Mason feeling good about backup point role
Mike Monroe
Eight days into his new-but-old dual role as the Spurs' starting big guard and backup point guard, Roger Mason Jr. has rediscovered the joy of running an offense.
Mason on Tuesday night had his most productive game of the five he has played since Spurs coach Gregg Popovich decided to have him back up Tony Parker instead of rookie George Hill.
Mason's 21 points in the Spurs' 100-86 victory over Charlotte at the AT&T Center matched Parker for game-high honors, and Mason added five assists, most of them while he was running the team while Parker got 12 minutes of bench rest. Mason made 5-of-8 on 3-point shots, running his team-high season total to 135.
In one short stretch of the second quarter, Mason made four shots on four Spurs possessions, closing it out with a 3-pointer that gave him nine points in 1:52.
“I got some good looks; some great screens from Kurt Thomas,” Mason said. “I felt good out there.”
Popovich likes how the change is working, both for Mason and for Hill. Mason, he said, looks more comfortable at the point with each game.
“He enjoys splitting his time on the wing and the point,” Popovich said, “and he does a good job.”
Mason runs his pick-and-roll sets most often with Thomas as his post man and screen setter, but he is making plays that work for himself and his teammates.
“We have great shooters,” he said, “and if they get too caught up in what Kurt and I are doing, you can release and pass to those guys, and they're hitting shots.
“Kurt does a great job setting screens, and Fab (Oberto) and Matt (Bonner) are good, too. Whoever is out there, we do well.”
Foreign aid: Parker, a member of the French National Team, had a pregame conversation with Charlotte coach Larry Brown about plans to have Brown assist the French team this summer.
Brown, who has two players in the French team's player pool, already had planned to spend some time at the team's training camp so he could observe Bobcats Boris Diaw and Alexis Ajinca. He said if France's recently named head coach, Vincent Collett, has no objections, he would be happy to help him prepare the team for international compe ions.
“He said he wanted to talk to the coach first to see if they could work together,” Parker said, “because he said he didn't want to overshadow him, or anything like that.”
“He's going to call the new head coach — he got elected last week — and we'll see what happens.”
Parker hopes the two can work together.
“Oh, definitely,” Parker said. “We will take all the help we can get from Larry Brown. He's one of the best coaches in the world, so it would be great.”
Worth noting: Oberto played only two seconds — the final two seconds of the first half — but managed to attempt his first 3-point shot of the season, a desperation heave from halfcourt that was about a foot short.
Tim is to Tony as Kurt is to Roger.
I like Roger running point because Hill can't seem to create a shot for himself and seems to perform better on catch and shoot and a 2 would be better suited for him while Mason can shoot off of screens and at times create his own shot.
Hill seems to be turning into a Bowen 2.0... he even scored the last two games with 3's from 'Brucie's" spot
Neither Hill nor Mason are really point guards, but having Roger get comfortable at that position gives Pop more flexibility with the offense and rotations. Hill has the athleticism to ultimately wind up playing the 2, I've felt that way since the begininng of the season, and once he develops a consistent jumper he may truly make that come to fruition.
just imagine chip with hill this summer
I don't like Pop turning Hill into a glorified shooting guard and resident defensive stopper only. Of course, I'm sure he has his reasons and since I'm not the coach, my opinion doesn't count.
Seems as I'm in the minority in here who actually likes Roger as backup PG, particularly in the playoffs when the key gets clogged and the pace slows.
I also like George as backup PG a lot as well so I'm happy with Pop going with whichever one he feels fits best on any given night.
(That said, I don't think George deserved to "lose" his backup PG spot... especially with the D he plays)
I didn't mind the move cause I did not like George's play on offense. I really liked his play on defense though. I have absolutely no problem with George out there for defense.
I've just watched George too many times during the last month or so start a drive and get to about the free throw line and then he'd pull out. Other times he would drive past the free throw line and his handles weren't there and he'd lose control of the ball or get stuck and throw a turnover. He just doesn't seem to be very good at penetrating and getting to the rack from the top of the key like Tony does.
I don't know if it's George's handles or what? Maybe he pulls out because he doesn't want to make a mistake and turn it over by forcing it? Kind of over thinking it?
I thought when Pop first made the move that he was a little angry at George because of his passiveness. I thought that he was trying to teach him a lesson and also to see how tough he is mentally by seeing how he responds to losing the back up PG role.
