Washington Wizards Blog

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time September 24, 2007 at 2:38 PM

Right… this is beyond belief. Take a look at Mason’s numbers; he has no NBA game at all. Am I to believe that Ernie likes him? Or, is it Eddie?

His shooting percentage is extremely low — both 3 point and 2 point. He gets no rebounds; he gets no steals; he gets no assists. What is good about Roger Mason?

In the 3 playoff games we lost, where Mason had his chance against a team that was really not playing tight defense, he contributed a total of 0 - zip - using the Wages of Wins method of calculation. In a total of 47 minutes, he had 18 points, needing 13 fg attempts and 5 ft attempts to get them. He had 8 fouls (that’s in slightly less than a full game’s worth of time, remmber), and a total of 1 rebound, 1 turnover and 1 assist.

I’m sure he is a nice guy; I’m sure he can play in Europe. *What* is he doing on the Wizards squad?

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time September 24, 2007 at 2:47 PM

The Wages of Wins guys are economists; their real (i.e. mathematical) way of calculating player contribution is too hard for us guys to use, but they provide an approximation called “Win Score.” A player’s Win Score measures his contribution to winning a game (or, over a season, to the team’s wins for the season).

The method works: if you add up all the roster players’ win scores for the season, it correlates to 96% w/ the teams wins that season. *Nothing* else comes close.

Here’s how to calculate Win Score:
Points + Rebounds + Steals + ½*Assists + ½*Blocked Shots – Field Goal Attempts – Turnovers - ½*Free Throw Attempts - ½*Personal Fouls.

Do that for Roger Mason’s playoff performances, and you get Zero. Do it for his whole season, and you are in negative numbers. His time on the floor costs the team wins. Now, that doesn’t mean there is a better player available for the 15th spot on the roster, unfortunately. But, in this case, I would certainly have preferred to guarantee Aaron Miles, who played pg for us this summer and would have earned a rookie minimum to signing Mason who gets 2d-year (or is it 3d year) minimum.

Comment from BruceO
Time September 24, 2007 at 3:47 PM

Tom I like wages of wins too, but from watching roger mason play in games and in practice I see he can shoot the three and he can defend his position well. between him and donnell I’d rather take him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets better. Also food for thought, andray has bad numbers on the wages of wins as well, but we are more focused on his upside. In one season Roger mason is better than donnell who I think has been with us longer.
I frankly wasn’t surprised by the signing, He said a long time ago even before any moves or drafts were made that the wiz were planning on keeping him. The only thing that would stop that is if they were Bs-ing him or if we ran out of money. So far our team keeps their promises to the players

Comment from neal
Time September 24, 2007 at 6:19 PM

It said something to me when Mason and Booth were attending the team’s summer league games. They must have known management wanted to keep them.

I don’t get why they gave Mason a guaranteed contract ($770,610 - minimum for a 2nd year player, although he played a few minutes in 2005-2006). I think guys like him, Taylor and Hall should have to compete in training camp for jobs. There is always someone who comes to camp and plays better than anyone expected. We ought to leave room for that guy.

I think Mason played pretty good defense, but that’s all. His forte of 3 pointers didn’t follow over from practice to games. I came to like Taylor better. He’s awfully quick. If he learns to shoot he could be a good PG.

I guess the Wiz are hoping Mason learns to relax and becomes a good 3 point role player, like some teams have.

I’m amazed that Pollin would spend what will turn out to be double (money over the luxury tax) to sign this guy. Or maybe his signing dooms Taylor, who is definitely a 3rd year player. Like Tom, I’d rather have Aaron Miles than either of them. But then I’d rather have J.C. Navarro than Nick Young, but no one asked me.

Tom and Bruce, is there a list of our players with Wages of Wins scores somewhere?

Comment from FLOYDBT
Time September 24, 2007 at 9:43 PM

best line up possible!!!!!

point-Gil,Ad,Donell if resigned
2 Guard-Deshawn,Nick Young,Roger Mason
Small Forward-Caron,Dominic McGuire,mike hall if resigned
PF-Antawn,Andray,Darius…or visa versa
C-Haywood,Etan,Oleksiy Pecherov

Comment from GrifonRacing
Time September 24, 2007 at 11:02 PM

Ernie seems to like Mr. Taylor, Mr. Mason, and Mr. Hall. I think you are right on the head Floyd. I think that will be our team this season. Doesn’t appear to be a bad line up either.

