PtR: Jeff Ayres and the Emotional Plight of the Fringe Player

[FromWayDowntown]

http://www.poundingtherock.com/2015/3/2/8131483/jeff-ayres-and-the-emotional-plight-of-the-fringe-player

Interesting piece.

[Chinook]

Really interesting.

[exstatic]

A few minutes and the link dieded.

[boutons_deux]

Superfluous proof of what a great person Tim is.

[hater]

crying all the way to the bank with his 1.8 million :rolleyes

[Chinook]

Great article, save for this piece:


He procured exactly one rebound in seven minutes, and it came moments after the aforementioned Danny Green (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/71944/danny-green)-esque inbounds pass. He got in a minor scrape with Len.

Pretty sure Tim has had a worse season in that regard than anyone else on the team.

[FkLA]

Lost in the struggles of the team is how the end of the bench guys' minutes have been affected. They saw plenty of mop-up duty last year--this year not so much.

Keep your head up, Jeffy. :cry

[Chinook]

Lost in the struggles of the team is how the end of the bench guys' minutes have been affected. They saw plenty of mop-up duty last year--this year not so much.

Keep your head up, Jeffy. :cry

If Jeff were a better player, then he'd probably have seen a ton of playing time with Splitter out. Dude had every chance in the world to show he was better than Baynes and couldn't do it. He knows his career is fading in front of his eyes, and I can imagine it must suck for him

[Johnny RIngo]

Decent piece. Never thought an article would make me care about Jeff Ayres. Can't feel too bad for him though - he's made $7 mil in his NBA career.

[Dex]

Decent piece. Never thought an article would make me care about Jeff Ayres. Can't feel too bad for him though - he's made $7 mil in his NBA career.

Not bad, considering this is pretty much spot on:


At this point, he is what he is, a fairly athletic but mechanical big man who lacks any semblance of a post game and is too undersized to play center anyway. He has bad hands, marginal range and average-at-best basketball instincts. He's an underrated passer, probably his best asset offensively, but foul prone on both ends.

[FromWayDowntown]

One interesting part of the piece for me is the idea that while Jeff Ayres might not be a particularly good NBA player, he's actually an incredibly good basketball player and is likely substantially better at that (relatively speaking) than any of us are at the things that we do.

If many of us had to be among the 500 or so best in the world at what we do in order to continue doing it, most of us wouldn't qualify to continue.

[SpursFan86]

One interesting part of the piece for me is the idea that while Jeff Ayres might not be a particularly good NBA player, he's actually an incredibly good basketball player and is likely substantially better at that (relatively speaking) than any of us are at the things that we do.

If many of us had to be among the 500 or so best in the world at what we do in order to continue doing it, most of us wouldn't qualify to continue.

Of course. Jeff Ayres has reached the very top of his field - something many of us will never achieve. It's easy to lose perspective and consider him a scrub (I'm no exception...can't count how many times I've called him Errors and wished we'd get rid of him), and while it may be true when comparing him to other starters, he's still one of the best basketball players in the world.

And to the people who say "I don't feel bad for him, he's getting paid millions to play basketball" - sure, I see where you're coming from. I'm not going to lose sleep over Ayres "only" being a 15th man in the NBA. But I can see why his current situation can be hard. This part of the article sums it up nicely:

So maybe that's why Ayres spontaneously broke down at the end of the game. He's only gotten into 34 games this season and has rarely had a chance to play significant minutes. The last time he played more than seven was on Jan. 22, a 23-point loss at Chicago. Getting your playing time chopped from what could've been 12 minutes to seven may not seem significant, but for a guy like Ayres, it had to have stung a little. On Saturday night, he wasn't deemed good enough to protect a 21-point lead. It had to be embarrassing.

Maybe what we saw were the tears of a man staring his NBA mortality in the face. Of realizing, no matter how much he works, how much he tries, how much he cares, that it's just not going to happen for him at this level...

[Kool Bob Love]

He's was part of a Spurs championship team. He'll never be forgotten. I'll stand shoulder2shoulder with him till the end.

to Ayres. For better or worse.:toast

[MateoNeygro]

. Ayres could play pickup in any game in the world and would look like a 27-year-old Tim Duncan. In fact, he'd absolutely murder the guy who'd murdered the guy who'd murder the guy who'd murder you or me.

