Post by A2J on Feb 27, 2008 5:17:13 GMT -5
(Hope you guys don't mind a little fantasy in these articles, I used to do writing for a few magazines so it's more my style)
Desmond Mason grins a little. Nothing too noticeable, or that seems arrogant. It's just a small smirk on the side of his mouth, something that suggests he's almost excited, that he doesn't really believe what's about to happen himself. It's hard to see, but it's there. He catches the ball on the wing on Day 45 and sees all 34 years old, slow, white and awkward of Toni Kukoc standing two steps back, looking like a deer in the headlights at the prospect of trying to guard one of the leagues most prolific scorers. Mason only needs two dribbles and four steps to get past Kukoc, explode off of one foot into the air high above the rim, and slam the ball down on Greg Ostertag so hard you'd think he has some sort of serious beef with unathletic white guys. And maybe he does.
Because he can't help himself from grinning, just a little.
Mason has spent the majority of his career as a Minnesota Timberwolf playing second fiddle to Stephon Marbury, undoubtedly one of the league's best point guards, but not exactly one who makes his teammates lives easier. You can imagine his surprise when the organization appointed veteran GM A2J to the team, that the first person he wanted to see wasn't Marbury, but Mason himself.
"A2J called me into his office because he wanted to let me know not to worry," Mason says with a satisfied smile on his face. "He said 'Mase, there's gunna be a lot of rumours flying around. But unless someone lets me bend them right over, don't worry. You're not going anywhere'"
Instead, the first move A2J made was one nobody expected - he sent Marbury to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for embattled forward Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and a series of draft picks. While the deal was given accolades across the league, it wasn't one that was done solely for value. It signified one thing very clearly: this was Mason's team.
And the 25 year old swingman has not disappointed. Before a mid game injury skewed his statistics, Mason was one of only five guards in the league averaging 27 PPG on over 47% shooting. The other four? Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. When asked about being placed in such high company, Mason stays humble.
"Whoa. I'm not on the same level as those guys, no question," Mase states. "Those are guys you can build a franchise around. I'm a good scorer, but I'm not a team the caliber of any of theirs. You put Kobe on this team and he's probably averaging 45 points a game."
But there is more to Mason than just high flying facials. Along with his current 25.0 PPG, he also averages 6.6 RPG, 3.8 APG and 2.0 SPG, all numbers comparable with some of the best all around guards in the league. While his Timberwolves are currently struggling to the second worst record in the West, they were close to .500 before Mason went down with an injury and missed 6 straight games, 5 of which were losses.
Mason and A2J alike are unconcerned with the team's poor performance this year. Staying near the bottom of the league will earn the team another top young prospect to add to their core of Richard Jefferson, DeShawn Stevenson, Kenny Thomas and Jason Collins. And with the team's cap flexibility and A2J's desire to pull the trigger on deals quickly, Mason feels comfortable that winning is soon to follow.
"We've got a great core man," he quips. "We got solid guards, solid bigs and they're all young to boot. This team is one major move away from making the playoffs, but I like that they're sticking with their guns and letting the core develop."
The end result, according to the enigmatic and dashingly handsome A2J, is a team built from the ground up on a specific type of player. Low turnovers, high shooting percentages, and strong defenders all work around and off of Mason and Bobby Jackson.
"This year, we're probably not going anywhere quickly," A2J told us. "But then again, do I really want to be a playoff team and have this pick in the mid-20s, never making enough progress to win the league? This strategy is all about grabbing talent, getting as much of it on the market in change for draft picks, giving my team some immediate help so Mase isn't the only one playing offense. I'm feeling really confident about this team. If the draft, FA and TC treat us well, we'll be hard to beat."
And maybe that is why Desmond Mason is grinning.
Desmond Mason grins a little. Nothing too noticeable, or that seems arrogant. It's just a small smirk on the side of his mouth, something that suggests he's almost excited, that he doesn't really believe what's about to happen himself. It's hard to see, but it's there. He catches the ball on the wing on Day 45 and sees all 34 years old, slow, white and awkward of Toni Kukoc standing two steps back, looking like a deer in the headlights at the prospect of trying to guard one of the leagues most prolific scorers. Mason only needs two dribbles and four steps to get past Kukoc, explode off of one foot into the air high above the rim, and slam the ball down on Greg Ostertag so hard you'd think he has some sort of serious beef with unathletic white guys. And maybe he does.
Because he can't help himself from grinning, just a little.
Mason has spent the majority of his career as a Minnesota Timberwolf playing second fiddle to Stephon Marbury, undoubtedly one of the league's best point guards, but not exactly one who makes his teammates lives easier. You can imagine his surprise when the organization appointed veteran GM A2J to the team, that the first person he wanted to see wasn't Marbury, but Mason himself.
"A2J called me into his office because he wanted to let me know not to worry," Mason says with a satisfied smile on his face. "He said 'Mase, there's gunna be a lot of rumours flying around. But unless someone lets me bend them right over, don't worry. You're not going anywhere'"
Instead, the first move A2J made was one nobody expected - he sent Marbury to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for embattled forward Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and a series of draft picks. While the deal was given accolades across the league, it wasn't one that was done solely for value. It signified one thing very clearly: this was Mason's team.
And the 25 year old swingman has not disappointed. Before a mid game injury skewed his statistics, Mason was one of only five guards in the league averaging 27 PPG on over 47% shooting. The other four? Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. When asked about being placed in such high company, Mason stays humble.
"Whoa. I'm not on the same level as those guys, no question," Mase states. "Those are guys you can build a franchise around. I'm a good scorer, but I'm not a team the caliber of any of theirs. You put Kobe on this team and he's probably averaging 45 points a game."
But there is more to Mason than just high flying facials. Along with his current 25.0 PPG, he also averages 6.6 RPG, 3.8 APG and 2.0 SPG, all numbers comparable with some of the best all around guards in the league. While his Timberwolves are currently struggling to the second worst record in the West, they were close to .500 before Mason went down with an injury and missed 6 straight games, 5 of which were losses.
Mason and A2J alike are unconcerned with the team's poor performance this year. Staying near the bottom of the league will earn the team another top young prospect to add to their core of Richard Jefferson, DeShawn Stevenson, Kenny Thomas and Jason Collins. And with the team's cap flexibility and A2J's desire to pull the trigger on deals quickly, Mason feels comfortable that winning is soon to follow.
"We've got a great core man," he quips. "We got solid guards, solid bigs and they're all young to boot. This team is one major move away from making the playoffs, but I like that they're sticking with their guns and letting the core develop."
The end result, according to the enigmatic and dashingly handsome A2J, is a team built from the ground up on a specific type of player. Low turnovers, high shooting percentages, and strong defenders all work around and off of Mason and Bobby Jackson.
"This year, we're probably not going anywhere quickly," A2J told us. "But then again, do I really want to be a playoff team and have this pick in the mid-20s, never making enough progress to win the league? This strategy is all about grabbing talent, getting as much of it on the market in change for draft picks, giving my team some immediate help so Mase isn't the only one playing offense. I'm feeling really confident about this team. If the draft, FA and TC treat us well, we'll be hard to beat."
And maybe that is why Desmond Mason is grinning.
