In a day that is pretty much saturated with the Tim Donaghy story, the Milwaukee Bucks have signed guard/forward Desmond Mason to a multi-year deal. 

This will be Mason’s second go ‘round with Milwaukee, as he was dealt to New Orleans right before the beginning of the 2005 season.  As many know, he never quite meshed well with the Hornets, and only had some (fantasy-type) successes when several members of the team went down with injury - namingly, Peja Stojakovic.

As with most players on the Bucks (read: every player not named Michael Redd), Mason’s fantasy value will hinge on the Yi Jianlian story.  Mo Williams and Redd are entrenched as the starting guards.  This leaves Mason, Charlie Bell, Bobby Simmons and Reuben Patterson looking for time at the small forward.  If Jianlian stays in Milwaukee, you can feel free to add Charlie Villanueva’s name to that list, as he’s versitile enough to bounce back and forth between the three and the four. 

Mason averaged near 14 points per game last season, but as can be seen in the above chart (courtesy of TheBasketballJones), a lot of his scoring comes from the inside as he rarely takes shots outside of 15 feet.  The high-flyer had three very solid seasons in Milwaukee, averaging over 17 points and four rebounds a game in 2004-05.

It’s looking like a logjam for now, but if Mason can somehow make his way to the top of the depth chart, he should have some decent late-round value as a scorer.