^ That line made me laugh harder than I should have.

[spursparker9]

Oh Timmy... lol I can't imagine Kawhi or Enrique or Manu comforting Errors.

Maybe Patty will.

The few players on any other teams that I think will do what Timmy did, is Lebron.

[apalisoc_9]

Very emotional Piece..

I can relate to Jeff's feelings in a way. I know he makes millions of dollars but at the end of the day he's human too and has pride in what does...I was relegated to bench warmer and ultimately not playing any minutes at all during my senior year for Soccer varsity..I remember crying knowing my friends and family were watching in the stands and I was seating down knowing I won't even play a single minute..Posters who reply " big deal he earns millions, suck it up" don't understand what competitive players have to go through..Jeff is an awful player but you can tell the guy loves the team and he's one of the best cheerleaders in the bench too..Dude doesn't sulk like most NBA bench warmers..He's legit happy for his team with or without minutes..But at the end of day, no one wants to be known as the guy who just seats in the bench..It's hurts your feelings.

Jeff cried and you can see how much important it was for him to at least do something in that game and I think ultimately that was his downfall..Most of his boneheaded plays last night was a result of trying too hard, if that makes any sense..

Stay Strong Jeff..You stole millions of dollars from San Antonio ( I should probably say Boylen), but Jeff is a good teamate..Always happy for his teamtes.

[weebo]

Well, at least he's not Austin Daye.

[313]

crying all the way to the bank with his 1.8 million :rolleyes
:lol

[313]

It's questionable whether he's top 500 in the world. I mean, did you guys watch him in summer league?

[Darius Bieber]

Maybe he knows he's on his way out when a buy out signs..

[Mr Bones]

One interesting part of the piece for me is the idea that while Jeff Ayres might not be a particularly good NBA player, he's actually an incredibly good basketball player and is likely substantially better at that (relatively speaking) than any of us are at the things that we do.

If many of us had to be among the 500 or so best in the world at what we do in order to continue doing it, most of us wouldn't qualify to continue.
:tu

[diceman]

Maybe he knows he's on his way out when a buy out signs..

Not thrilled to agree with DB, but that is what came across my mind as well. Ayers is not great, but it was a touching moment.

Shows what a class act Duncan is with his support. TD is always always waiting for the last guy (even last guy in rotation) to walk off the court at the end of each game and this is the definition of a great teammate.

[exstatic]

Maybe he knows he's on his way out when a buy out signs..

I think you're reading too much into it. It's been a shitty season, and he was probably trying to show out for the 'home' crowd, finally having an opportunity for minutes, and laid an egg. He went to school just down the road in Tempe.

If the Spurs were going to cut someone for a buyout, he's still not at the top of the list. Williams is.

[benefactor]

crying all the way to the bank with his 1.8 million :rolleyes
:cry i has a sad lemme wipe teers with a hundo :cry

[Chinook]

Well, at least he's not Austin Daye.

Jeff better not be screaming into a pillow now.

[Malik Hairston]

Very emotional Piece..

I can relate to Jeff's feelings in a way. I know he makes millions of dollars but at the end of the day he's human too and has pride in what does...I was relegated to bench warmer and ultimately not playing any minutes at all during my senior year for Soccer varsity..I remember crying knowing my friends and family were watching in the stands and I was seating down knowing I won't even play a single minute..Posters who reply " big deal he earns millions, suck it up" don't understand what competitive players have to go through..Jeff is an awful player but you can tell the guy loves the team and he's one of the best cheerleaders in the bench too..Dude doesn't sulk like most NBA bench warmers..He's legit happy for his team with or without minutes..But at the end of day, no one wants to be known as the guy who just seats in the bench..It's hurts your feelings.

Jeff cried and you can see how much important it was for him to at least do something in that game and I think ultimately that was his downfall..Most of his boneheaded plays last night was a result of trying too hard, if that makes any sense..

Stay Strong Jeff..You stole millions of dollars from San Antonio ( I should probably say Boylen), but Jeff is a good teamate..Always happy for his teamtes.

Wow, that's deep, G..might be the front-runner for the $250, tbh..

[Seventyniner]

This is why guys like Matt Bonner are consistently underrated. He has a narrow skillset but is always ready to go, even if it's usually just for a few minutes to break the team out of a funk.

