Ayers.... Yea not a fan

[sananspursfan21]

Not particularly fond of the man's play to begin the season. hopefully he just needs some time to settle in

[SanDiegoSpursFan]

He looked a lot better than Baynes did imo

[TXstbobcat]

We're we really expecting that much from a 3rd string guy?

[Johnny RIngo]

Ayers and Baynes: 0 pts(0-7) and 5 TOs

The front office continues to fuck Duncan over when it comes to reliable frontcourt help.

[PlayNando]

Baynes and this fker both looked like worthless scrubs per par tbh.

[Johnny RIngo]

We're we really expecting that much from a 3rd string guy?

I was expecting a lot more from the guy that cost us a shot at bringing in AK

[mookie2001]

Ayres

[PlayNando]

Pendergraph

[TXstbobcat]

I was expecting a lot more from the guy that cost us a shot at bringing in AK

i didn't even know who he was when I saw that the spurs signed him. I wasn't expecting that much.

[Kool Bob Love]

I was expecting a lot more from the guy that cost us a shot at bringing in AK

AK was never coming to San Antonio.

Russians stick together.

[mVp]

He fucking sucks, he couldn't even hit the rim...

And what about that layup/dunk attempt by Green? god, that play gave me cancer, but that's just Green for you.

[Obstructed_View]

I was expecting a lot more from the guy that cost us a shot at bringing in AK

um. :lol

[T Park]

Nothing like judging the guy in game 2 of 82. Par for the course around here anymore though.

[Obstructed_View]

Nothing like judging the guy in game 2 of 82. Par for the course around here anymore though.

You coming in here replying without bothering to read the OP. Par for the course.


Not particularly fond of the man's play to begin the season. hopefully he just needs some time to settle in

[Mnky]

He's been in a system that is purely half court. He's not used to the up-tempo. No amount of training camp can prepare you for the speed of a real nba game..especially one with the tempo the spurs try to create. Vet players in our system were having trouble tonight. They'll learn their place and whethere to go left or right..cut or fade.. Pop has been giving the second unit a lot of minutes. I think this is brilliant. They need it..and against teams like tonight..we can afford it. Not saying he will be a huge difference maker, but I believe he fits the system once he learns and becomes more comfortable with it..

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

He fucking sucks, he couldn't even hit the rim...

And what about that layup/dunk attempt by Green? god, that play gave me cancer, but that's just Green for you.

:lmao thinking the same thing

[freetiago]

this guys strength is his pick and pop jumper and he was hitting the side of the backboard
lets just hope he settles down and can produce because Baynes looked even worse
luckily Diaw has really stepped up

[BatManu20]

He looked pretty awful. His shot is atrocious and he played with the bball IQ of a toddler. But it's only game 2. Give him some time to prove his worth or lack thereof.

[will_spurs]

whatever

Do you know who is the girl in your sig? She has a... history.

[T Park]

Who said I was talking to the OP internet tough guy?

[Brunodf]

Ayers and Baynes: 0 pts(0-7) and 5 TOs

The front office continues to fuck Duncan over when it comes to reliable frontcourt help.
And the Spurs missed this:
Vitor Faverani: Undrafted 25 years old Brazilian, 6'11 260 lbs, signed with Boston for 2 millions, scored 12 pts(4-6 FG), 18 rebounds, 6 blks in 37 minutes

[Sean Cagney]

He looked a lot better than Baynes did imo

Baynes sucks, some hyped him up alot on here but he is very limited to be honest. I hope he looked alot better than that stiff.

[ElNono]

Ayers is a long-term project and minute burner for the regular season... he might or might not pan out. He's just played his 2nd game as a Spur, and is barely getting his feet wet with the team and system.

[Whisky Dog]

If he doesn't get a decent 10 to 15 ft jumper he'll be a liability quickly against teams with any quality defensively. He's a hustle player big to give you junk minutes so not expecting him to do much except play solid defense, rebound, and not fuck up or take shots outside of offensive rebound putbacks.