I too wish Mr. Miles hadn’t bolted so quickly. He could have found himself a spot with the team instead of buying foreign language tapes. He probably saw the writing on the wall though. As stated above I think Ernie likes those guys.

Hey Neal… how far over the salary cap / luxury tax does that put us?

Comment from neal
Time September 24, 2007 at 11:55 PM

Mostly I agree, Floyd, but I see Blatche as the third C and Pecherov as the third PF.

Yes, Ernie apparently likes these guys. And he seems to think he knows more about NBA talent than several of us bloggers. How can that be?

The Wiz are at $65,020,779 plus Blatche in guaranteed salaries. The last reported offer to Blatche was $15M over 5 years, before he got caught soliciting. He wanted more. Let’s presume he got the $15M, but that it was back loaded, having the maximum 8% raise every year. That means he’ll get $2,556,847 for this year. So we’re at $67,577,625 for 12 players. Taylor and Hall were signed for non-guaranteed salaries. I think we have to presume that wouldn’t have happened if they weren’t expected to make the team, and we can also expect that their contracts are for the minimum for 3rd year and 2nd year players, respectively ($798,328 and $770,610). Adding those in, we’re at $69,146,564 for 14 players. The salary cap for this year is $55.63M, which all but a couple of the teams exceed. More importantly, the “luxury tax” kicks in at $67,865,000. So we’re $1,281,564 over the limit for 14 players. So Abe has to pay the payroll plus $1,281,564 in luxury tax so far. More, if they sign a 15th player.

Comment from Wizards4Life
Time September 25, 2007 at 12:42 AM

we need a center i cant see justifying a contract for a player that we don’t need i say at least give a unknown a shot we know Mason is not the guy for the job but i have said it all off season if EG is with it then hes a smart move!

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time September 25, 2007 at 7:30 AM

When you sign a player to the veteran minimum, doesn’t the league kick back part of that salary? If so, perhaps what the league pays doesn’t count towards the luxury tax ceiling?

BruceO — Blatche grades low in win score to this point, yes. But Blatche is a 7′ kid w/ special skills; he just turned 21, and he has an upside. Mason has bounced around a while, he has no special skills — the idea of him as a 3 point specialist is contradicted by the numbers — and I don’t get the signing.

The only logic I can see behind it is that, having let jarvis go, Ernie feels the need for someone to back up DeShawn given that Nick Young is a raw rookie. However, there are *a lot* of better players than Roger Mason bouncing around.

Comment from ricklevinenyc
Time September 25, 2007 at 7:30 AM

i agree with Tom. I think this is an EJ move not an EG move. Ultimately I think front office pressures to avoid busting the salary cap will force the coaches to drop a contract or two. That said, I think Abe can certainly afford to spend an extra million this season if the team is playing well.

Despite the fact that the center position went wholly unresolved this summer, I am excited about the new talent and prospects for the upcoming season. We’ve got 2 NBA backup centers fighting (literally) for a starting spot that neither one deserves. Still, I’m willing to gloss over the gaping hole in the middle just like everyone else and hope to see us play a small lineup often that encourages the young players to grow up fast and scores a ton of points.

I think we’ll be one of the top teams in the east this year, but the 5-spot needs to be addressed before serious talk about contending for a title can begin.

Comment from AGENT_0234
Time September 25, 2007 at 7:53 AM

I Mean Im Okay With The Wizards Re-sign Roger Mason jr Because He gives a good depth to the team when eiither Gilbert or Deshawn goes down during the season and he can be one good hell of a talent as a sixth man coming off the bench this year because he has all the fundenmentals to be a skilled point guard or shooting guard

but i relly hope he do be a leader as he enter his second full season with us and lead us to the playoffs along with the rest of the team contribution

Comment from AGENT_0234
Time September 25, 2007 at 7:55 AM

I Like the team roster how it is but the center poistion need a lilttle more physical play and that when have to work on controlling and not turnining over the bal so much so we can be an contender when it comes down to the playoff race.

