Fool Me Twice: The Gordon Hayward Thread

[Diop]

So we’re gambling on him returning to his best form and pairing him with a top free agent next off season. Bold.

Can only hope it works. I will go back on all my “what’s the point getting win now players” rant

[BigSlam]

I'm bummed about the decision to seemingly abandon the rebuild, but I don't think this a complete negative.

The fact that it is Hayward and not some unlikeable jabroni makes it easier for me to swallow - because I do really like Haywards game and demeanor.

It's just the age. And the number. And the years. And the injury history. And the timing.

But then again, it is Hayward....

[BigSlam]

If he signed this deal with same deal with Toronto or Miami I think people would be fine with it.

Right - because Toronto and Miami are at VERY different stages of their competitive window than we are.

So it would make sense for them.

[Chapelchilla]

Well look, I get a lot of you are upset and have strong opinions. There are a bunch of them around here for sure. As we know, opinions are like #$%^&#es and everyone has them.
Here is mine-
I was looking forward to another year of rebuilding and a tank job while the young guys play and get experience. I had accepted that we would suck but it was for a good reason.
I do however, also see the other side. Going back to the pre-draft, Borrego had flat out said he hoped they never draft that high again. Kupchak seems really good at finding talent all over the board so that may make more sense with him in place. I'm not sure Carey is much worse the Wiseman for instance. We will see.
As for Hayward, I really like him as a player and as a LEADER. We don't have one right now. That in and of itself maybe worth the price paid. An unselfish star to lead a bunch of kids in playing the right way? That may be the piece we need to go from rudderless potential to actually good in a couple years. He may also be able to help save Balls career by role modeling leadership and playing the right way and thereby avoid his worst outcomes.
We have long said around here "no one good will sign with Charlotte"
Well, Hayward has twice. Ending that narrative is worth something too. Maybe a lot down the road.
If Lamelo reaches his potential and we have a good, fun team with unselfish talent like PJ, Gordon and Graham etc to play with he may be a lot more inclined to sign his max rookie extension. If we are terrible for 2 more years, he may want out ASAP.
Getting rid of Batum is PLUS. That attitude vs pay rate was terrible for the team.
Whatever we can say about Gordon's injury risk I can guarantee you he is not a Batum. The dude has never been a selfish lazy complacent loser. Overpaid? Possibly but I have NO doubt he will play hard. And that means something.
MJ is also probably super sick of being labeled a cheapskate failure as an owner. He has pride. He may also have wanted to screw Boston after they took Kemba. It may not be my way to do things, but I get it.
I think Rozier, Bridges, Monk are all moveable for draft picks or veteran roster help as well. The cupboard isn't bare any more.

All is not lost. I think we are going to be fun to watch and we will play the right way. Hopefully, we can build a winning culture and a actual organization around here. Success breeds success. I think Hayward is a step towards that. Hope he stays healthy and helps the young guys maximize their potential.
Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll

[BlackOutBuzz]

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[Absinthe]

If the Hornets could eventually sign Gobert I would really like that team. A very interesting mix of defense and athleticism.

[BigSlam]

Has anyone checked to see how many Insta followers Hayward has?

Apparently that's important these days.

[wilson115]

I guess a 4-year contract isn't the end of the world. /rationalizing

MJ saw Bernard King doing this at 33 y.o. about 5 years after tearing his knee and ACL at the same time. /rationalizing

Watch on YouTube

[316Hornets]

Has anyone checked to see how many Insta followers Hayward has?

Apparently that's important these days.

You want to compare NBA players and see whether stars have more followers than bench warmers? He has fans because he is good. Get over it.

Hayward is #56 with 1.4M

Watch on YouTube

[LofJ]

Skilled, smart players stick and play at a high level in the league for a long time. Look at guys like Duncan, Allen, Reddick, Andre Miller, Pau, CP3, etc. they were/are still important players into and beyond their mid 30's. I'm not worried about Hayward's ability to contribute for the length of his contract. I'm worried about how many games he'll actually be playing during that time.

