Kobe, LeBron, Carmelo and the rest of Team USA have plenty to smile about after their big win in game one. (Getty)

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February 7, 2008

MILWAUKEE -- There are those who talk a good game.

There are those who enjoy simply watching a good game.

And then there are those who want little to do with a game unless they’re smack-dab in the middle of it, doing whatever it takes to help their team and make life difficult for the other team.

Since Desmond Mason began playing sports as a youngster, he has been a member of that third brotherhood. So he was counting his blessings on the night of Feb. 2, when he was activated by the Milwaukee Bucks after being shelved for six weeks following surgery on his left thumb.

"I'm excited about it,” Mason said as he prepared for the Bucks’ game against the Houston Rockets that night. “This was my second surgery, and both of them have been pretty minor, for the most part, but this was the longest I've had to sit out in my career.

“It was a tough stretch of sitting down and watching."

Mason, who signed a free-agent contract July 23 to begin his second stint with the Bucks after playing the past two seasons with the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, celebrated his return to Milwaukee in a big way.

He enjoyed one of his finest outings ever as a Buck on Nov. 6, 2007, hitting 10 of 10 field-goal attempts and totaling 21 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals in a 112-85 romp over Toronto at the Bradley Center.

Through 26 games -- 25 starts -- he was averaging 7.9 points and 3.9 rebounds, with 20 steals and 17 blocks, before being sidelined for 22 games spanning Dec. 22 through Jan. 30.

Bucks General Manager Larry Harris cited Mason’s athleticism, defense and veteran leadership as three key reasons for bringing him back to Milwaukee over the summer, and the Bucks missed all three of those qualities during Mason’s time on the inactive list.

Mason missed elevating and slamming down Mo Williams’ lob passes, making mayhem on the defensive end of the court for opposing small forwards and shooting guards, soaring above rival big men for rebounds and even adding to his floorburn collection diving for loose balls.

"Sitting out was rough,” he said. “You just want to get out there and do what you do to help the team win games ... just be able to contribute. To not have the opportunity for the last six weeks, it's been tough.

“Whether I was sitting at home on the couch or here sitting on the bench, it's been tough.”

One player who provided the Bucks with Mason’s brand of intensity and hustle during his absence was guard Royal Ivey. The first-year teammates played just a handful of games together before Mason’s surgery and recovery, but Ivey became well aware of what “The Cowboy” brought to the table during that stretch.

"He brings that energy and the little things that every team needs,” Ivey said. “He's a good defensive player, a great athlete, a slasher.

“During the time he missed, we missed him. Hopefully he can come back in and bring those things and give us some spark."

Mason did manage to find one silver lining in that couch he spoke of earlier during his time on the inactive list.

“It gave me the opportunity to kind of look from the outside and see the games and really see what our team needs,” he said. “That's going to help me be able to bring that."

Mason is the type of person who always looks at a glass half-full rather than half-empty. And when he looks at the Bucks’ season, he knows the best perspective is to be proactive about the games he can still do something about, not looking back at those in the rear-view mirror.

"Exactly,” he said. “When you start dwelling in the past in this league, it can have a snowball effect. I think, in a sense, we're upset with the way the season has gone up to this point, but there's still a lot of opportunity for us, and that's the way we've got to look at it."

Dating back to the early days of his basketball career, Mason has always played not only for the next game, but the next play.

"Even in a game, if you make a mistake, a lot of times there's not a lot you can do about it,” he said. “If a ref makes a bad call, there's nothing you can do about it. You can get caught up in the moment, but you have to have a short memory and move on.

“I try to play like that, and in turn it helps me stay focused, and it doesn't really take me out of my game."

Now that Mason is back in the game, Ivey likes the prospect of being on the court at the same time with him.

"I think that would be a good sequence,” Ivey said. “He brings energy, and other players feed off of energy. I try to bring that as well, and if we can do that together, it can affect the other players on the court.

“We just have to go out, play carefree and try to get wins.”

Yippee-ki-yay to that.