Comment from 7dcfan4
Time September 25, 2007 at 10:46 AM

How is it that any move that the Wiz make, that this board disagrees with, is EJ’s fault? If you think EJ exerts any control over EG, then you might want to think about why it was ET that was being shopped in the JCN trade over Haywood. Or, why EJ’s staff was only contractually extended for one year. Mason was resigned because he is cheap and knows the system. There is no doubt that this is EJ’s make or break year. This is the first time, here in Washington, that he has the same starting lineup returning for the following season. If no discernible improvement is made, then he is probably gone.

Comment from odawg
Time September 25, 2007 at 10:59 AM

I think it’s highly likely that the Wizards have a good deal of lawyers/economists looking at their salary cap situation and actually determining whether they are over or not. I find it highly unlikely that they would let the Wiz go over the cap.

Comment from AUNDRA
Time September 25, 2007 at 1:30 PM

I am sick and tired of all this negative! We must unite as one fan group and cheer this phenomenal team on to victory. I don’t know about the rest of you but I can remember like yesterday how it felt in the championship series in 1978 at the old CapCentre and it felt greatttt! It is what it is and nothing can be done now about our center position or a cheap but knowledgable player such as Roger Mason. We have a team that consist of very strong personaliites”Agent Zero,Caron Butler & Antaawn Jamison ” these guys are all-stars in my book. I just thought of something how many teams have three all-stars on one team and your answer none! If the bench produces and the rookies contribute then we know the Big Three will do there magic, it should be all gooodddd! Give it a chance to marinate and you will see we will do just fantastic! A word from our sponsor the cable guy” LETS GETTER DONE”!

Comment from aznzero
Time September 25, 2007 at 1:46 PM

im a big fan of roger. ive been goin to the games and watchin this kid shoot 3 pointers in warmup and he doesnt miss. probly the best shooter on the team. if he gets his shot down in the game, i think he can produce for our team.

Comment from BruceO
Time September 25, 2007 at 2:09 PM

thats what I’m trying to tell Tom aznzero, roger mason is a good three point shooter and he hasn’t bounced around much in the league, I think he is as good a defender as deshawn and better offense. As a third string SG, I think that was a good choice. A big SG body who can play combo, knows the system and can shoot the three. To me theres some value there. I brought dray up to illustrate that theres people who have future value to us who’s numbers are terrible in game stats and in wages of wins stats. I’m sure the team knows what they’re getting. JUst be grateful theres no ruffin, no more hayes, no more booth, more playing time created for DMac, more playing time created for blatche and pech. The front office has made reasonable moves. The only thing left is resolution of our center position, fine tuning our lineup, developing our rookies preseason and consider any reasonable trades for jamison before we blow it off

Comment from Sexy Agent ZERO
Time September 25, 2007 at 2:14 PM

I agree with you AUNDRA.

Comment from neal
Time September 25, 2007 at 2:45 PM

You’re right, Tom, and I learned something. According to NBA SALARY CAP FAQ, a team can sign a veteran with more than 2 years in the league to a one-year contract and only pay the minimum for a 2 year veteran. The league pays the rest and it doesn’t count against the salary cap. That explains why Mason is only shown for the two-year veteran salary.

odawg, I’ll bet you a cup of coffee we’re over the luxury tax limit. Grande latte. But so too are over a third of the league’s teams.

I just realized that with this provision Tom pointed out we could sign someone like Mutumbo for only $770,610. Or steal someone at the last minute like we did with Stevenson for that price. Chris Mihm still hasn’t signed.

Comment from neal
Time September 25, 2007 at 2:46 PM

Grunfeld may not be done. Stay tuned.

Comment from Nara
Time September 25, 2007 at 3:05 PM

Everyone that’s B****ing about Roger Mason signing, quickly name 3 players that LEGITIMATELY will take a minimum one year pay to play and will actually at the very least CONSIDER playing for the wizards (other words, posts that says “Mutombo will play for us for the minimum” will cause me to laugh very hard).

