'll have to be tested with somebody guarding him while shooting those.


Roger Mason Jr. attended an exclusive middle school that included, among others, Chelsea Clinton. He designed his house in Maryland.

Gotta be the smartest (IQ/educated) dude in the NBA.

[Manufan909]

God damn!!! If that is true, that is some crazy shit.

Hope he truly turns out to be more than a "spot-up" shooter.

And I was waiting for 101 to be referenced.

[Tully365]

101 of 109 for a professional NBA basketball player whose strong point is shooting three-pointers isn't amazingly impressive.

Then why is this a thread?

[lurker23]

This has been posted before (by timvp), but I felt this would be a good time to repost it:

http://spurstalk.com/roger-mason.jpg

I'm not sure where these 101 of 109 three-pointers were taken (probably all over the court, actually), but last year Mason really excelled at the straight-away three-pointer. This is really exciting to me, because it's not something we've had for a while (most of our long-range shooters prefer the wings or the corners), so if he can stand at the top and take open threes, I think it really opens up our offense.

Specifically, I think above the top of the key is a spot where shooters can get open off of double-teams on Tim Duncan, and a place where Timmy can find them with a pass out of the double fairly easily.

[ChuckD]

Then why is this a thread?

It's Buck's column title, and he's been know to be clueless.

[timvp]

I'm not sure where these 101 of 109 three-pointers were taken (probably all over the court, actually), but last year Mason really excelled at the straight-away three-pointer. This is really exciting to me, because it's not something we've had for a while (most of our long-range shooters prefer the wings or the corners), so if he can stand at the top and take open threes, I think it really opens up our offense.

Specifically, I think above the top of the key is a spot where shooters can get open off of double-teams on Tim Duncan, and a place where Timmy can find them with a pass out of the double fairly easily.Very true :tu

The Spurs haven't had too many great straight-away shooters in recent years. The last really good straight-away shooter I remember on the Spurs was Steve Smith. And even though his career was all but over when he arrived, he was able to shoot well -- in part because he'd get free spots from straight on.

Mason's shooting chart, in theory at least, is almost a perfect fit for what the Spurs need.

[HarlemHeat37]

I've loved it since we signed him..I love his game..I love the way Wizards fans feel about him..you go to any Wizards forum, and you'll see that they all love the guy, and love his game..the only reason he wasn't re-signed was because they had Nick Young waiting in the wings..

the guy has improved every year he's been in the L, and he finally got a shot last year..he's a classy guy that belongs on our team..he could be a huge blessing for us..unlike others we've had, Mason can get hot off the dribble, as well as his spot-up shooting..we don't have any guys outside of our big 3 that can create on their own, so this is a huge plus for us..not to mention that he plays good defense..

we need him badly this year..

[Tully365]

Stats for the 9 games Mason started last year:

37 mpg
17.4 ppg
3.4 apg
3.0 rpg
52.6% FG
43.1% 3PT
90.1% FT

I've been trumpeting Mason's abilities from the day he was signed, but T Park is a judgmental contrarian know-it-all blowhard, and can't understand the difference between doubting the claims of a trainer and liking a player.

[Brutalis]

I like Mason a lot. I think he will work out quite well for us.

[HarlemHeat37]

the 101-109 is impressive and all, but it doesn't have any effect on my opinion of Roger..I'd just like to see him show us how good he is during actual games, not just shoot-arounds(obviously)..

Michael Finley could hit a huge % of 3's too, but he's done IMO..

[024]

i like mason but only as a backup point guard. i don't think the spurs should have used a first round pick to draft a backup pg when they had mason in their sights. the wizards used mason primarily as a pg to cover arenas's loss and that's where i think he is most effective.

