Roger Mason?

As I watched my Spurs play on Christmas Day, I was distraught as they were down by as many as 13 in the first quarter. Slowly the boys in black were able to battle their way back and found themselves with a lead early in the second half. However, with only 4.3 seconds left in the game, San Antonio was down by 2.

The Spurs had the luxury of being able to run a set play from half court. Sitting in my grandparents' basement, my family and I made various predictions as to who would take the last shot. Many in the room felt that future HOFer Tim Duncan would get the nod. Others felt that sporadic Manu Ginóbili would slash to the hoop. The most vocal opinion came from yours truly. Being the only actual Spurs fan in the room, I shouted "Anybody but Mason!"

Then as the play unfolded, I watched in amazement as Parker passed to a wide open Mason in the corner. The shot was up and in, and I shouted with excitement as the Spurs walked away with a 91-90 victory. Despite the victory for my favorite NBA franchise, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth.

Last season the defending champion San Antonio Spurs made it back to the Western Conference Finals, yet they were clearly overmatched in terms of youth and speed against the Lakers. Spurs fans eagerly looked forward to the offseason and hoped that the team would work towards getting younger and possibly signing another star to complement "The Big 3". Instead, R. C. Buford chose to retain older-than-dirt Michael Finley, keep hope in "World's Largest Ginger" Matt Bonner, and sign/draft Roger Mason and George Hill.

Although Brent Barry and Robert Horry departed (making the team a little younger), I had my reservations about Mason. George Hill looked to be a solid draft pick. He was a standout player at IUPUI and averaged over 21 ppg in his last year with the Jaguars. As a rookie, he is putting up solid numbers even on a team that usually values experience and rarely plays true rookies. Mason, on the other hand, has bothered me since he was signed. Many heralded him as the answer to the Spurs' quickness and shooting issues, but I was highly unimpressed with his stint in Washington. While with the Wiz he did put up 9.1 ppg in '07-'08, but this was the only season he played more than 62 games. Despite his limited résumé, analysts were quick to anoint him as the second coming of Sean Elliott.

Well, let me be the first to admit that Mason has in fact delivered as advertised. He is averaging 12.8 ppg (only 2 behind Manu) and has slid in well as the fourth leading contributor on the team. He also adds 3.4 rebounds and 2 assists a game. Coupled with Hill's 8.8 ppg and 2.7 apg, this duo could prove to be a solid addition to San Antonio's backcourt. They, along with like-clockwork stellar play from Duncan and Parker, have the Spurs in second place in the West. If these two, especially Mason, can continue to improve then the Spurs might be poised for another title run.

Read more!