[heyheymymy]

Ayers is a long-term project and minute burner for the regular season... he might or might not pan out. He's just played his 2nd game as a Spur, and is barely getting his feet wet with the team and system.

...And he's already better than Blair.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Baynes sucks, some hyped him up alot on here but he is very limited to be honest. I hope he looked alot better than that stiff.

Such insight :rolleyes

Baynes had a bad game but he misssed 4 shots he normally makes. He was getting good looks. That pass to Mills out at the 3 point line is inexcusable. Defensively he was fine. He had another block above the rim and Henry was bailed out by the refs. Baynes was not hacking and picking up stupid fouls like he used to.

That being said, Ayres is not a good rebounder. I see far too many rebounds in his area going to the guy he is competing with. He does absolutely nothing to defend the rim. He does not even try to challenge shots. And his jumpshot looks like godawful shit.

But hey he has good effort.

[wildcardX]

I think his shots will fall better and he will grab few more rebounds as the season progresses. I think that's about as high as we can expect from him.

[Johnny RIngo]

Ayers is a long-term project and minute burner for the regular season... he might or might not pan out. He's just played his 2nd game as a Spur, and is barely getting his feet wet with the team and system.

lol at a 26 year old being a project player. And 2 mil is expensive for someone that's supposed to be in development. I don't see anything useful in his game beside his hustle. He can't score, can't defend, can't rebound. Usually, role players excell in at one or two things - Bonner's a 3 point specialist, Tiago's a great help defender and PnR scorer, etc. Ayers isn't good at anything. He's an overpaid D-League level player.

[ceperez]

lol at a 26 year old being a project player. And 2 mil is expensive for someone that's supposed to be in development. I don't see anything useful in his game beside his hustle. He can't score, can't defend, can't rebound. Usually, role players excell in at one or two things - Bonner's a 3 point specialist, Tiago's a great help defender and PnR scorer, etc. Ayers isn't good at anything. He's an overpaid D-League level player.

It was surprising how bad the shots he made against the lakers... he was open... but both were airballs!!!

[JRHernandez88]

that jumpshot tho http://imageshack.us/a/img15/2228/timduncanokthatsenuf.png

[exstatic]

I was expecting a lot more from the guy that cost us a shot at bringing in AK

The Spurs signed Mikhail Prokhorov? That's who cost us the chance at AK47.

[boutons_deux]

Another big who isn't coordinated, not much of an athlete, who miraculously arrived in the NBA w/o a clue how to shoot a basketball.

[Ibleedslvrnblk]

You guys crack me up. Everyone thinks they know everything and is the best couch coach in the world. How about you have faith in a front office who does nothing but win and make smart choices? Yeah they make the odd mistake but unlike other teams this team is setup to keep winning. I remember people writing off Splitter first year and well look at him now. Oh he is soft...Dude games, and is valuable to this team. Give Ayers and Baynes more time to work with Duncan and Splitter and watch how they turn out. By no means will either of them be 15 pt a game guys but they will serve a purpose or keep crying over stuff that did not happen (AK47) or trading someone away for someone that will never happen..

[NickiRasgo]

If Ayers could play like Elson, that would be nice.

[Texas_Ranger]

so far he looks worse than Blair. I mean both of the new guys look pretty lost.

[PingPong]

And the Spurs missed this:
Vitor Faverani: Undrafted 25 years old Brazilian, 6'11 260 lbs, signed with Boston for 2 millions, scored 12 pts(4-6 FG), 18 rebounds, 6 blks in 37 minutes

He dunks too much for the Spurs. And his look doesn't seems to be the Pop's favorite style.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMrqm_GyFPQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j_4VJzIFeE

[ElNono]

lol at a 26 year old being a project player. And 2 mil is expensive for someone that's supposed to be in development. I don't see anything useful in his game beside his hustle. He can't score, can't defend, can't rebound. Usually, role players excell in at one or two things - Bonner's a 3 point specialist, Tiago's a great help defender and PnR scorer, etc. Ayers isn't good at anything. He's an overpaid D-League level player.