EG signed someone that knows the system, familiar with the locker room, and isn’t a completely useless body like Peter John Ramos was. I agree I would have liked to see Aarom Miles in camp for a spot but he bolted before that could happen and I too would have signed Roger to a non-guaranteed contract as opposed to a guaranteed one. However, doesn’t change the fact that it’s not a horrific signing either. At the end of the day, whoever we would have signed is still the 15th or 14th player. He’s not going to change the outcome of the season.

Also, I don’t agree with signing a random big guy just to see if he can do something with himself. People forget, 15th players on teams aren’t really for playing in games or even for potential. Most of the time 15th players are for practices. You need capable bodies that won’t waste time and is at least somewhat useful during practice.

Comment from neal
Time September 25, 2007 at 5:58 PM

Well, Nara, we’ll see. What you say is most likely. But it’s also possible that EG signs a center as good as what we have, by cunning and/or by luck.

Mason sees himself as being able to play both guard positions. If Jordan and/or Grunfeld agree, Taylor might be odd man out. The “random big guy” would be the 14th player and would, at a minimum, be in the middle of things when Thomas gets hurt.

Comment from gil4MVP
Time September 25, 2007 at 11:41 PM

i think it’s good we re-signed Mason. he has a very nice 3 point range. I remember that toronto game, he put us back on the game late. but too bad he doesn’t get enough minutes. Mason needs to get more.

Comment from BruceO
Time September 26, 2007 at 1:40 AM

you guys know heat signed brian chase? so you know hes not gonna be with us. That leaves donnell and mike hall as unresolved players. I anyone going to watch the practice games here? If so the wiz blog guys could carpool. I wonder if we (the blog guys ) could nag long enough to get special favor to watch more than one practice game

Comment from dmac
Time September 26, 2007 at 6:48 AM

It seems Shaq saw something in Brian Chase enough to have Pat Riley work him out in Miami. Now Brian has signed on with Miami. I would have chosen to keep Brian over Roger. Brian who can hit the three just like Roger would be more valuable to the team as a backup to Gil and AD. Donnell has no shot and has had plenty of opportunities. Brian would have been a good match up for the smaller point guards who always give the Wizards problems (Boykins, Nate, Chris Paul, Arroyo and etc.)
Roger if he makes the team will not see any time backing up Deshawn and Nick. In fact I predict because of his defense that DMAC will get more time at the two than Roger.
Some of you may frown upon Brian Chase size and say we need another Center.
I would rather go to war with Brian than with some of the other reserves we have
I predict you guy’s will say why did’nt we offer him more not to sign with Miami.
Brian is going to do his thing in Miami, in fact he will give Smush Parker a run for for his tax-free dollars.

Comment from neal
Time September 26, 2007 at 9:15 AM

Mason apparently has a guaranteed contract, unlike Taylor and Hall. What’s up with the Post? They haven’t announced this signing.

The Wiz must be thinking of Mason as a 3 point specialist.

Somebody said Mason is our best shooter. According to the stats, he’s our worst (33%). He beats Donnell Taylor (40%) handily for that distinction. Our best percentage shooters are our two centers. Of course, they get a lot of layups and put-backs. Other than them our best shooter is Songaila (52%). These figures don’t include shots made in practice.

I haven’t heard McGuire mentioned at the 2 position. I question whether he has the jump shot or ball-handling skills for that. I’d rather see Young getting those minutes so he can develop.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time September 26, 2007 at 10:21 AM

I’m sorry we lost the chance to see Brian Chase compete for a spot. The idea of Mason as a 3 point specialist is ridiculous; points in the shootaround don’t get counted in the game. If you think he can shoot w/ an NBA player defending him, just look at his numbers for the season. As Neal points out, he is our worst shooter.

As to who else is available, read this article. There are more players available than ever in league history.

Still, we are talking about one of the last players on the bench; you all are right that this is not a big issue. It’s going to be fun to see our trio of all stars in action and to see if the 4 youngsters (young, mcguire, pech and dray) step up. Here’s hoping some or all of them do — big time!

