The Great Debate: Mason vs. Booth

by Jake Whitacre on Sep 3, 2007 7:59 PM EDT in Free Agency

Who will be the last 1? Furthermore, why are they stealing Nick ~~Mature~~ Young's jersey?

As the season grows closer every day, it appears more and more evident that there won't be any more roster shakeups before the end of the season. If that indeed does hold true and Ernie Grunfeld doesn't make a move out of left field that no one sees coming, then it looks like the final roster spot will be a battle between Roger Mason and Calvin Booth. As the fight ensues, let's take a look at the options and the pros and cons with each decision.

Option #1: Roger Mason

Pros: As Nick Young and Donnell Taylor continue to grow, Roger Mason would give the Wizards a reliable outside threat that the team might not otherwise have. Mason also provides newswriters with easy (or easily confusable) headlines if he has a good night playing at the Patriot Center against the Mavericks this preseason.

Cons: Other than providing outside shooting, Mason doesn't really bring much else to the table and technically Calvin Booth has a higher 3 point percentage (50% based on hitting one of his two attempted treys).

Option #2: Calvin Booth

Pro: More of this

Pros: Aside from his aforementioned outside shooting, Booth can also mix up inside and gives the Wizards an option once Haywood and Thomas inevitably injure each other.

Cons: At 31, Booth is on the downswing of his career so chances of a breakout year or even a mini-resurgence aren't all that great.

Option #3: Do nothing

Pros: By not signing anyone, Grunfeld would leave a roster spot open if a better player becomes available in free agency.

Cons: What happens if Brendan and Etan get in a fight before a game and neither can play? Who will stretch the defense if Arenas and Jamison have bad shooting nights?

Who do you think we should go with? Should we play wait and see? Is Ruffin still an option? (No!) Feel free to leave your 2 cents in the comments.

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Dump Donell, keep them both

Someone needs to explain to me (slowly, without big words) how Donell Taylor stays on this squad for a third year before either of these guys - both of whom are class acts as far as I can tell.

Booth isn't going to have a breakout year, but he doesn't make a lot of glaring mistakes on the floor and provides a veteran presence. Both of our centers are likely to get a couple-game suspension for doing something stupid, so we need that.

Mason started to hit his stride as a legit outside threat toward the end of last season, and that's exactly what you want from a deep bench player.

Taylor is, um, quick? That's nice, I guess. He jacks up the ball every time it's in his hands though, which isn't exactly what we're looking for in a backup point guard. Oh, and his shooting makes our dearly-departed Arvis look like Reggie Miller.

If I really had to choose, I guess I'd go with Mason. OPec gives us another big man inside, so when Etan and BTH get in trouble, it'll mean PT for him. This team is still pretty thin when it comes to outside shooters. Nick Young might be real good someday, but Mason has already established himself as someone that defenses can't cheat off of too much.

by sierradave on Sep 3, 2007 11:37 PM EDT reply actions