It's a $1.75m/season deal and what's the problem with him being 26? He has two seasons get better within the system, or the Spurs will let him walk. If he pans out, he's an excellent deal (don't forget Tiago was signed for $3m/season, and we didn't know how he'll adapt to the NBA).

[Mr. Body]

Ayers was a journeyman before the Spurs signed him, strictly end of the bench guy. I'm surprised anyone portrayed this as an important pickup. Once Duncan is back he'll get strictly Blair minutes.

[NickiRasgo]

He dunks too much for the Spurs. And his look doesn't seems to be the Pop's favorite style.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMrqm_GyFPQ


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j_4VJzIFeE

Wow! He can shoot, can move well, he's fast, not look soft. Damn!

[bklynspursfan]

2 games folks.... Lets give him 15-20 games under his belt and see where he is then. His activity was good, but definitely made some poor decisions.

[benefactor]

Gary Neal didn't develop enough to make the jump to the NBA until he was 26. Takes some players longer tbh.

We'll see what he becomes. For two years on the cheap it's not a big deal.

[Raven]

i'll cut him some slack, but he was awful yesterday.

[Hoops Czar]

It's a $1.75m/season deal and what's the problem with him being 26? He has two seasons get better within the system, or the Spurs will let him walk. If he pans out, he's an excellent deal (don't forget Tiago was signed for $3m/season, and we didn't know how he'll adapt to the NBA).

So this is how you possibly waste Duncan's last years by signing a two year project to MLE money. Oh, and the goods is the Spurs can let him walk when Duncan retires. This is the kind of signing teams makes when they're tanking for Wiggins, not trying to build a championship contender. Who needs a player like Kirilenko when the Spurs can overpay (the theme of the off season) a player who couldn't even beat out Mahimni for fifth big on Indiana's depth chart. He wasn't good enough in Indiana and the coaching staff knew it but he's good enough to get rotation minutes in San Antonio.

Oh, and under NO circumstance does he make Bonner expendable.

[ElNono]

So this is how you possibly waste Duncan's last years by signing a two year project to MLE money. Oh, and the goods is the Spurs can let him walk when Duncan retires. This is the kind of signing teams makes when they're tanking for Wiggins, not trying to build a championship contender. Who needs a player like Kirilenko when the Spurs can overpay (the theme of the off season) a player who couldn't even beat out Mahimni for fifth big on Indiana's depth chart. He wasn't good enough in Indiana and the coaching staff knew it but he's good enough to get rotation minutes in San Antonio.

Oh, and under NO circumstance does he make Bonner expendable.

What are you talking about? Ayres will fill Blair's role on the team, which means that unless he suddenly becomes some sort of amazing talent, he won't even sniff playoff minutes. The bigs rotation when it matters is Tim/Tiago/Diaw, just like last season.

And you have the AK story all backwards. The Spurs needed the Wolves to do them a solid to get Kirilenko, and Flip Saunders didn't want to. Ayres is the Spurs filling up the roster after that.

You also need to check what "MLE money" means... $1.75m a season is lower than any of the MLEs available (non-taxpayer, taxpayer, room and bi-annual)...

[exstatic]

So this is how you possibly waste Duncan's last years by signing a two year project to MLE money. Oh, and the goods is the Spurs can let him walk when Duncan retires. This is the kind of signing teams makes when they're tanking for Wiggins, not trying to build a championship contender. Who needs a player like Kirilenko when the Spurs can overpay (the theme of the off season) a player who couldn't even beat out Mahimni for fifth big on Indiana's depth chart. He wasn't good enough in Indiana and the coaching staff knew it but he's good enough to get rotation minutes in San Antonio.

Oh, and under NO circumstance does he make Bonner expendable.
1) MLE money is $5.15M so, no, he's not making MLE money.
2) Once Minny decided NOT to S&T AK47, there was only one place he was going: Brooklyn. You can't sign a player who is determined to sign elsewhere.

