“How quickly people forget that I was considered the steal of free agency last year. A talented team, and injuries, got in the way this year.”
Free agent guard Roger Mason Jr., via his twitter account
As “Reasons to sign Roger Mason Jr.” go, these are some odd ones. Yes, Roger Mason Jr. was considered one of the steals of free agency when he scored 12 points per game, shot 42% from beyond the arc, 89% from the line, and made some huge shots over the course of the season.
When he scored 6.3 points per game while shooting 33.3% from deep and 79% from the free-throw line, people stopped considering him a major steal for the Spurs. This seems like a very rational human response to new and pertinent evidence rather than an example of how fickle sports fans can be.
Still, it does go to show you how quickly a player’s fortunes can change in this league, and how some of the free agents teams want so badly now will end up being disappointments by the end of their contracts, even if they get off to promising starts with their new teams. Get what you can while you can, free agents of 2010. You never know when your knee will go out on you, your shot will stop cooperating, or a lockout makes it all moot. And then, as Roger Mason now knows, people will forget.