Comment from Nara
Time September 26, 2007 at 12:01 PM

Tom, it doesn’t matter who’s available. It matters how much greens they want and whether or not they want to play for us for whatever reason.

Personally, I didn’t see that much from Brian Chase during the summer league games to want him on our team. He probably is a warrior but so was Ruffin and see how that turned out. People were constantly criticizing him all season long.

I’m sure Mason can knock down threes all day long w/o a nba defender on him but too bad that’s not the case when it comes to game time. Here’s hoping that he’ll adjust better this season.

Comment from neal
Time September 26, 2007 at 1:56 PM

I presume almost anyone left at this point will sign for the minimum. Who’s left that will be able to demand more and who has salary cap space to sign him?

Comment from neal
Time September 26, 2007 at 10:15 PM

Bruce, I would like to see a practice game. I’m in Dunn Loring. If you’re interested, let me know on nmckinne@cox.net.

Comment from GrifonRacing
Time September 26, 2007 at 11:31 PM

Thanks Neal and Tom…. is this the first time in your memories Abe has paid even over the salary cap? I know he has never paid the luxury tax. That EG has some charisma LOL.

Comment from BruceO
Time September 27, 2007 at 3:25 AM

how much do we have in salaries right now? I know at one point the numbers became fuzzy. Also isn’t it possible to dump some of the players mid-season to avoid the cap hit. Neal I’ll hit you up right after I figure out what the games schedule is and when I’m free. I think its the last practice game thats open to public

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time September 27, 2007 at 8:36 AM

Here is our current salary structure, not including Andray, who costs the team about the same as DeShawn I believe, and also not including Taylor or Hall; together they’d cost the team something over $1m.

We have 15 guys, 2 of them not guaranteed. Assuming taylor and hall stick, we are at almost $70m, which is well into Luxury Tax territory. It is possible, however, that the veteran minimum contracts (Mason, Taylor, Hall) don’t get counted for that purpose.

Comment from neal
Time September 27, 2007 at 9:29 AM

Thanks for the link, Tom, to the article about who’s left. I had no idea. And yes, we have 15 guys under contract - Taylor and Hall not guaranteed. I mispoke when I said 14.

In addition to the $65,020,779 shown on hoopshype.com there are Blatche, Taylor and Hall, for $2,556,847; $770,610; and $770,610, respectively (presumed). So that puts us at $69,118,846 for the 15. We’re in luxury tax territory after $67,865,000, so we’re presumably $1,253,846 over.

The provision about signing veterans to the two-year minimum in NBA SALARY CAP FAQ says: Only the two-year minimum salary is included in the team salary, not the player’s full salary. That says to me that we have to count the $770,610 against the luxury tax cap.

Grifonracing, we’ve been over the “salary cap” for years, like all but a couple of teams. This is the first time we’ll go over the luxury tax. It will surely be only for this year, because Jamison’s $16M contract ends with this year.

BruceO, it’s not like the NFL. We can’t dump guys to avoid the salary cap. NBA salaries are guaranteed. I think even Taylor and Hall will be guaranteed once the season starts, but I’m not sure about that.

I’m looking at the list of unsigned free agent centers. Are Aaron Gray (Pittsburg) or Paul Davis (Michigan State) good enough to play in the NBA? Are Mutombo, Webber and Olowakandi too old and tired?

Comment from Nara
Time September 27, 2007 at 11:02 AM

I’m not a big Aaron Gray fan but he could be a serviceable 14 or 15th player. Mutombo said it’ll be houston for one more season or retirement so he’s out and Webber will likely suit up for a major contender. Olowakandi we could persuade to come if we wanted to but I don’t know if EG and EJ want a 2nd head case who disappears during games on the team.

Comment from neal
Time September 27, 2007 at 3:16 PM

Thanks for the background, Nara. I too doubt if EG and EJ want another head case. And I imagine too much water has gone over the dam to bring back Webber.

But when has Grunfeld gone through an off season w/o at least one unexpected signing?