Give credit to Ayers, though; he's never publicly expressed any dissatisfaction even though any competitor would be unhappy at basically never playing.

[apalisoc_9]

Wow, that's deep, G..might be the front-runner for the $250, tbh..

Like I said, players that have negative impacts should at least do their part in the bench

[K...]

Like I said, posters that have negative impacts should at least do their part in the bench

A cheap shot I know. I respect the bromance, though. How y'all feel about the agenda movement being hijacked by Manu player fans. Your back bench crew members have been unearthing long simmering Manu/Parker agendas. I fear you've unleashed an evil that I though was vanquished by FIVE.

[jeebus]

He's a piece of shit who has no skills. At least Daye could hit the 3 against scrub teams. Penderfag knows this, which is why he shuts up about not playing. He's getting paid 7 figures to be Duncan's bitch in practice and get scrub minutes in blowouts. Pounding the cock with the usual bads; that site and project spurs always had a disgusting hard on for Errors. Uh huh!

[exstatic]

He's a piece of shit who has no skills. At least Daye could hit the 3 against scrub teams. Penderfag knows this, which is why he shuts up about not playing. He's getting paid 7 figures to be Duncan's bitch in practice and get scrub minutes in blowouts. Pounding the cock with the usual bads; that site and project spurs always had a disgusting hard on for Errors. Uh huh!

What took you so long? JEEBUS!!!

[jeebus]

What took you so long? JEEBUS!!!
I was busy all day yesterday. :cry

[Chinook]

He's a piece of shit who has no skills. At least Daye could hit the 3 against scrub teams. Penderfag knows this, which is why he shuts up about not playing. He's getting paid 7 figures to be Duncan's bitch in practice and get scrub minutes in blowouts. Pounding the cock with the usual bads; that site and project spurs always had a disgusting hard on for Errors. Uh huh!

From PtR's initial article on Ayres:


What will his role be? One of the reasons he was rumored to be wanting to leave Indiana was a lack of playing time. While Pop and RC would never guarantee minutes to someone, it's likely they promised him at least the opportunity to compete for the backup SF spot, while also being injury/rest insurance at the PF spot. He's certainly more familiar playing at the 4, as he operated as the third stringer behind David West (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/21663/david-west) and Tyler Hansbrough (http://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/71913/tyler-hansbrough). But it's likely to me he sees time at both places. He's basically taking Dejuan Blair's roster spot, and while I'm not sure he's more talented than Dejuan, his versatility certainly makes him a better fit on the team. With a solid 6'10 frame, a 7'1 wingspan, and an impressive vertical (better than Kawhi Leonard's, and also a better 3/4 court sprint), he has all the tools to cover multiple positions. The only thing possibly keeping him from playing small forward full time is his slight lack of lateral quickness, though he scored comparably to Tony Mitchell in lane agility. For those who don't know, Mitchell was widely regarded as one of the best all around athletes in this draft, and also is a tweener combo forward. Mostly, I expect him to eat some minutes in the early to mid season and attempt to earn Pop's trust to crack the tail end of the playoff rotation.

The site is straight-up garbage for that take.

[MVPCues]

If a dude wears a Spurs uniform and his heart is in the right place, he deserves our support. You might hope he gets traded for other pieces, you might hope he stays on the bunch and is a practice player, you might hope he plays 48 minutes. You may like him. You may hate him. Regardless, when it comes down to it, the dude is in a fox hole on our side.

Nice article. It reminds me of a passage in Bird's book talking about Kite after probably Kite's best game ever.

[jeebus]

From PtR's initial article on Ayres:



The site is straight-up garbage for that take.

Don't forget this pulitzer prize winning article:

http://projectspurs.com/2014-articles/why-jeff-ayres-should-start.html

If we had Errors starting this year when Shitter was out, this team would be in such deep shit :lol

[Malik Hairston]

Of course. Jeff Ayres has reached the very top of his field - something many of us will never achieve. It's easy to lose perspective and consider him a scrub (I'm no exception...can't count how many times I've called him Errors and wished we'd get rid of him), and while it may be true when comparing him to other starters, he's still one of the best basketball players in the world.

