we have a gang of swing players. OK, i hope a trade is coming to clear out some space for the guys to playy.
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/12222338
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/12222338
Kings sign Desmond Mason (merged)
- Thread starter Big Cuz 15
- Start date
This is so stupid. What in the world do the Kings want with a 31 year old swingman, and a washed up one at that?
Obviously he's a decent player for the price and since it's league minimum the league would be paying most of the salary, but this is yet another player Greene and Casspi are going to have to fight against for minutes.
The FO has never met a redundant vet they didn't like apparently.
Obviously he's a decent player for the price and since it's league minimum the league would be paying most of the salary, but this is yet another player Greene and Casspi are going to have to fight against for minutes.
The FO has never met a redundant vet they didn't like apparently.
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I'm not going to get worked up over a 1yr min deal, but this doesn't really make a whole lot of sense when it comes to our roster. If we sign this guy and we don't trade Noc, I don't want to here the maloofs complain about money anymore. Sure, it's a small deal but money is money... You have to believe that there were better fits out there for us.. I mean if we are going to sign someone shouldn't it be someone over 7ft? Right now out backup center is are starting PF .... Deffinetly not ideal.
Still, I can't get all bent out of shape about the signing, and while it doesn't make sense to me, it's only one year ... Let's hope another shoe drops soon.
Still, I can't get all bent out of shape about the signing, and while it doesn't make sense to me, it's only one year ... Let's hope another shoe drops soon.
I think the general sentiment here is "WTF?" and I agree.
We're already logjammed at SF with either overpaid roleplayers or players who need playing time to develop. Why add another who steals time from both?
I think it's pretty clear our #1 need - other than starpower - was frontcourt help, and that was not addressed here.
I hope this means we'll be moving a SF or two, but I have a gut feeling that is not the case. If I'm right, well, I think I'll be counting down to fresh management, really starting to lose faith in them other than drafting (but still not happy about Tyreke the SG who can't shoot).
We're already logjammed at SF with either overpaid roleplayers or players who need playing time to develop. Why add another who steals time from both?
I think it's pretty clear our #1 need - other than starpower - was frontcourt help, and that was not addressed here.
I hope this means we'll be moving a SF or two, but I have a gut feeling that is not the case. If I'm right, well, I think I'll be counting down to fresh management, really starting to lose faith in them other than drafting (but still not happy about Tyreke the SG who can't shoot).
I think that Mason is solid player, even though he's not in his prime time anymore. He could definitely give us some quality and experience that we don't have and I am fine with that. On the other hand, like somebody already said, maybe this is a move that means Noccioni trade is up next.
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Yeah, I don't get this one either...why the heck do we want another tweener/swingman for?? We drafted Casspi, we already have Noc and Greene and Cisco. WTF!?!?
Edit: we don't need an out of his prime veteran stunting the development of our young guys in the name of providing a couple of decent dunks over the course of the next year.
Edit: we don't need an out of his prime veteran stunting the development of our young guys in the name of providing a couple of decent dunks over the course of the next year.
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I wonder if this is a case where Paul Westphal is pulling some strings to bring in a guy he has prior experience with (when he was coaching Seattle). Sure he's old (if you can say 31 is old) and another swingman, but you can't have a team totally of rookies in the NBA or they will be so inconsistent that you'll lose 60-70 games. My guess is that for the money (veterans minimum), this move is to bring veteran leadership far more than his on court production.
This signing makes no sense at all. Even if we signed Mason because Noc or Garcia might be on the move, I still don't like it. If we move Noc or Garcia, the idea behind it would be more playing time for Omri and Donte, not a washed-up Desmond Mason. And if we signed him just for his veteran presence, I think Bobby Jax would have been a better fit. At this point, this was a terrible move IMO.
What can he do that Donte can't? And Donte needs the time on the court to develop, and Mason doesn't. I see no point in this. Having watched Mason with the hornets a few years ago, when he actually got PT, he was decent as a post up G but seemed to have lost all ability to shoot the ball. He was also iffy on defense. He can play well on that end, when he wants to. With Donte on the team, I see nothing that Mason could bring to the team.
Mason is servicable. He is a veteran player, who has been in the game and played with Gary Payton, Rashard Lewis, Ray Allen. And he also played against many of the veteran players around the NBA. He also has some skill. This ain't checkers, this is chess, and Mason can probably contribute more than Donte and Omri in terms of leadership and intangibles. I think Petrie has to sign this guy to round out the team. Yes we have a logjam at the SF, but, when we have to get past Carmelo Anthony or Lamar Odom or Ron Artest just to win a game. It serves us best to aquire many talents(Garcia, Donte, Omri, Nocioni) and use veterans like Mason as a measuring stick. If Mason is outperforming all but 1 of the sf's we have. Then we know what direction to move. The reason we aquire mason is his consistency as a worker. Worst case scenario is he shows donte how to be a dominant dunker. I hope it goes through.
I'm the only person that likes the signing lol. More athleticism, better defense, more depth, more highlight plays. I dont understand what the infatuation with Casspi and Greene is about. Neither of them are ready for big minutes. Mason's contract is only for one year. We now have a legit backup 2 guard. When teams load up on one position like this its because theyre going to make a trade.