Then again it might not have been any of that and all he wanted to do was try out Mason at PG as an experiment to see how that goes for a bit. Either way this seems to be working good as Mason was in a bit of a slump and I think his offense is starting to get better these last few games. Mason has even driven to the rack a few times with mixed results. If he had George's athleticism he could have probably finished most of those drives, but at least he is driving and even scoring from it occasionally.
Seems like he drives to the hoop with the mindset to score, then on many occasions pulls it out when he suddenly feels he's supposed to be carrying the distributive duties a backup PG. He played more agressively early in the season when Tony and Manu were both sidelined and he essentially had the greenlight to penetrate to the basket even if the results weren't to the team's benefit. I do believe that when he gets a more consistent jumper going, especially one he can just pull up and drain he will solidify his spot more as a 2-guard.
At this point in time, Mason definitely has superior ball handling skills than George Hill. In fact, George Hill's ball handling skills are sub-par for a point guard. Mason, did excellent work with the Wizards while Arenas was out. He does a really good job working the pick and role. In fact, because of his quick release, he's much playing that than either Manu or Tony. His weakness is when he drives, he's got moves, but not as good as Manu or Tony.
So when both are on the court, then it makes better sense to have Mason play the point on offense. However, on the defensive end, the roles should be reversed, simply because Hill is to short to defend a SG.
Let's all hope that Hill improves his ball handling skills in the offseason.
That being said, I don't understand why Hill doesn't take more shots in offense. He was 100% the last game. Could it be that he's like Bonner and Finley? Guys who can't create their own shot?
Alright I just read the Express News articles and also watched the post game interviews on NBA.com. I think I was on the right track. Hill said that Pop said told him he was over thinking it out there and Mason said that they want Hill to play more freely and use his athleticism and energy out there to give the Spurs a spark. I like the way Hill is playing right now.
I just realized what 228's second spur is...
How do you get the Spurs by your name?I just realized what 228's second spur is...
Kori and timvp do it.
From what I understand, original members of ST have them. After that, there have been some given out for various reasons, from guessing a game score correctly to predicting Playoffs outcomes. There are other reasons, it's fun to read what they're for.
I dont know, but I could have sworn I deserved one at some point during the past 4 years but, for the life of me, I cant remember what it was
I think Kori hates me.
I said something similar in my earlier reply.
Can I get spur because I blog when I'm at work?
I didn't too much in the timvp rant thread, but I like Mason more at PG than Hill. He isn't great, but right now he's better at both guard positions, though Hill has athleticism, D, and a nose for boards, Mason is just mor comfortable running things. And Mason is 10x better on O. I hope Hill ends up the only pg behind Tony 5 games after the team is fully healthy, if not for his O, then his incredible D. By this time next year he could be considered Bowen-lite(I just hope he nevers karate kicks anyone), and I think he'll know the PG role Pop has enivsioned enough to get all the backup PG minutes, and hopefuly 3-5 mins at sg too.
He definitely deserves one for all the articles he finds and posts here.I just realized what 228's second spur is...
What a great playmaker.Mason made four shots on four Spurs possessions
Think I like the adjustment better. Cause having 3 guards who can play the point. 4 if you include Manu, kills opponents as Pop can switch roles on the court easily. No drop off for different matchups.
Whatever helps us get another championship!
Me too. Hill looks outstanding just standing over there in the corner behind the three point line.Popovich likes how the change is working, both for Mason and for Hill.
I've spoken to Roger a lot about this. Apparently Pop is using this as a psychological ploy to light a fire under George and to give Mase some experience so he can run the point in emergencies. Don't expect this to continue for very long.
Pop will maybe also go in France this summer to do a clinic on TP for the NT.
oh well...after brown made it public, the new coach of france has a real chance of saiying "no"!
I like brown, but I think its a little unfair of him!
Brown didn't make it public. This info has been known for more than one week.oh well...after brown made it public, the new coach of france has a real chance of saiying "no"!
I like brown, but I think its a little unfair of him!
Yeah, I think Mason as back up PG is going to come handy come playoff time, when Hill is likely to have some normal rookie jitters. Also, it has allowed TP and Hill to be played together, which has worked out well defensively, since TP and Hill are rapidly becoming our best defensive guard combo, like TD and Bowen are our best defensive forward combo.
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