stitches wrote:I wanted to revive a discussion from before free agency. Is there still anybody liking Boston with Hayward better than Utah with Hayward? The Jazz still have the best player among both teams. They might have the best prospect among both teams now that Boston traded Fultz for iso-Tatum and we now have the better depth.
What a a **** of an off-season this has been for Ainge. I hated pretty much every single thing he did. EVERY SINGLE THING! Well... besides signing Hayward I guess(but I hated this one for a different reason). Is this what those 2 BKN picks went for? They pretty much sold off all their best defenders and got a glorified microwave scorer for another microwave scorer, 2018 BKN pick that could have been Doncic/Bamba/Porter/Bagley/Ayton and the best contract in the league.
I didn't really think that Hayward will regret his decision because Boston had so many different ways to get better and stay better. Not anymore... they sold out all of them for Jayson Tatum and Kyrie Irving. WOW! I think there is now a realistic scenario where Boston is a first round exit next year and never even gets to conference finals for the duration of Hayward's contract. There is a realistic scenario where Hayward has already achieved the best playoff appearance of his career. Let that one sink in. Right now I'd take MKE, CLE, WAS, TOR ahead of BOS. Even Miami might be better depending on how real their second half of the season was.
Or do you guys still think I'm way off-base?
I don't think Ainge put them in a better position with his moves, but I still think Boston was the better situation for Hayward. Much of my opinion on that came from Boston playing in the East, and that is still true after these moves. The path to championship is so much easier, and there's a high likelihood that LeBron goes west. If that happens, well you can pencil in Boston as the Eastern Conference favorite for a long time. Teams like Milwaukee and Philly are coming up, but they are still a ways away and it's no guarantee that they'll get there. Washington is the biggest threat, and they are locked into a roster that might not make the playoffs in the West. Then you add on the endorsements, attention, all star team chances, all nba chances ect. Everything is easier for Hayward in the East. The Jazz simply could not compete with those advantages.