[Manufan909]

I've loved it since we signed him..I love his game..I love the way Wizards fans feel about him..you go to any Wizards forum, and you'll see that they all love the guy, and love his game..the only reason he wasn't re-signed was because they had Nick Young waiting in the wings..

the guy has improved every year he's been in the L, and he finally got a shot last year..he's a classy guy that belongs on our team..he could be a huge blessing for us..unlike others we've had, Mason can get hot off the dribble, as well as his spot-up shooting..we don't have any guys outside of our big 3 that can create on their own, so this is a huge plus for us..not to mention that he plays good defense..

we need him badly this year..

Really? I'm not doubting, I've just never heard he could create too. I seriously want to believe you though.

Has anyone followed the Wizards lately, or happen to watch their first-round exit against the Cavaliers? Was Mason a big factor?

[Allanon]

Has anyone followed the Wizards lately, or happen to watch their first-round exit against the Cavaliers? Was Mason a big factor?

He's still streaky but should be able to put up 10 points a night.

Mason torched the Cavs in 1 game of the Playoffs...that's why his stock went up. He had something like 20 points in that game and in another game, he had less points but really timely shots.

[Manufan909]

I'm hoping 15 by the team Manu is active again. Hope I'm not setting my sites too high.

[mrspurs]

101 of 109 for a professional NBA basketball player whose strong point is shooting three-pointers isn't amazingly impressive. You have to be pretty darn good to make the NBA.

Exactly, try making that many shots with Bruce in your face. Thou I still dont think our season will be made or killed by Roger. Imo its in the paint where we lack the ability to defend todays west's bigs. And the ability to switch when our smalls get beat. Roger is as good as he is gonna be no matter where he plays. Timmy as of this point is the guy Im worried about. He has Zero help. Missed more shots in the PO's then ever before. And the FO did nothing to help him out.......................Yet.

[polandprzem]

101 of 109 for a professional NBA basketball player whose strong point is shooting three-pointers isn't amazingly impressive. You have to be pretty darn good to make the NBA.

Well I think for the spurs Barry is the record holder in shooting drills.
And If I remember correctly he made 96 of 100 shots

[1Parker1]

Nice article. It may sound weird but this Spurs team may only be as good as Mason turns out to be. If he proves to be an adequate Ginobili replacement and a player who can be the fourth scorer, the Spurs can be damn good. If he endures the typical first year struggles that almost all shooters face while with the Spurs, this team may simply not have enough firepower to get it done.

For a guy who signed a relatively small contract, Mason might be the make-it or break-it player this season.

I agree. That semi-consistent 4th scorer was exactly what the Spurs lacked all of last season. If they had somone outside of the Big 3 who could have scored, they could have won a few more regular season games and gotten a much more favorable route the playoffs.

Spurs offense became a little too predictable last season, mostly because Pop just didn't have the offensive power to do anything about it really.

Another important key to this season: Bowen's regression (if any) and Udoka's progression (if any). Generally, like you said, it takes a year at least for most new Spurs to get a handle on the system. I am expecting a lot more from Udoka this season, hopefully we see what we saw glimpses of against the Hornets last season more consistently.

[Obstructed_View]

101 of 109 for a professional NBA basketball player whose strong point is shooting three-pointers isn't amazingly impressive. You have to be pretty darn good to make the NBA.

I don't know what the format is for shooting like that, but if true, I can't see how 101 of 109 isn't amazingly impressive, particularly for a guy that hasn't been that kind of shooter his whole life.

[polandprzem]

Spurs always got fucked when they could not shot from the mid or full range.

Phil jaxson mostly was clogging the lane and did not gave a blip* about shooters.

[Quasar]

...

The Spurs haven't had too many great straight-away shooters in recent years. The last really good straight-away shooter I remember on the Spurs was Steve Smith.


What you guys say does make sense, but I read somwehere that the reason no Spur shoots from straight ahead is beacuse it creates too many fast break opportunities for the opposing team.

[hater]

If he proves to be an adequate Ginobili replacement

nobody can replace ginobili. He might be a decent Ginobili backup though

[urunobili]

Mason has a VERY big shot of becoming a 12 3 and 3 guy with us

[Avitus1]

I'm looking forward to seeing him play on our team more and more.

