Gordon Hayward Thread

[cloverleaf]

I Disagree. -- I think this IS the Team.
We came to within 5 mins of the NBA Finals.

And that was without injured players Hayward, Irving, Theis, and Larkin.
Now, we have 3 of those players back in the Mix.

It needs to be figured out. And quite frankly, may take more than just this season.
Nevertheless, this is Still a Championship caliber team.

They need to stop tripping over each other, though. (Metaphorically)

I still have hope like you do but I think people need to get over last year too. The east was crap. Hell the Bucks didn't even have a coach, Philly we already know we own and outside of Lebron that Cavs team was utter trash.

We also had Al Horford playing out of his damn mind, can he repeat this? I hope so. He was arguably MVP of the eastern playoffs IMO after Lebron.

The east outside of the top 5 teams is still trash. And our differential, while not the end all be all, is like 3.5 points per game better than last season. This team will figure it out and win 57-60 games. Only takes a 10 game win streak to put us back on pace.

Yep, extrapolating from the C's making it to the ECF's last year to being a championship caliber team this year is a stretch. Reminds me of all those years Paul Pierce would fall back on their team having been to the ECF as if that meant they had arrived. As Bill B. says, "You are what your record says you are."

[BRUNiNHO91]

Feel bad for Gordon because patience is starting to run out for many. People are forgetting what he went through and are starting to judge him as a finished product 35 games in. Games like the Spurs one don’t help..

Hopefully he shows us some sort of consistency soon..dude is all over the place right now. Brad is clearly force feeding him minutes in order to get him up to speed asap..I think if he returns to 75% by the playoffs, even as an 8th seed, it would mean more to us than any higher seeding. We need this guy to be great.

[Celts17Pride]

Everyone’s expectations were way too high. Celtics won’t start to see the real Gordon Hayward until next season

[thelarrybirdx]

Everyone’s expectations were way too high. Celtics won’t start to see the real Gordon Hayward until next season

I've been given about three different timelines now for Hayward's recovery

[Green89]

Everyone’s expectations were way too high. Celtics won’t start to see the real Gordon Hayward until next season

I've been given about three different timelines now for Hayward's recovery

I doubt he's even pain free yet. We won't see the old Hayward until that happens.

[Curmudgeon]

He has a lovely wife, healthy children and will make substantially more money over the next 2 1/2 years than any of us will make in our lifetimes.

Otherwise, I might feel sorry for him. His days as a top 25 NBA player are over. Irretrievably. If I had the choice of putting the ball in Hayward's hands or Smart's hands for a game winning shot, I'd take Smart every time.

[ddb]

I'd say Gordon Hayward is the single biggest dissapointment of the season so far. It's not even close. Obviously, his injury was devastating and coming back from an entire year out/rehabbing is something that none of us can really relate too...But lets just call it how we see it. He looks terrible. He looks disinterested. He plays with zero confidence. Most of the time, he's not helping.

Hopefully, it's by design and Brad has him held back and will unleash Hayward down the stretch (wishful thinking).

[Gooner]

I'd say Gordon Hayward is the single biggest dissapointment of the season so far. It's not even close. Obviously, his injury was devastating and coming back from an entire year out/rehabbing is something that none of us can really relate too...But lets just call it how we see it. He looks terrible. He looks disinterested. He plays with zero confidence. Most of the time, he's not helping.

Hopefully, it's by design and Brad has him held back and will unleash Hayward down the stretch (wishful thinking).

I don't think he is so much of a dissapointment, as much as Brad's refusal to accept that he is not anywhere close to his best. It's obvious that Brad doesn't want to make Hayward think that he forgot about him, after that injury, but at the same time, he is not fair to the other players on the team, as he is giving minutes to Hayward, without him earning it.

Jaylen Brown may have been dissapointing so far, but one thing is certain with him, he is atleast not afraid to jump. Hayward looks like he is scared of his own shadow right now. Brad is not being fair to his players. He talks all the time about entitlement not being tolerated, but the way he treats Hayward right now is the opposite of that.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

I'd say Gordon Hayward is the single biggest dissapointment of the season so far. It's not even close. Obviously, his injury was devastating and coming back from an entire year out/rehabbing is something that none of us can really relate too...But lets just call it how we see it. He looks terrible. He looks disinterested. He plays with zero confidence. Most of the time, he's not helping.

Hopefully, it's by design and Brad has him held back and will unleash Hayward down the stretch (wishful thinking).

Great post and I agree. It simply looks like he lost his passion for playing, or he is too scared too.

Either way I agree he isn't helping. When he is shooting he is missing and when he is driving to the hoop and looks to have a layup he passes the ball off.

Unfortunately the Hayward we were supposed to get was just about dead on arrival thanks to Crowder.

