The lonely Buck?
By Carl Column, NBA.com
Posted on October 29th 2013
Jay Gray has never been doubted since his arrival in the NBA. Not by anyone. Not by a bit. And there had been enough facettes of his games you could moan about.
Listed at 6-9, 215 lbs., Gray never had the body of a real power forward. He had neither the height to assert himself on high rebounds, nor the weight to box out his man and get the lower rebounds. He was too small, too wiry, just not the prototypical physical appearance of a NBA power forward.
Doubts? Never. Jay Gray came into this league and proved himself from the very first match. Always focused, always giving 100%, Gray showed that the key to personal success is will & self assurance. He never gave a thing about the scouting reports, the experts saying "he's too small for the NBA, too raw offensively".
After posting 20 and 10 in his final year at TCU, Gray was taken as the second pick of the 2010 draft by the Bucks (behind Jeremy Mason, know who's better?) and he came to play. He was the first player ever in the NBA to win the Defensive Player Of The Year Award and the Rookie Of The Year Award in the same season. Further, he led the league in rebounding per game (13.0) and was voted into the All-Star Game, the All NBA 1st team and the All NBA Defensive 1st team.
The Bucks though, only improved by 8 wins in his first season (27-55 in 09/10 to 35-47 in 10/11). The team was still in rebuilding mode and no one made the rookie responsible for missing the Playoffs. The team was just missing the right keys to unlock the post season door. But nobody doubted that Gray was the Bucks' lock pick of the future.
Without any decent acquisition, Milwaukee went into the 2011-2012 campaign, and Jay Gray did not say a word. He is not the type of guy to point his finger at you. He puts his hand on his chest and says "I need to work on my game". He never demands anything. He just works hard and gives.
Despite a great 11/12 season where he once again led the league in rebounding (12.4) and also showed great improvement offensively (23.9 ppg), the Bucks did not make the cut. They improved their record by two wins compared to the season before, but even dropped two spots in the East (from 10th to 12th).
It was a sign that one player cannot make it alone, a sign the Bucks' front office did not realize, or did not want to realize.
Jay Gray once again made the All NBA 1st team and the All Defensive 1st team, but the situation seemed to become similar to Kevin Garnett's situation with the Timberwolves a decade ago.
Rookie support
Jay Gray must have been happy when the Bucks selected Liam Washburn with their 8th pick in the 2012 draft. Washburn, a decent shooter and great complementary side kick to Gray, definitely helped the Bucks to take their next step. The front office also added veteran Marcus Camby, and finally Gray got the supporting cast he needed.
He never would have said a word though. "I like our roster and I hope I can help to get to the post season this year", Gray said at the Bucks season opening press conference that year. He said that the year before and before his rookie campaign, although he seemed more shy at that time".
The Bucks still did not have a very good squad, but it seemed like Washburn, who enjoyed a great rookie campaign, and Camby, who provided some defensive help for Gray, were the right choices of the Bucks front office. Milwaukee hung on for a positive record, the first in four years (44-38) and was able to grab the fourth spot in the East.
Jay Gray was doing everything for his team once again, even when it meant to give up the ball more often or sit on the bench here and there. The league-wide attention went down and Gray, still more than solid, only made it to the All-NBA 2nd team holding averages of 21 and 11. He didn't care. This guy is all about team, humble and playing the right way, a coaches dream. No attention, no problem.
"It was more of a motivation for me to work even harder", he said after the regular season. And he did so.
Jay Gray single-handedly destroyed the Miami Heat in a six game series averaging more than thirty points and eleven rebounds. It was the first Bucks Playoff series won since the days of Ray Allen & Sam Cassell.
In the second round, he helped his Bucks to beat the Champion Atlanta Hawks in six games. And despite great efforts like his epic 21/18/9 game six vs the Cavs, the Bucks couldn't prevail in the Eastern Finals.
What's next at Milwaukee?
So why is this article called "the lonely Buck"? For a fan of humble, fundamental basketball players like me, the whole Milwaukee situation just does not feel right. Jay Gray looks so much like the Kevin Garnett of the 2000s that it hurts.
The Bucks lost Marcus Camby, Jay Gray's frontcourt partner this season will be Hilton Armstrong. Deshawn Stevenson will start at the two-guard spot. The bench is loaded with stars of yesterday like Antawn Jamison and Andrei Kirilenko. Unless Liam Washburn does not surprisingly turn into an All-Star this season, the Bucks won't make any noise in the Playoffs.
And Jay Gray? He won't say anything. He will work even harder on his game, he will try to motivate his team mates, but he will never make it to the finals.