[SenorSpur]

One of the analysis I read on him was the he supposedly didn't drive the ball to the basket much, which if true, means he doesn't get to the line much.

Nevertheless, I like what I read about him so far. I'm anxious to see what Mason brings to the table. I really curious to see where Pop will play him, how many minutes Mason earns and how he defends. Certainly from a personality fit, it appears he's already a goo fit.

[Obstructed_View]

What you guys say does make sense, but I read somwehere that the reason no Spur shoots from straight ahead is beacuse it creates too many fast break opportunities for the opposing team.

It only does that when you miss.

[FromWayDowntown]

I keep wondering "why 109" and not 110?

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I keep wondering "why 109" and not 110?

That's when the keg arrived.

[Bartleby]

I keep wondering "why 109" and not 110?

I'm guessing the original goal was to shoot 100, but he had such a hot hand they kept going and stopped at 109, which was probably a miss.

[FromWayDowntown]

I'm guessing the original goal was to shoot 100, but he had such a hot hand they kept going and stopped at 109, which was probably a miss.

If that's true, I'm disappointed that he would allow his workout to end on a miss; I could see, though, that maybe he was on a roll when he got to about 100, missed #108, drained #109 and called it a day.

[SenorSpur]

This has been posted before (by timvp), but I felt this would be a good time to repost it:

http://spurstalk.com/roger-mason.jpg

I'm not sure where these 101 of 109 three-pointers were taken (probably all over the court, actually), but last year Mason really excelled at the straight-away three-pointer. This is really exciting to me, because it's not something we've had for a while (most of our long-range shooters prefer the wings or the corners), so if he can stand at the top and take open threes, I think it really opens up our offense.

Specifically, I think above the top of the key is a spot where shooters can get open off of double-teams on Tim Duncan, and a place where Timmy can find them with a pass out of the double fairly easily.

Excellent points. We all know that Ime and Bruce particularly prefer the corners. This will help spread the floor better. Barry was a good straight-away 3-pt shooter, but sounds like Mason could potentially be a suitable replacement.

[Manufan909]

Indeed. That would be awesome if h made 101 of his first 109 3 pointers as a Spur. And preseason wouldn't count. Also, he'd miss the first 8, causing all ST posters to become drama queens.

[Spurs Brazil]

Great article.

I hope Mason can keep improving like he did last season and I hope Pop put him in the starting lineup

[Manufan909]

Hopefully he has a strong enough showing in preseason and camp, and he starts all 82 games.

[polandprzem]

He missed 110
So they counted the first 109 shots


good nitee

[tp2021]

I like how he described himself as hungry, and ready to prove himself to the rest of the league. With Manu out, it would be nice to still have some fire in his temporary replacement.

[Manu-of-steel]

mason, bring it on come the start of nba games. show us that you belong to our team. go spurs go

[ShoogarBear]

Very true :tu

The Spurs haven't had too many great straight-away shooters in recent years.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/2003/playoffs/news/2003/05/29/mavs_spurs_ap/t1_jackson_all.jpg

[ShoogarBear]

Okay, well, technically I suppose he wasn't great.

[SequSpur]

Spin

[lurker23]

Okay, well, technically I suppose he wasn't great.

He was also here like half a decade ago...



:depressed

[MI21]

Damn it Shoog, you stole what I was going to post. Buckets from straight on was way better than anywhere else on the court. Finley and Van Exel were really good on straight on 3pt shooters until the Spurs got a hold of them.

Regarding the 101/109.. It's good, but not anything out of the ordinary for an NBA perimeter player. I have a mate who played D1 college in the USA, mainly rode the bench who consistently makes 43-45 out of 50 3's when unguarded in a gym.

Anyhoo, go Roger. I think he will be a good player for the Spurs.

[honestfool84]

i think roger will make or break us this season.

he makes us, and gives us those extra 14ppg that we need*..

or he breaks us, and fails to become anything close to what he was last year in washington.


