<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">He's in a contract year, and players historically have played some of the best ball of their lives when millions of dollars are at stake. It's no coincidence that Speedy Claxton engineered a Sixth Man Award runner-up season last year then cashed in on a new $25-million deal with the Atlanta Hawks this offseason. Be it pride or riches, Desmond Mason has plenty of incentives to return to the player we knew only a short time ago. And rest assured the Hornets are that much closer to playoff land if Mason reincarnates his game to the four-year stretch from 2001-05 that saw his scoring average increase each year from 12.4 to his career peak of 17.2. Bank on the Mason of old resurfacing in November. Chalk up last season's struggles to a nasty one-year hitch in his career. </div> Source
Desmond Mason has been one of my favorites since his days at Oklahoma State, and it was tough to watch him struggle last season...especially since he was back in Oklahoma. D-Mase didn't get off to a good start being traded so early on. He didn't have much time to get familiar with the system, and that affected him a little. That's the excuse I'm using for him anyway. I agree that he will bounce back and have a great 2006-2007 season. I don't believe he will ever reach the 17.2 PPG that he had two years ago, but he should be a consistent 15-16 PPG scorer for the Hornets. If he does all the intangibles he once did, the Hornets could be a #4 or #5 seed. He is the X-Factor for them.
I don't think he'll be the scorer he once was, but I think he can be a steady 15ppg scorer. I think though, with Chris Paul around, the emergence of David West, and signing of Peja Stojakovic, he could find issues hitting around that mark. That's a lot of other people that have to score to stay happy (well, maybe not Paul), so he could have issues. However, I think with Paul running the show, there should be no issues with scoring and sharing the ball.
I've always loved Mason and his work ethic. I think the main reason why he played so poorly last season was only because of injuries. I just hope he can crack the 6 rebound mark like he did a few seasons ago.
I miss having D-Mase in Seattle. It would be nice to see him become that 15ppg and 6 rebounds a game guy. Obviousy with Peja there and West developing...Mason may not get as many looks on offense. But he can help in so many other areas.
I think D Mase probably peaked offensively with that 17 ppg year with Milwaukee, but his real value isn't his scoring. He's best suited to come off the bench and provide his usual hustle and defense, with a few run-out jams sprinkled in for good measure. If he plays his usual game (28-30 minutes) and only scores 10-12 points a night, I think he's doing his job well. He's one of those guys whose numbers don't tell the whole story, but some more scoring wouldn't hurt him in a contract year Come back to us, Desmond, come back!!!
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Chris Paul makes everybody look like an All-star caliber player, he's the best PG in the league.</div> Really? Because Marc Jackson, Aaron Williams, Rasual Butler, and Bostjan Nachbar don't look like All Star caliber players to me. He'll be the best point guard in the league in a couple years, but don't you think you're exaggerating a little? I'd still put Nash (the MVP of two years by the way) above him, and I'm sure many people would put Jason Kidd in there as well.