[Sean Cagney]

Such insight :rolleyes

Baynes had a bad game but he misssed 4 shots he normally makes. He was getting good looks. That pass to Mills out at the 3 point line is inexcusable. Defensively he was fine. He had another block above the rim and Henry was bailed out by the refs. Baynes was not hacking and picking up stupid fouls like he used to.

That being said, Ayres is not a good rebounder. I see far too many rebounds in his area going to the guy he is competing with. He does absolutely nothing to defend the rim. He does not even try to challenge shots. And his jumpshot looks like godawful shit.

But hey he has good effort.
Baynes normally makes those shots when? He has not really proven to make shots in game yet, until then it's heresay what he can do basically what I am getting at. His game is very limited, big body but no real post game or shot to speak of. He can be more of a big body putback man and thats his ceiling IMO.

I agree on Ayres though, no arguments there.

[Raven]

1) MLE money is $5.15M so, no, he's not making MLE money.
2) Once Minny decided NOT to S&T AK47, there was only one place he was going: Brooklyn. You can't sign a player who is determined to sign elsewhere.

i see my fellow spurs fans like to believe this story, but the truth is we should have waited and ak47 would be with us. He only took the team who offered him more and was a contender..

[Poolboy5623]

AK47 looks done. It looks like he is running in wet cement, out there. Spurs may have dodged a bullet there..

[ElNono]

i see my fellow spurs fans like to believe this story, but the truth is we should have waited and ak47 would be with us. He only took the team who offered him more and was a contender..

It's a double-edged sword... you wait too long and Belli/Ayres are no longer available, then you have to potentially make do with even worse talent.

IMO, if AK really wanted to be with us, he would've pressured Minny to make it happen. I never heard AK even hinting he wanted to be in our team.

[monkeypunk]

Ayres needs to stop shooting as soon as he gets the ball. Probably just nerves but he needs to settle down and look to pass to the open man. Or start hitting his shots...

[Raven]

It's a double-edged sword... you wait too long and Belli/Ayres are no longer available, then you have to potentially make do with even worse talent.

IMO, if AK really wanted to be with us, he would've pressured Minny to make it happen. I never heard AK even hinting he wanted to be in our team.

that doesn't change the fact it was the best course of action..

[Kyuui-Musikq]

Jury's still out until January at the least IMO

[ElNono]

that doesn't change the fact it was the best course of action..

If AK could've been had, sure. Far from sure that was the case though.

[ElNono]

I also like the Belli signing... I think it'll take him some time to fit in, but he'll be a valuable piece eventually, and he does look like a guy that really wanted to be with our team.

[exstatic]

i see my fellow spurs fans like to believe this story, but the truth is we should have waited and ak47 would be with us. He only took the team who offered him more and was a contender..

Hmmm. Wonder why the NBA looked into possible collusion between AK47 and Nets because he took LESS than other teams were offering him.

[benefactor]

AK was never coming here. It was all smoke and mirrors to get him to Brooklyn, who is both a contender and is paying him more than any other team could possibly offer...regardless of what the number on his contract is.

[Hoops Czar]

What are you talking about? Ayres will fill Blair's role on the team, which means that unless he suddenly becomes some sort of amazing talent, he won't even sniff playoff minutes. The bigs rotation when it matters is Tim/Tiago/Diaw, just like last season.

And you have the AK story all backwards. The Spurs needed the Wolves to do them a solid to get Kirilenko, and Flip Saunders didn't want to. Ayres is the Spurs filling up the roster after that.

You also need to check what "MLE money" means... $1.75m a season is lower than any of the MLEs available (non-taxpayer, taxpayer, room and bi-annual)...


1) MLE money is $5.15M so, no, he's not making MLE money.
2) Once Minny decided NOT to S&T AK47, there was only one place he was going: Brooklyn. You can't sign a player who is determined to sign elsewhere.

