http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailyd...ge=dime-081113
WEDNESDAY'S WORST
Roger Mason, Spurs: With Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker both out of the lineup, Mason was expected to step up and carry more of the offensive load. He hasn't been up to the challenge lately, shooting 2-for-10 from the field for the second straight game.
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I know timvp said his stats would eventually normalize but he had wide open shots during the 21-2 beggining of the 4th that would have rescued us from the situation.
This is going to happen. He is starting the season with a new team and being asked to do an awful lot. He will have his ups and down during this stretch but I think when the big guns get back and he has less of a microscope on him he will do better. Establishing his comfort zone within the system is the key right now. Once that happens he will think less and will be able to focus on being himself.
Yea right it was expected but damn 2-10 ! He made 2 bad games after a few promising ones, it's quite frustrating.
Mason has an excuse for the time being, IMO. Oberto, Udoka, Bonner and the other old nothings do not.
Mason is a compe or and will be just fine as the season progresses and he gets into the Spurs system. Better than fine, relatively speaking.
Because Tony is not here anymore. Roger has better positions when Tony is on the court.
Now with Hill and Vaughn... no double team. So there is always a defender against Roger.
Hill is too young and Vaughn is... Vaughn.
The Spurs are playing without a true point guard (who can score AND create).
Hill can score (a little) but not create for others.
Vaughn can create (a little) but not score.
Spurs players often have to take difficult shots because of that.
With Tony and Manu... o double and triple team. They both create, they both score. Everyone (even Tim) around them will have better shots and higher percentage.
Until then...
He also rebounds well, has defended better and he handles the ball during crunch time. Those are all good things even though his shot is off the last two games. Not to mention, even though he goes 2 for 10, his 2 makes are usually in the fourth quarter and he is getting to the line at a high %
I seem to remember he loses the ball in traffic a lot... but yeah, I like him on the court more than most of the others.
Seems like his confidence took a hit. He wasn't trying to get to the hole last night-just running around on the perimeter.
So Mason's supposed to average 39 and 11? Damn...tough crowd.With Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker both out of the lineup, Mason was expected to step up and carry more of the offensive load...
Spurs, need some more penetration by him. I haven't really seen too much of it out of him. He may not be able to get in as quickly as Parker, but on the pick and roll, you KNOW the defender is going to go over the top.
Mason was 0-0 from the line in the bucks game.
Mason did try to penetrate to the basket on several occasions, but ended up turning the ball over. Not one of his better games to be sure. Seems like he was doing much better coming off the bench, ever since he was inserted into the starting lineup he's been sucking.
totally agree.Because Tony is not here anymore. Roger has better positions when Tony is on the court.
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Spurs players often have to take difficult shots because of that.
With Tony and Manu... o double and triple team. They both create, they both score. Everyone (even Tim) around them will have better shots and higher percentage.
Until then...
His life was easier with tony on the court and will be with manu or/and tony getting back.
We need him to make the shots with tony or manu on the court. He seemed great at that so he should be fine even if the go to player' role is surely a too big for him.
Speaking of sucking in the starting lineup, so has Udoka. If he and Mason even have even average games the spurs probably win that game.
Funny how Bowen and Finley both played great as the backups after getting benched. There's a curse on the starters it seems.
I took it as the starters waking up to the current reality. Finley usually does better when he actually has to prove something.
Sorry, but that's so wrong in so many ways it's almost comical. He's a terrible rebounder, played awful defense and didn't do crap during crunch time other than turn the ball over. The one offensive board he got led to him jumping out of bounds and attempting to call timeout. And both of his makes were in the first half; he had zero attempts in the 4th quarter.
I really like Roger, and I think he's going to be an excellent addition to this team, but he had a bad game last night.
He actually could have sent the ball into the Bucks player that was on the line on the last play that would have given us the ball back instead of crying for a Time out...
I was not referring to just last night. I was referring to his past two games. Mason was second in rebounding last night with 5. I said his defense is improving. He handled the ball and had an assist to turnover ratio of 4-1 last night.
The game before Mason was shooting poorly, but was 6 of 7 from the line and did all his damage in the fourth quarter. He also had 7 rebounds that game and 4 assist to only two turnovers.
So in his two worst games he had 12 rebounds and 8 assist with only 3 turnovers. He was combined 6-7 from the line (although it came in one game). He is currently third on the team in rebounding and second in assist and third in scoring.
I fail to see how I was wrong "on so many levels"
Sure sounded like you were only referring to his shooting the last two games.
That Mason's third on the team in rebounding is not because he's a good rebounder any more than it means he's as good a rebounder as Duncan just because they finished with the same total. It's partially a product of his minutes and an mostly an indictment of the team's ability to go get boards right now. His assist numbers were good because he passed to Finley before he made jump shots. His defense would be improving if it had been better in Milwaukee than it was against the Knicks. It wasn't. He went two for ten and his two makes were in the first and second quarters and his handling of the ball in crunch time was not helpful to the team.
Moreover, I'm not convinced that the Knicks game wasn't his best game of the season. I'd rather he score ten points and play defense than score 25 and get beat down the floor for layups all night long.
And actually, you said "he's defended better" which, when read another way, I completely agree with.
Mason was on the worst of the day list, which is what I thought we were discussing. When it becomes the "two daily dime" then we'll talk.
Mason was on the worst of the day list, which is what I thought we were discussing. When it becomes the "Daily and Yesterdaily Dime" then we'll talk.
I'll add in that Mason has been getting some of his foul shots only because he has been assigned as the "designated technical foul shooter", which usually happens a couple times a game it seems, esp the defensive 3 second rule the refs like to call lately.Sure sounded like you were only referring to his shooting the last two games.
That Mason's third on the team in rebounding is not because he's a good rebounder any more than it means he's as good a rebounder as Duncan just because they finished with the same total. It's partially a product of his minutes and an mostly an indictment of the team's ability to go get boards right now. His assist numbers were good because he passed to Finley before he made jump shots. His defense would be improving if it had been better in Milwaukee than it was against the Knicks. It wasn't. He went two for ten and his two makes were in the first and second quarters and his handling of the ball in crunch time was not helpful to the team.
Moreover, I'm not convinced that the Knicks game wasn't his best game of the season. I'd rather he score ten points and play defense than score 25 and get beat down the floor for layups all night long.
And actually, you said "he's defended better" which, when read another way, I completely agree with.
Fact is that the rebounds are up for grabs. He might not be the best rebounder, but he has a knack for getting to them, especially when they matter. Remember how huge he was in preseason vs Miami when he got those two big offensive boards? Right after Finley chucked up that bad 3. Then last night, even though he did not finish the play off, he got a huge board after setting Tim up perfectly for the game winning shot.
He does not turn the ball over very much. His defense has been improving overall from the beginning until now and he does contribute even when his shot is off. That is all I am saying. They are giving him too much grief for a bad game because they are looking to rip him and the Spurs.
Very true, except that in the article it brings up his 2-10 shooting in the PAST TWO GAMES, not me. But does not change the facts of what I said.
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