Portland signs Mario Hezonja to a minimum contract

Skin · Post #41 » by **Skin** » Mon Jul 1, 2019 9:18 pm

monopoman wrote:
d-train wrote:
Effigy wrote:One year deal with a player option.

The first person to learn how to spell Hezonjia without looking it up gets a cookie.

I will call him Mario.

Basketball reference says one of his nicknames is Super Mario.

To Magic fans it's Pooper Mario. :lol:

I hope he fares better for you guys. I was rooting for ya'll in the playoffs. Dame is amazing. Great get in Whiteside!

monopoman · Post #42 » by **monopoman** » Mon Jul 1, 2019 9:39 pm

Skin wrote:
monopoman wrote:
d-train wrote:I will call him Mario.

Basketball reference says one of his nicknames is Super Mario.

To Magic fans it's Pooper Mario.

I hope he fares better for you guys. I was rooting for ya'll in the playoffs. Dame is amazing. Great get in Whiteside!

Well the Blazers are kings of the misfit toys, we have a pretty damn good track record of taking "unplayable" guys and making them look at least decent.

Dame Lizard · Post #43 » by **Dame Lizard** » Mon Jul 1, 2019 9:44 pm

DaVoiceMaster wrote:I got a co-worker from Boston and he has said for the past year that the Blazers should get Morris. I dont know which one played for Boston, but he's still available. I dont know that he'd be a minimum contract and I would have a hard time rooting for a Morris brother, but maybe I could try? I definitely dont want the other Morris brother that grabbed Curry's shorts from the bench during the game. Thst guy has always pissed me off since hitting the game winning shot 2-3 years ago while standing on the out of bounds line. Grrr

Marcus Morris would be an amazing fit from a skill perspective in Portland.

However, I've always disliked him and his brother significantly though, so would have mixed feelings.

Post #44 » by **DaVoiceMaster** » Mon Jul 1, 2019 11:46 pm

Whole heartedly agree

a_sensei · Post #45 » by **a_sensei** » Tue Jul 2, 2019 2:22 am

Dame Lizard wrote:I don't get the signing, as we need a big man, not another wing (we have Harkless, Hood, Bazemore, Layman and Little).

I personally think Harkless will be traded for a big man.

Me too

JasonStern · Post #46 » by **JasonStern** » Wed Jul 3, 2019 6:18 pm

Read on Twitter

Village Idiot · Post #47 » by **Village Idiot** » Wed Jul 3, 2019 7:56 pm

JasonStern wrote:

Read on Twitter

They must have an easy time with the bull bingo at front office. I guess Hezonja was something of a prodigy since he was hyped when he was so young. Neil isn't saying necessarily that he's talented now relative to his peers. He's also not saying that he will contribute, just that he will get a chance. Sly one, that Olshey

Wizenheimer · Post #48 » by **Wizenheimer** » Wed Jul 3, 2019 8:44 pm

Read on Twitter

Post #49 » by **Capn'O** » Wed Jul 3, 2019 11:28 pm

He was kind of fun for us last year. Rough first half but played better towards the end with a few electrifying plays. He can play a little PF and has some point skills.

DusterBuster · Post #50 » by **DusterBuster** » Wed Jul 3, 2019 11:44 pm

Skin wrote:
monopoman wrote:
d-train wrote:I will call him Mario.

Basketball reference says one of his nicknames is Super Mario.

To Magic fans it's Pooper Mario.

I feel like they could have done a lot better than Pooper Mario.

Dame Lizard · Post #51 » by **Dame Lizard** » Thu Jul 4, 2019 9:57 am

I wasn't a fan of this signing one bit over the first couple of days, but then a Knicks fan said (on a Youtube video) to check out his stats at the end of the season when he was playing at PG with the ball in his hands.

He had three consecutive games, shooting 50%+ FG%:

29 / 5 / 9
16 / 11 / 16
30 / 5 / 6.

It's a tiny sample size of only three games (with the fourth game being a 0 point outing for him), but all of a sudden I'm happy with this signing, given the price. Maybe he simply needs the ball to thrive.

Sinobas · Post #52 » by **Sinobas** » Thu Jul 4, 2019 1:19 pm

Mario's shooting % really went down last year with the Knicks. 3pt from 34% to 28%. His % at the rim went down from 69% to 56%...though it looks like one reason for that might be he was trying more 1 on 1, as his asst'd % really went down in NY.

Also, his final year in Orlando, when he had his best year statisically, he was played more at PF, whereas the Knicks played him mostly at SF. At 6-9 240, I wonder if he will play PF?

He can hit the 3, and is probably a better shooter than his stats indicate (I've seen comments that his % is driven down by wild and forced shots), and his ability to put the ball on the floor and pass will give him a dimension that Aminu didn't have. Being able to drive by guys that are closing out on him.

Blazinaway · Post #53 » by **Blazinaway** » Thu Jul 4, 2019 2:04 pm

Sinobas wrote:Mario's shooting % really went down last year with the Knicks. 3pt from 34% to 28%. His % at the rim went down from 69% to 56%...though it looks like one reason for that might be he was trying more 1 on 1, as his asst'd % really went down in NY.

Also, his final year in Orlando, when he had his best year statisically, he was played more at PF, whereas the Knicks played him mostly at SF. At 6-9 240, I wonder if he will play PF?

He can hit the 3, and is probably a better shooter than his stats indicate (I've seen comments that his % is driven down by wild and forced shots), and his ability to put the ball on the floor and pass will give him a dimension that Aminu didn't have. Being able to drive by guys that are closing out on him.