First of all ElNono, Blair didn't have a role on this team. He was relegated to garbage time minutes. Ayres is actually in the rotation.

They also chose to use MLE money on Belinelli/Ayres instead of Kirilenko. Since when is it the priority of the off season to find Blair's replacement and then pay him nearly triple his salary? Ayres could have been had for the vet minimum.

They really didn't need a Neal replacement because they already had one in Mills. Kirilenko was more of a necessity than either of those two because of his ability to play backup SF. RC squandered opportunities to make this team better.

[Hoops Czar]

It's a double-edged sword... you wait too long and Belli/Ayres are no longer available, then you have to potentially make do with even worse talent.

IMO, if AK really wanted to be with us, he would've pressured Minny to make it happen. I never heard AK even hinting he wanted to be in our team.

Belinelli's only other suitor was Cleveland. Ayres didn't have suitors and even if he did, would it be that much of a loss to lose him?

[rick1991]

Belinelli's only other suitor was Cleveland. Ayres didn't have suitors.

And OKC

[Hoops Czar]

And OKC
I stan corrected. But, I thought it was more of Durant wanting him rather than the organization.

[ElNono]

First of all ElNono, Blair didn't have a role on this team. He was relegated to garbage time minutes. Ayres is actually in the rotation.

Blair played 60+ games last season, averaging 15 mpg... his role was being a minute-burner in the regular season, which is not different than Ayres at this point. Eventually Blair couldn't even justify that after being 3+ seasons with the team.


They also chose to use MLE money on Belinelli/Ayres instead of Kirilenko. Since when is it the priority of the off season to find Blair's replacement and then pay him nearly triple his salary? Ayres could have been had for the vet minimum.

How is it triple Blair's salary? Blair was paid over $1m last season (he's getting paid nearly $1m in Dallas right now)...

The Spurs went after Kirilenko, including contacting the Wolves to do a S&T, that Minnie had no intentions of doing. Don't know why you keep ignoring that.


They really didn't need a Neal replacement because they already had one in Mills. Kirilenko was more of a necessity than either of those two because of his ability to play backup SF. RC squandered opportunities to make this team better.

They needed to replace Neal, because Mills and DeColo were so bad last season that they had to call up Cojo to fill in the backup PG position. With Pop resting Manu for a bunch of games, they're going to need a full-time backup SG, that's why Belli was a need.

[exstatic]

First of all ElNono, Blair didn't have a role on this team. He was relegated to garbage time minutes. Ayres is actually in the rotation.

They also chose to use MLE money on Belinelli/Ayres instead of Kirilenko. Since when is it the priority of the off season to find Blair's replacement and then pay him nearly triple his salary? Ayres could have been had for the vet minimum.

They really didn't need a Neal replacement because they already had one in Mills. Kirilenko was more of a necessity than either of those two because of his ability to play backup SF. RC squandered opportunities to make this team better.
Blair made $1.08M his last year here. Ayers is making $1.75M this year. You need a math refresher course.

[ElNono]

Belinelli's only other suitor was Cleveland. Ayres didn't have suitors and even if he did, would it be that much of a loss to lose him?

It isn't "much of a loss". The Spurs simply moved on from AK47 because they couldn't sign him, period. So they filled the roster with other guys, including Ayres, which they're seemingly very high on.

He either is going to match the expectations the coaching staff has on him, or he won't. But they aren't paying a fortune by NBA standards to find out.

The mini-MLE (bi-annual) exception, which normally fetches fairly marginal talent, pays upwards of $2m this season.

[Mugen]

:lol People still bringing up AK47? I'm not sure how much $10mil is in rubles but he's making north of that this season tbh.

Ayers has been meh so far but he's got decent size/length/athleticism and should be a decent 4th/5th big by mid season. Were people expecting another McDyess or somethin'?

[cd021]

that jumpshot tho http://imageshack.us/a/img15/2228/timduncanokthatsenuf.png

Just awful looking.

