JohnWallace44 wrote:I really don't like Douglas, so if Mason's hand is healthy I don't see why he wouldn't get 15 min a game.

See, I wouldn't have a problem with the Mason Jr signing if he had a realistic view of his own skills and would be happy with 15mins, but everything I read about him indicates that he has an overblown opinion of himself and sees himself as a major player who needs to be given a major role. I don't know, I'm probably being unfair, but I think he seems to be the most lkely to disrupt team chemistry because I think he'll end up complaining about a lack of playing time etc. I hope not though, because if he brings the right attitude he could be a good contributor, and he'll get more minutes when injuries strike. Don't see him as a point guard at all though! He won't be getting TD's minutes though- didn't TD say in summer league that D'Antoni phoned him when they signed Felton to let him not to worry and that he'd still be getting x amount of minutes.

ALL pro basketball players have an overblown opinions of themselves. It the only way to survive the intense competition. When is the last time you played a game of 21?

Mini Mase has said all the right things recently, unless you have evidence to the contrary. Disrupt team chemistry? Hell, these guys haven't been introduced to one another yet.

As of August 13, there is no team chemistry.

misterearl wrote:"Roger Mason Jr. is a guard that has a good handle that bring the ball up through pressure and get the job done. There is not thing fancy about his dribble but he knows how to get the job done. Many guards in the NBA try to do too much.

Roger Mason on the other hand is a smart player that does exactly what the coach asks him to do. Beside having good ball control he is an excellent passer. It’s very rare that you will see Mason lose control of the ball or make ill advised passes."

- From The Baseline.com

If 6'5 Roger Mason can slide over to the lead guard position the Knicks suddenly can run an imposing defensive shift line

The 6'7, 40 inch vertical leaping 6'5 Azubuike

6'10 Gallinari or The 6'8 Mayor

6'11 Randolph or 6'10 Stoudemire at the four

7'1 Mozgov, as The Most Interesting Knicks player in the world in the middle

nah, they will both swith between backup point and shooting guard. I dont' see Toni's minutes changing

misterearl wrote:The Answer Man Has An Overblown Opinion Of Himself

"I tore the tendon in the middle of the year and tried to fight through it," Mason said. "But the biggest thing was a healthy Manu Ginobili. The year before, I started the whole year. We won 54 games. We had a great year. I can't argue. Manu was healthy. My situation changed."

"I thought (New York) was the best opportunity for me. I've been to the playoffs four straight years. I came here to be a solid defender and knock down some shots. That's the role I can have. I'll start or come off the bench, whatever it is." - Mini Mase

Q. smackeddog - didn't TD say in summer league that D'Antoni phoned him when they signed Felton to let him not to worry and that he'd still be getting x amount of minutes?

A. Not really. No matter what D'Antoni was imagined to have said over the phone (which is a private conversation), when Donnie Walsh signed Ray Felton DWTDD was sent a crystal clear message. It went something like, "you just got a new practice partner. One more thing, you better come to training camp ready to bring the noise AND da funk if you wanna run wit dese guys.."

Bulledat.

Ha- I didn't realise you were so enthused about this signing I hope you're right and he does turn out to be great signing- I'll try to keep an open mind, but I can't shake the feeling he may start grumbling- in San Antonio he did end up in the dog house, and a lot of fans said it was because he didn't like his diminishing role, and he was pretty unpopular by the end of the season. I get that having a strong belief in yourself is common and useful to help drive a basketball player, but sometimes it can become over blown and lead to them complaining a lot aboput heir role- I mean look at Larry Hughes last year- he was given a big role, started stinking it up so had his role reduced, and then he starts kicking up a storm claiming he's had this great injustice done to him, rather than just practice harder to get his shot back. On other teams thats not always a problem, but in New York the media are circling for those kinds of comments so it leads to a drain on team chemistry because the pick up and magnify it and it becomes a distraction.

I'll admit I'm no expert on Roger Mason Jr, so i could be being unfair, but can anyone who knows a bit more about him answer these two questions:

1) Is he actually a good defender? The Spurs boards say he's a weak defender (not the most reliable of sources!), and I'm sure I've read some articles where he's described as a poor defender, and some that say he's only adequate.

2) Can he play point guard? Again I'm only basing it on what I've read, which I don't like doing, but people have tended to say no way, and that he is a very poor ball handler. HAs anyone seen him play a lot to shed some light on this?

Ha- I guess I'm supporting TD against your Mason Jr, misterearl, so we'll see who's right once the season has got going! It's been a while since I've actually looked forward to seeing players compete for roles on the team and seeing who wins out!