I also think he will see perhaps most of his time at PF

whatchaknow · Post #54 » by **whatchaknow** » Thu Jul 4, 2019 2:53 pm

If he can put it all together he’s a much more versatile player offensively than both aminu and harkless. What I worry about is relying on him, hood and baze now to guard the elite wings. It will be easier to funnel em inside with Hassan in there but harkless really gave Paul George fits so hopefully we can get that from one of the new guys.

I’m a fan of this signing because I think stotts does a good job of empowering his players with confidence and figuring out how best to utilize them for the most part. So hopefully Mario will put it all together

DusterBuster · Post #55 » by **DusterBuster** » Thu Jul 4, 2019 3:40 pm

whatchaknow wrote:If he can put it all together he’s a much more versatile player offensively than both aminu and harkless. What I worry about is relying on him, hood and baze now to guard the elite wings. It will be easier to funnel em inside with Hassan in there but harkless really gave Paul George fits so hopefully we can get that from one of the new guys.

I’m a fan of this signing because I think stotts does a good job of empowering his players with confidence and figuring out how best to utilize them for the most part. So hopefully Mario will put it all together

That's a low bar to step over haha.

Also, let's be honest, Paul George not being 100% helped. Not to take anything away from the defensive job the Blazers did on PG3, that guy was still healthy enough and playing at a All Star caliber level, he just wasn't healthy enough to play at his MVP caliber level he had been at during the season. When PG3 was at that level, he absolutely torched Harkless and it wasn't even a contest. So in regards to who'll take over for defending guys like him, I don't think that'll fall to Herzonjia on a regular basis, it'll be dependant on Hood, Collins and Bazemore with a bit of funneling to Hassan as you mentioned.

Back to Mario, I think this is a fine "kick the tires" signing by Portland. He's only a couple years removed from being the #5 pick and the Blazers have a fantastic developmental staff and considering the two teams he was on prior (Knicks and Magic) - player development isn't what I would call either of those teams strong suits.

As for what position he'll play, I really don't think it'll matter. The Blazers has spent all summer trying to make the team as positionless as possible. This is a similar MO to what they had before, but now they're really prioritizing that all those players can shoot. Hopefully Mario fits into that, otherwise the Blazers will be search for someone else.

HoopsFanAZ · Post #56 » by **HoopsFanAZ** » Thu Jul 4, 2019 4:12 pm

Whiteside — expiring contract traded for expiring contracts who were likely gone in a year
Bazemore — traded for a too large expiring contract that was gone in a year
Tolliver — minimum contract
Hezonja — minimum contract
Hood — team friendly contract and good for bigger $ if make good

I don’t expect all of these players to work out. 3+ would be good. It’s not low expectations. I’m looking forward to reports from camp and the first 20 games. I’m more hopeful than last summer when I predicted 50 wins. That’s a good number despite the Nurkic rehab.

Wizenheimer · Post #57 » by **Wizenheimer** » Thu Jul 4, 2019 4:28 pm

Dame Lizard wrote:I wasn't a fan of this signing one bit over the first couple of days, but then a Knicks fan said (on a Youtube video) to check out his stats at the end of the season when he was playing at PG with the ball in his hands.

He had three consecutive games, shooting 50%+ FG%:

29 / 5 / 9
16 / 11 / 16
30 / 5 / 6.

It's a tiny sample size of only three games (with the fourth game being a 0 point outing for him), but all of a sudden I'm happy with this signing, given the price. Maybe he simply needs the ball to thrive.

yeah, it's way too small of a sample size and it might be worth noting that the Knicks lost 3 of those 4 games by an average of well over 20 points.

I wasn't impressed with the signing at first either, starting with the fact that so far, he's shown to be a poor perimeter shooter....turner flahback kicked in.

but since then: I saw his interviews and he was articulate, poised, and displaying a good sense of humor. And one thing Olshey has been very good at is adding intelligent, high character players. At first glance, Hezonja seems to fit that template

then there's the swing-for-the-fences dynamic. That's what happened when Nassir Little fell to 25th; the Blazers had an opportunity for a home run swing. Odds are it will be a foul ball but you never know and it's a case of nothing ventured nothing gained.

I think that's similar to the Hezonja signing. It's obvious Hezonja thinks he can provide some PG skills. I think Olshey is rolling the dice that Hezonja can be Portland's Draymond Green. And if that's too lofty, maybe he can be Portland's Boris Diaw. The really encouraging thing is if he does hint at either of those upsides, Portland will actually have enough cap-space next summer to re-sign him

I'd also say we need to come up with a shorter version of Hezonja...that takes too long to type...kind of like Przybilla. Hez?

Skybox · Post #58 » by **Skybox** » Fri Jul 5, 2019 10:27 am

I love this guy as a low price salvage attempt. He’s got all the skills and highlights but hasn’t put it together. He’s big, exciting passer, deep range, athletic, alpha mentality but just hasn’t put it together...never played next to a legit Alpha like Dame. If he gets his head right...I’ll be watching from ORL

dunlop212 · Post #59 » by **dunlop212** » Fri Jul 5, 2019 11:39 am

According to the video clip he was 6'6 when he was drafted #5 and 6'9 now. Post draft growth spurts can be good things (eg Greek freak) but maybe not always. Maybe he needed time to adjust to his new body size. He grew up a 1 and now he has a 4's body.

BlazersBroncos · Post #60 » by **BlazersBroncos** » Fri Jul 5, 2019 9:08 pm

The idea of him as a sort of point forward in the Diaw mold is quite exciting. I dont think he will ever be the defender that Boris was though. Thats alot to ask.

I could see him as a more jacked version of Mike Miller in his later days (MIN/WAS), that 6rpg/3apg and 10-12ppg type scorer. That would be the best case for me. Asking him to become as elite a role player as Batum, much less a star like Green, is a bridge too far.