Commentator- "Ayes for the jumper"
Ayers Misses jumper
Hubie Brown "....Yeah thats not his shot"

[Johnny RIngo]

It's a double-edged sword... you wait too long and Belli/Ayres are no longer available, then you have to potentially make do with even worse talent.

I don't think NBA big men get any worse than Ayres. And even if Belli is no longer available we could always resign Neal. Not like Belli is any better than him.

IMO, it was worth the risk to try to get AK. Belli/Ayres were lateral moves that aren't going to help us much in the long run.

[Hoops Czar]

Blair played 60+ games last season, averaging 15 mpg... his role was being a minute-burner in the regular season, which is not different than Ayres at this point. Eventually Blair couldn't even justify that after being 3+ seasons with the team.

Yeah, he was a minutes burner. He got the occasional 2nd quarter burn and then the entire 4th quarter of blow outs. Those numbers are a bit skewed by Blair being pressed into duty because of injuries. I can't re-call him playing crucial minutes of a close game in the 4th quarter of a game the Spurs were trying to win. So far, I haven't seen anything out of Ayres to justify not resigning Blair if his sole purpose was just to eat minutes. I certainly wouldn't have made it priority #1 of the off season. Even if Blair wanted to leave because he didn't want to be a bit player, that doesn't justify signing Ayres at all. Why do the Spurs sign a player like Baynes at all if the intention wasn't to use him as a possible replacement for Blair?

Yeah, I'm fully aware Baynes layed an egg in yesterday's game, but his upside and potential trumps Ayres in every conceivable way.



How is it triple Blair's salary? Blair was paid over $1m last season (he's getting paid nearly $1m in Dallas right now)...

The Spurs went after Kirilenko, including contacting the Wolves to do a S&T, that Minnie had no intentions of doing. Don't know why you keep ignoring that.

Your right, he made $1.05M last season which is still almost double (700,000).

I'm not ignoring anything. It's not easy to do a S&t when you have to get a third team involved. Minnesota didn't want the shit the Spurs were dealing and I for one, don't blame them. The only way the Spurs were going to get their hands on Kirilenko was through free agency.




They needed to replace Neal, because Mills and DeColo were so bad last season that they had to call up Cojo to fill in the backup PG position. With Pop resting Manu for a bunch of games, they're going to need a full-time backup SG, that's why Belli was a need.

That was managements fault from the beginning. Neal isn't a pg and should never have been asked to play one. Mills is basically Neal with slightly better handles and De Colo is a joke. I also don't see how signing Belinelli is going to lessen Ginobili's minutes. When Manu is playing the two, Belinelli's playing the three or vice versa depending on the matchups. I still don't know if the Spurs have a consistent competent backup PG in place for TP which means it wouldn't entirely surprise me to eventually see Manu running the point again, which will probably leave him overworked and gassed by the time the playoffs arrive, which was exactly what they wanted to avoid coming into the season.

Maybe this is a knee jerk reaction on my part. It's a long season and things could still work out but anyone who thinks Ayres is going to make Bonner expendable, which was the thinking by many coming into the season, better rethink it.

[TVI]

:lol

[Raven]

Hmmm. Wonder why the NBA looked into possible collusion between AK47 and Nets because he took LESS than other teams were offering him.

what contenders offered him the same money? the answer is none.

[ElNono]

I don't think NBA big men get any worse than Ayres. And even if Belli is no longer available we could always resign Neal. Not like Belli is any better than him.

IMO, it was worth the risk to try to get AK. Belli/Ayres were lateral moves that aren't going to help us much in the long run.

The NBA is chock full of subpar bigmen... Blair, Mahinmi, Evans, Hill, etc they all have a job... guys that are undersized, unskilled, have no jumper or back to the basket game... Ayres might end up being worse than all of them or not, but making that assessment after barely playing 2 regular season games on a new team and a new system is asinine.

As far as AK, the Spurs did try to get him. It didn't work, so they moved on. That's all there is to it.