*with manu healthy, i think we'll still need 14ppg from him.

[ChuckD]

The really good thing about Mason is that the Wiz run the Princeton offense, a motion variety. That means he understands running a play every time down the floor, and the concept of being in the right place. His learning curve should be shorter than the average first year Spur.

[timvp]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/2003/playoffs/news/2003/05/29/mavs_spurs_ap/t1_jackson_all.jpg


Damn it Shoog, you stole what I was going to post. Buckets from straight on was way better than anywhere else on the court.

Buckets shot ~40% from straight away during the 2003 playoff run. But in that regular season and since then, he's been pretty bad at shooting straight away threes. Last season he was 23-86 and he's had similarly low percentages throughout his career.

Steve Smith, on the other hand, shot 50%+ from straight away while with the Spurs.

[spursjustice]

Can't wait til the season starts... really growing on Mason the more I read about him!

[MI21]

Buckets shot ~40% from straight away during the 2003 playoff run. But in that regular season and since then, he's been pretty bad at shooting straight away threes. Last season he was 23-86 and he's had similarly low percentages throughout his career.

Steve Smith, on the other hand, shot 50%+ from straight away while with the Spurs.

Shoosh please :) The only Buckets I choose to remember is the 2003 playoff version! Thinking about any other incarnation of Buckets makes me angry that he still isn't a Spur.

I do remember Smith being good from straight on with his linedrive shots.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

If that's true, I'm disappointed that he would allow his workout to end on a miss; I could see, though, that maybe he was on a roll when he got to about 100, missed #108, drained #109 and called it a day.

True. You never end the day on a miss. I can't remember ever walking off the practice court without making sure the last ball I shot was in.

[bmorecoach]

I just wanted to clarify the drill referred to in the article and impressed by the observations of the very astutue Spurs fans on the board.

The drill is simple, Rog goes from 5 spots beyond the arc and shoots the same shot until he makes ten in a row, however once the goal of ten is surpassed he continues to shoot until he misses. He then moves to the next spot and does the same thing.
That would explain why the final numbers ended with the odd number of 109 on that particular day.
This drill is always done while tired and usually at the end of a session.

The numbers are accurate and Timberwolves center Calvin Booth was there watching and can verify. Also I saw some insinuations that I bloated the numbers to drum up clients which is laughable. I work with guys in the league during the off-season and am AD and coach at a public high school in East Baltimore the rest of the time.

Rog never ends a session with a miss and completes every workout making 10 free-throws in a row. He is a gym rat and an all-around great guy. He is lvery fortunate to be in a great situation with one of the most respected franchises in the league.

Good luck this season....it is an odd year after all!

[timvp]

I just wanted to clarify the drill referred to in the article and impressed by the observations of the very astutue Spurs fans on the board.

The drill is simple, Rog goes from 5 spots beyond the arc and shoots the same shot until he makes ten in a row, however once the goal of ten is surpassed he continues to shoot until he misses. He then moves to the next spot and does the same thing.
That would explain why the final numbers ended with the odd number of 109 on that particular day.
This drill is always done while tired and usually at the end of a session.

The numbers are accurate and Timberwolves center Calvin Booth was there watching and can verify. Also I saw some insinuations that I bloated the numbers to drum up clients which is laughable. I work with guys in the league during the off-season and am AD and coach at a public high school in East Baltimore the rest of the time.

Rog never ends a session with a miss and completes every workout making 10 free-throws in a row. He is a gym rat and an all-around great guy. He is lvery fortunate to be in a great situation with one of the most respected franchises in the league.

Good luck this season....it is an odd year after all!Welcome and thanks for the added information. Your scenario makes it a much more impressive feat.

Feel free to give us any more Roger Mason, Jr. information and hopefully the hard work pays off for Mason this year in a big way :tu

[DPG21920]

This is awesome, everyone is working so hard this year. It looks like Manu's injury has kind of brought everyone together. Lets hope some of the new pg's work out as well.