And to the people who say "I don't feel bad for him, he's getting paid millions to play basketball" - sure, I see where you're coming from. I'm not going to lose sleep over Ayres "only" being a 15th man in the NBA. But I can see why his current situation can be hard. This part of the article sums it up nicely:

So maybe that's why Ayres spontaneously broke down at the end of the game. He's only gotten into 34 games this season and has rarely had a chance to play significant minutes. The last time he played more than seven was on Jan. 22, a 23-point loss at Chicago. Getting your playing time chopped from what could've been 12 minutes to seven may not seem significant, but for a guy like Ayres, it had to have stung a little. On Saturday night, he wasn't deemed good enough to protect a 21-point lead. It had to be embarrassing.

Maybe what we saw were the tears of a man staring his NBA mortality in the face. Of realizing, no matter how much he works, how much he tries, how much he cares, that it's just not going to happen for him at this level...

I agree with you, and while I think White fans that spew the "he's getting paid millions to play a game, suck it up" argument is generally immature and ignorant when it pertains to public criticism and humiliation, I don't think it's out of line in this particular case..

Every pro athlete has earned their money, they made it where they are for a reason, but in Ayres' case, he is getting paid an astronomical salary and it's tough to sympathize with him for simply not being good enough to make an NBA rotation:lol..

[DrSteffo]

Hmmm so we are supposed to feel sorry for Jeff Ayres. If he cares about his image he can be a star somewhere. Go there Jeff Ayers, or take the money and the pain.

[kjhip1]

Guy got a ring, doesn't get cut, gets a paycheck most of us dream about. I don't see where he should be sulking. it's become a running gag when he comes in the game because he truly does suck. I mean maybe he's a good practice player but damn you know it's bad when people are impressed that you actually made a shot. In garbage time I'd take Anderson all day before putting errors on the court

[unleashbaynes]

:lol poor errors man. he tries so hard and just sucks so bad. He won a ring though.

[Chinook]

I think people who talk about Ayres' money lack perspective. The dude didn't just hit the genetic lottery and cash in big. He had to bust his ass everyday to get to where he is. Any time you put your heart and soul into something and get laughed at, it stings, money be damned. It'd be easy to say that if you were in his position you wouldn't care. But that is because you weren't in his position when he was having to get to this point.

[exstatic]

Guy got a ring, doesn't get cut, gets a paycheck most of us dream about. I don't see where he should be sulking. it's become a running gag when he comes in the game because he truly does suck. I mean maybe he's a good practice player but damn you know it's bad when people are impressed that you actually made a shot. In garbage time I'd take Anderson all day before putting errors on the court

Where are you getting "sulking" from? That was not even close to what the article said.

[look_at_g_shred]

Putting anderson and Ayres in the same sentence :lol anderson is light years ahead of him.....light years..

[SpursFan86]

Glad to see Ayres play well tonight :tu

[DMC]

One interesting part of the piece for me is the idea that while Jeff Ayres might not be a particularly good NBA player, he's actually an incredibly good basketball player and is likely substantially better at that (relatively speaking) than any of us are at the things that we do.

If many of us had to be among the 500 or so best in the world at what we do in order to continue doing it, most of us wouldn't qualify to continue.
But those of us who are in that category don't make 1.8m a year. That's CEO pay.

As for Errors, if he would just chew his mouth piece more and clap harder with the look of disdain on his face every time he bobbles a pass or misses a point blank layup, or when he commits a stupid foul on a smaller guy under the rim, he'd be a starter.

[DMC]

Superfluous proof of what a great person Tim is.
Kobe would have called him soft to the media and avoided him like the plague.

[adonis827]

Looks like Ayres is focused tonight. Monster rebounder with not much errors

[8FOR!3]

I like to cheer for Ayres. He's mechanical in his movements and has stone hands, but if he's got a good grip on the ball and goes up for a dunk he's either getting fouled or dunking on someone. Dude goes up hard.

[$pursDynasty]

I like to cheer for Ayres. He's mechanical in his movements and has stone hands, but if he's got a good grip on the ball and goes up for a dunk he's either getting fouled or dunking on someone. Dude goes up hard.
one thing you can't say about Splitter. Though I'd like Tiago more if he would.

[Embedded]

I like Ayers he looks like a good locker room guy. I can't even imagine the sacrifices that go into becoming an NBA player. I hope he can improve