[ElNono]

Yeah, he was a minutes burner. He got the occasional 2nd quarter burn and then the entire 4th quarter of blow outs. Those numbers are a bit skewed by Blair being pressed into duty because of injuries. I can't re-call him playing crucial minutes of a close game in the 4th quarter of a game the Spurs were trying to win. So far, I haven't seen anything out of Ayres to justify not resigning Blair if his sole purpose was just to eat minutes. I certainly wouldn't have made it priority #1 of the off season. Even if Blair wanted to leave because he didn't want to be a bit player, that doesn't justify signing Ayres at all. Why do the Spurs sign a player like Baynes at all if the intention wasn't to use him as a possible replacement for Blair?

Yeah, I'm fully aware Baynes layed an egg in yesterday's game, but his upside and potential trumps Ayres in every conceivable way.

You're reading too much into two regular season games. This is the time Pop uses to play mad scientist. He'll give Ayres a shot. And eventually Baynes will get his chance. Blair had 4 seasons to show what he could do and unfortunately for him, he just wasn't very good or very happy with being just a minute burner (much like Bonner these days).


Your right, he made $1.05M last season which is still almost double (700,000).

I'm not ignoring anything. It's not easy to do a S&t when you have to get a third team involved. Minnesota didn't want the shit the Spurs were dealing and I for one, don't blame them. The only way the Spurs were going to get their hands on Kirilenko was through free agency.

Kirilenko walked away from $10m guaranteed in Minny. Any sane mind would conclude he would want at least $8m, that's why the Spurs simply moved on. That he ended up signing up for $3m is a different story altogether and the Spurs could've easily waived Bonner and eat his $3m to get Kirlenko for that money, but AK knew where he wanted to play.


That was managements fault from the beginning. Neal isn't a pg and should never have been asked to play one. Mills is basically Neal with slightly better handles and De Colo is a joke. I also don't see how signing Belinelli is going to lessen Ginobili's minutes. When Manu is playing the two, Belinelli's playing the three or vice versa depending on the matchups. I still don't know if the Spurs have a consistent competent backup PG in place for TP which means it wouldn't entirely surprise me to eventually see Manu running the point again, which will probably leave him overworked and gassed by the time the playoffs arrive, which was exactly what they wanted to avoid coming into the season.

Maybe this is a knee jerk reaction on my part. It's a long season and things could still work out but anyone who thinks Ayres is going to make Bonner expendable, which was the thinking by many coming into the season, better rethink it.

Belli will help when we play back to backs and Pop decides to rest Manu (or he gets hurt). It's going to be Green and Belli manning the SG position those days. When Manu is available, Belli can also backup Kawhi at SF, which isn't ideal, but it's much better than having to trot out there a 3 undersized guard lineup (Mills-Manu-DeColo/Cojo)...

You might not agree, but you have to look at the offseason under the premise that they wanted to have the same exact team they had the year before. And the decisions were made based on that.

[benefactor]

:lol People still bringing up AK47? I'm not sure how much $10mil is in rubles but he's making north of that this season tbh.

:lol anyone believing anything otherwise

He went through the free agency process as a diversion tactic. He's not dumbass. He goes straight to the Nets immediately after bailing on 10 million and Stern would be in his ass like a bad case of hemorrhoids with a full investigation.

[GrandeDavid]

Not particularly fond of the man's play to begin the season. hopefully he just needs some time to settle in

He's a deep bench player and the Spurs are two games into an 82 game campaign. Is this worth of a thread? Give him time!

[Chinook]

There's a ton of misconceptions in this thread that I can't fully address on a phone. The short of it is that Belinelli cost the Spurs as much as Ayers did which is to say not at all. The team could have signed AK for a lot of money had they wanted to make the appropriate moves, but they didn't think of was worth it. That's it.

Ayers showed he could hit fun midrange earlier in his career. The shot will recover. He's not the only member of the team who looks really rusty.