Kinda makes you wonder if the Kings don't end up becoming Suns West, playing small, fast ball all the time and using offense as their defense. Sells more tickets, could win a bunch of games then flame out as they get to playoffs.
WTF comes to mind first. Mason is or was a couple of years ago, a decent player who can score and defend.
Could be Westphal/Petrie will have JT/Hawes/May rotate thru the 5 then have JT/May/Brockman/Greene rotate thru the 4.
Otherwise it is a prelude to a Petrie trade of a 2-for-1 (I hope).
WTF comes to mind first. Mason is or was a couple of years ago, a decent player who can score and defend.
Could be Westphal/Petrie will have JT/Hawes/May rotate thru the 5 then have JT/May/Brockman/Greene rotate thru the 4.
Otherwise it is a prelude to a Petrie trade of a 2-for-1 (I hope).
Mason has all the markers of aging badly--injuries, reliance on athleticism, refusal/lack of taking jumpers, extremely undersized for the style of game that he prefers to play (PF)--and that's why we were able to get him on the cheap.
I actually have a soft spot for players of his type, and he was actually quite underrated at his peak--he's largely played for mediocre to poor teams throughout his career, but despite his penchance for mostly playing around the basket area, he's actually put up good scoring rates with high free throw rates--so he actually could score, and of course he was a former dunk contest participant and had the ups to yield highlight reels back then as well. He also carries a solid defensive rep, and has guarded SGs and SFs decently in the past.
The Mason we're now getting is one that's really on the downslope though--he's played less than 60 games the past two years, he's lost the body control to finish short jumpers, and he's taking a real backseat in the offense. If he's shooting less than 45% (as he was last year) he's essentially useless offensively because he's a terrible free throw shooter and has absolutely no range (he has a really really funky release that must have scared him off from shooting further). That being said, he's still quasi-useful--he's maintaining his rebound rate, he really spiked up his blocks from the past year, and he still kept up decent defense last year as well, so he still has some glimpses of his athleticism.
Ultimately Mason is really an undersized big man offensively, because while he can score, he has no jumper, few passing ability and few handles. The intrigue is if he runs the floor and procures highlight reels, and his SG/SF defense is also something that could be of interest, although both obviously are not quite what they used to be. He's really a fringe player for us, obviously--he can get the spare minutes from Kevin and Reke at SG, and I'm sure he'll also pick up leftovers from Garcia, Nocioni and Casspi at SF. But I have liked the guy in the past, and I still think he's been a bit underrated in the FA market this year (despite his aging badly), so it's an okay signing.
I actually have a soft spot for players of his type, and he was actually quite underrated at his peak--he's largely played for mediocre to poor teams throughout his career, but despite his penchance for mostly playing around the basket area, he's actually put up good scoring rates with high free throw rates--so he actually could score, and of course he was a former dunk contest participant and had the ups to yield highlight reels back then as well. He also carries a solid defensive rep, and has guarded SGs and SFs decently in the past.
The Mason we're now getting is one that's really on the downslope though--he's played less than 60 games the past two years, he's lost the body control to finish short jumpers, and he's taking a real backseat in the offense. If he's shooting less than 45% (as he was last year) he's essentially useless offensively because he's a terrible free throw shooter and has absolutely no range (he has a really really funky release that must have scared him off from shooting further). That being said, he's still quasi-useful--he's maintaining his rebound rate, he really spiked up his blocks from the past year, and he still kept up decent defense last year as well, so he still has some glimpses of his athleticism.
Ultimately Mason is really an undersized big man offensively, because while he can score, he has no jumper, few passing ability and few handles. The intrigue is if he runs the floor and procures highlight reels, and his SG/SF defense is also something that could be of interest, although both obviously are not quite what they used to be. He's really a fringe player for us, obviously--he can get the spare minutes from Kevin and Reke at SG, and I'm sure he'll also pick up leftovers from Garcia, Nocioni and Casspi at SF. But I have liked the guy in the past, and I still think he's been a bit underrated in the FA market this year (despite his aging badly), so it's an okay signing.
I guess I was wrong about the reasoning why we did not pursue Pavlocic.
And gee, sure is nice to see Geoff, for the 100th time in his career, make a move to directly squish our team's youth. There is not a Hedo (Jim Jackson), Gerald Wallace (Peeler), Kevin Martin (Bonzi), Hawes (Mikki), or Donte (Noc) that he doesn't delight in throwing a washed up vet in front of as an obstacle. Now its Donte/Omri. Just don't get it.
I will of course rescind this sentiment if we immediately make a move using either Noc, Cisco or Kevin. Otherwise...duh.
And gee, sure is nice to see Geoff, for the 100th time in his career, make a move to directly squish our team's youth. There is not a Hedo (Jim Jackson), Gerald Wallace (Peeler), Kevin Martin (Bonzi), Hawes (Mikki), or Donte (Noc) that he doesn't delight in throwing a washed up vet in front of as an obstacle. Now its Donte/Omri. Just don't get it.
I will of course rescind this sentiment if we immediately make a move using either Noc, Cisco or Kevin. Otherwise...duh.