[wilson115]

Skilled, smart players stick and play at a high level in the league for a long time. Look at guys like Duncan, Allen, Reddick, Andre Miller, Pau, CP3, etc. they were/are still important players into and beyond their mid 30's. I'm not worried about Hayward's ability to contribute for the length of his contract. I'm worried about how many games he'll actually be playing during that time.

Hope that physical comes back glowing.

[BigSlam]

With Hayward—whose per-possession averages were matched only by Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Karl-Anthony Towns in 2019-20—and LaMelo Ball on the way, the Hornets can look toward next season with a little excitement.

Adding their size and playmaking to intriguing young (or young-ish) players like P.J. Washington, Devonte' Graham and Terry Rozier should put them in the mix for eighth in the ever-open bottom of the East.

The size and length of the contract may bring a little sticker shock, but it likely took something aggressive to ward off other suitors.

This makes Charlotte better, even if the team still has a ways to go to join the ranks of the title contenders.

Grade: B+

[BigSlam]

I see some posters putting Hayward in the SF position, but isn't he a natural SG - on offense and on defense?

Wouldn't the starting 5 be:

Tae - Hayward - Miles - PJ - Zeller

[chabber]

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[yosemiteben]

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I think Mitch called Ainge's bluff. Doesn't make sense for BOS to let Hayward walk just like it doesn't make sense for us to stretch Batum.

This is like the Kemba situation in reverse.

[Trey24]

Hayward exemplifies the perfect player. He is one of the most unselfish stars in the league. If you want him to shoot, he can shoot. He can also keep the ball flowing. It's like watching waves crashing seeing this guy move the ball.

he missed 111 games in 3 years. this is super chandler parsons territory

I mean the year he broke his leg he missed 81.75 games so thats not the total picture of his injury deal

[Braggins]

I see some posters putting Hayward in the SF position, but isn't he a natural SG - on offense and on defense?

Wouldn't the starting 5 be:

Tae - Hayward - Miles - PJ - Zeller

Thats almost certainly the starting lineup if no additional moves are made.

The bench will be Rozier/Monk/Ball/Martin/Carey, which is absolutely atrocious and one of the worst defensive lineups imaginable. Rozier is ok and Monk may also be, but they are a horrible fit defensively and neither can guard SGs reliably (they also didn't mesh well offensively last year). Ball is likely going to be awful next season and is way too weak to be guarding SF's. Martin might not even be an NBA player. Carey is also likely going to suck next season.

[JMAC3]

I see some posters putting Hayward in the SF position, but isn't he a natural SG - on offense and on defense?

Wouldn't the starting 5 be:

Tae - Hayward - Miles - PJ - Zeller

He was playing a lot of small ball 4 for Boston

[chabber]

Read on Twitter

I think Mitch called Ainge's bluff. Doesn't make sense for BOS to let Hayward walk just like it doesn't make sense for us to stretch Batum.

This is like the Kemba situation in reverse.

Yup. It’s the moratorium so unless we had sent in paperwork to stretch Batum, there’s always time to make a deal. Good for Mitch calling Ainges bull.The stretch is the worst part honestly.

[Braggins]

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I think Mitch called Ainge's bluff. Doesn't make sense for BOS to let Hayward walk just like it doesn't make sense for us to stretch Batum.

This is like the Kemba situation in reverse.

I don't think you can trade Zeller if you are trying to win games next season since hes the only center. Rozier makes some sense, but it would probably be better to find a separate deal for him to take on a cheaper SG/C option while avoiding stretching Batum. If they just send out Rozier/Zeller without getting any other compensation then they'll avoid stretching Batum, which is nice, but the team will be filled with huge holes at multiple positions.

Graham/Monk
Hayward/Ball
Miles/Martin
PJ/
Carey/Richards

I feel like we are definitely signing Whiteside to a terrible deal.

I'm not very knowledgeable about the CBA, but I don't think we could just send Rozier by himself for Hayward (at 30 mil), but maybe we could sign Tristan Thompson for Boston and send him with Rozier to match salaries? That would at least allows to keep our only decent center option. I'd probably rather send Batum and some 2nd rounders and keep Rozier and Zeller and use Rozier in separate trade, but I don't know if Boston would be down for that since Batum is basically useless. Maybe Kemba will do us a solid and vouch for Batum lol.