Mario West?

[NeZoRiL]

Can the kid play? He didn't get a lot of minutes last season. Would you take a risk and re-sign him or is he absolute trash?

[evildallas]

Mario is all heart and effort. He's not developed any offensive skills and doesn't really have the game to be an NBA player. Even his defensive results are mitigated by gonzo style resulting in too many fouls as he struggled to control his body. He's not too bad to have on the roster as I'm sure he causes practice to be more intense, but I would think that most of us were hoping that the roster would be filled out with players of greater skill who could be more useful in games.

I always hoped that Mario would develop a shot like the corner 3 that Shane Battier excels out of so that he would not be a liability on the court in excess of the energy he brings. I'm not talking about becoming a great overall shooter, but rather just picking a spot to master. He hasn't yet and that's the main reason I wouldn't want to spend a roster spot on him. In order to get minutes you need to not be a negative on one end of the court.

[NeZoRiL]

I'm glad Mario has a lot of heart and is scrappy and puts time into his game. From my knowledge Mario West won the dunk contest at some type of university, which intrigues me. If he used his vertical he could jam it home or get some elevated lay ups I guess. I remember him jamming it on Joe Alexander and I remember him blocking another guy so it seems he has potential and foul trouble brings my piss to a boil, it's so excessive and annoying.

Speaking of corner three's remember Bruce Bowen? He'd always be in the right corner awaiting a pass to make a deep three like Shane's, I don't think he'll ever be a consistent shooter but I do agree that if he picked something to work and excel at, he'd become a great bench player that we could count on at times.

Another question I have for you evildallas: If Mario was to pick a goal and try to do it, obviously including a basketball, what should we work on for the following seasons? Or do you think we're wasting our time on him and should just send him into the development league to probably be never seen again?

[SAUCERY_SWEET]

You're wasting your time, Mario is about good as he's ever going to be.

[NeZoRiL]

You're wasting your time, Mario is about good as he's ever going to be.

[evildallas]

I don't know how the system works. And by that I mean who gives young players the advice to help their careers along. Mario was here for 3 years. He improved over that time, but was still horrible on the offensive end. He could crash the boards from the guard position and could be a nuisance on the defensive end, but like I said earlier he often committed over-aggressive fouls negating his value. Of course he never got much court time to prove himself.

As for development it might be a bit late for that. I would have had him with a shooting coach from day 1 to get the right mechanics down and then set him up with a spot on the floor until he became automatic from there. It didn't have to be a 3 pointer, but it would have been preferable. The key is that while he could hold his own defensively it was like playing short handed offensively. That first skill I would have wanted him to develop was a reliable catch and shoot from a specific spot on the floor. That would allow him to punish the defense for helping off him and stand on the opposite side of the court while Joe dribbles was a valid position in the Mike Woodson scheme. That first skill would have gotten Mario more court time to develop other skills and confidence.

After 3 years he's still too raw and at 26 he's no longer got the upside potential that makes teams be more patient with teaching him. In my opinion, he needs to go to the d-league or overseas and work with a team more intent on development (the Hawks never were) before making another run at the NBA. Bruce Bowen didn't get to the NBA until he was 26 after years of working on his game. He didn't get major run until he was 29. Mario West has a long way to go in a lot of ways until he could be another Bowen.

[SAUCERY_SWEET]

You're wasting your time, Mario is about good as he's ever going to be.

[parson]

Ya'd think he'd know that adding ANY offense to his game could keep him in the NBA for years.

A simple set shot from beyond the arc, for example.

[dejaman]

^