Comment from BruceO
Time September 28, 2007 at 5:03 AM

neal, i thought i saw somewhere we could trade them midseason, since the distributions only happen at the end.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time September 28, 2007 at 8:03 AM

Aaron Gray was drafted by the Bulls and was good enough that he got a guaranteed contract. He is going to be a pretty serviceable player in the league, people think.

Olowakandi??? Please, no. Paul Davis is on the clippers’ roster.

Still, I too am hoping for that out of the blue move from Ernie.

Comment from neal
Time September 28, 2007 at 8:39 AM

Bruce, we can still trade players but we have to take back players of within about 15% of the salary we trade.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time September 28, 2007 at 9:00 AM

If we were looking for a veteran-minimum big guy, Michael Sweetney is available i believe.

Comment from dcdds
Time September 28, 2007 at 1:18 PM

I like mason jr as last roster spot unless we can get a skilled big man, even sweetney would do. We should be able to entice someone with the real possibility of being a starter on our team versus a backup center on others. Either way i like mason over taylor in terms of upside and scoring ability, masons game isnt bad he just needs more exposure/playing time. He is definitely viewed as a three point specialist, and he was used that way frequently in ejs rotation when the three point play was called, he ussually rimmed out most of those opportuniities but its clear everyone thinks he can sink the three in the games like he does in practice for him to still be here. We should have a great season this year, as we are unchanged for the most part, minus some of the older less effective players have been let go giving way to more energy off of the bench. Mason handles the ball better than nick young at this point and shoots better than taylor so welcome back roger

Comment from dcdds
Time September 28, 2007 at 1:19 PM

go wizards

Comment from neal
Time September 28, 2007 at 2:11 PM

Isn’t he another PF? We have a glut of those.

Comment from Nara
Time September 28, 2007 at 2:34 PM

undersized and fat PF at that. But he did have a nice offensive game when he got rolling.

Comment from BruceO
Time September 28, 2007 at 3:58 PM

Neal I understand the 15 percent thing. Theoretically we can trade 16 million worth for 13.6 million. So If we trade X player and added filler (the contracts that put us above the cap) we could still be within a 15 percent margin. We could also trade a 16 million contract and still be able to add 2.8 million as filler. The reason I mention 16 Million alot is cause thats antwans salary and hes the most tradeable commodity right now. And his salary is large enough to absorb alot of filler. I’m also assuming this trade could theoretically happen midseason in time for the cap not to hit us.
I think theoretically this can happen, But jamison is important to us, unless we get something more important I don’t see him leaving this season.

Comment from neal
Time September 28, 2007 at 8:17 PM

Yes, Bruce, it’s an interesting idea. Jamison’s attraction is that he’s about to become a FA. Which means whoever has him is about to clear a lot of cap space. I think the Wiz are looking forward to that. If instead, the Wiz trade Jamison I think they would want players in return that they really think will help. Otherwise, the Wiz will wait until next year and enter the FA market with their saved cap space.

Presuming Jamison will take at least a 50% salary cut, we can sign both him and Arenas (at or close to the maximum). But if Songaila, Blatche and Pecherov play well this year and it looks like Veremeenko will come over from Europe next year, I guess the Wiz will use the cap space instead for some other position. I’m of mixed feelings about Jamison. I think Songaila is at least as good a player this point, but I think Jamison is a really good role model for the young kids.

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time September 28, 2007 at 9:06 PM

Realize that the other guy doesn’t want to absorb 15% extra salary! Every team is in the same boat salary-wise.

There would be little point in trading Jamison except for a team-changing player. Once he goes off the books, we have room to move in next year’s free agent market — even if we keep him.

Comment from BruceO
Time September 29, 2007 at 2:42 AM

Tom , absorbing 15 percent salary is fine if you are going to lose the other 85-100 by the end of the season. Without consideration for who the players are If i could trade away an expensive contract for another more expensive contract (15 percent more) that ends in by the years end I’m fine with that. You save money the rest of the seasons. The extra 15 percent is not a problem if you are getting a brand new start. It doesnt even have to be a full 15 percent

Comment from Tom Mandel
Time October 1, 2007 at 10:25 AM

Well, that’s a good point, Bruce — but I think we’ll be keeping Jamison all the same, don’t you?