[ddb]

I'd say Gordon Hayward is the single biggest dissapointment of the season so far. It's not even close. Obviously, his injury was devastating and coming back from an entire year out/rehabbing is something that none of us can really relate too...But lets just call it how we see it. He looks terrible. He looks disinterested. He plays with zero confidence. Most of the time, he's not helping.

Hopefully, it's by design and Brad has him held back and will unleash Hayward down the stretch (wishful thinking).

I don't think he is so much of a dissapointment, as much as Brad's refusal to accept that he is not anywhere close to his best. It's obvious that Brad doesn't want to make Hayward think that he forgot about him, after that injury, but at the same time, he is not fair to the other players on the team, as he is giving minutes to Hayward, without him earning it.

Jaylen Brown may have been dissapointing so far, but one thing is certain with him, he is atleast not afraid to jump. Hayward looks like he is scared of his own shadow right now. Brad is not being fair to his players. He talks all the time about entitlement not being tolerated, but the way he treats Hayward right now is the opposite of that.

Yeah, as much as I like Smart starting, part of me wants to see Jaylen/Tatum together again in the starting lineup. So Kyrie-Jaylen-Tatum-Mook-Horford

That's a long, athletic, and versatile unit. I just think that when we really think about things we cannot forget that Tatum/Brown were the best young wing duo in hoops last season before Haywards return.



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[ddb]

I'd say Gordon Hayward is the single biggest dissapointment of the season so far. It's not even close. Obviously, his injury was devastating and coming back from an entire year out/rehabbing is something that none of us can really relate too...But lets just call it how we see it. He looks terrible. He looks disinterested. He plays with zero confidence. Most of the time, he's not helping.

Hopefully, it's by design and Brad has him held back and will unleash Hayward down the stretch (wishful thinking).

Great post and I agree. It simply looks like he lost his passion for playing, that or he is too scared too

Either way I agree he isn't helping. When he is shooting his is missing and when he is driving to the hoop and looks to have an open he passes the ball off.

Unfortunately the Hayward we were supposed to get was just dead on arrival thanks to Crowder.

My prediction for Hayward coming into the season was that it would take him half to 3/4s of the season to really hit his stride, but I at least thought he'd shoot the ball well and be a glorified marksman averaging 14-15 per game just based on knocking down shots playing off all the talent around him.
He's not even shooting it well which is making him a 2nd unit PG. Pretty useless at 30million

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[Gooner]

I'd say Gordon Hayward is the single biggest dissapointment of the season so far. It's not even close. Obviously, his injury was devastating and coming back from an entire year out/rehabbing is something that none of us can really relate too...But lets just call it how we see it. He looks terrible. He looks disinterested. He plays with zero confidence. Most of the time, he's not helping.

Hopefully, it's by design and Brad has him held back and will unleash Hayward down the stretch (wishful thinking).

I don't think he is so much of a dissapointment, as much as Brad's refusal to accept that he is not anywhere close to his best. It's obvious that Brad doesn't want to make Hayward think that he forgot about him, after that injury, but at the same time, he is not fair to the other players on the team, as he is giving minutes to Hayward, without him earning it.

Jaylen Brown may have been dissapointing so far, but one thing is certain with him, he is atleast not afraid to jump. Hayward looks like he is scared of his own shadow right now. Brad is not being fair to his players. He talks all the time about entitlement not being tolerated, but the way he treats Hayward right now is the opposite of that.

Yeah, as much as I like Smart starting, part of me wants to see Jaylen/Tatum together again in the starting lineup. So Kyrie-Jaylen-Tatum-Mook-Horford

That's a long, athletic, and versatile unit. I just think that when we really think about things we cannot forget that Tatum/Brown were the best young wing duo in hoops last season before Haywards return.



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I don't really have an issue with the starting lineup, i think that was a good move by Brad, and i'll give him credit for moving Hayward to the bench. But he is still the first one to come off the bench, and he still gets too many minutes. He needs to be seventh man in the rotation right now, Brown should be that sixth man, even if he has struggled. He is atleast not scared. Hayward doesn't look to drive at all anymore, and that was a strong part of his game before.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

I'd say Gordon Hayward is the single biggest dissapointment of the season so far. It's not even close. Obviously, his injury was devastating and coming back from an entire year out/rehabbing is something that none of us can really relate too...But lets just call it how we see it. He looks terrible. He looks disinterested. He plays with zero confidence. Most of the time, he's not helping.

Hopefully, it's by design and Brad has him held back and will unleash Hayward down the stretch (wishful thinking).

Great post and I agree. It simply looks like he lost his passion for playing, that or he is too scared too

Either way I agree he isn't helping. When he is shooting his is missing and when he is driving to the hoop and looks to have an open he passes the ball off.

Unfortunately the Hayward we were supposed to get was just dead on arrival thanks to Crowder.

My prediction for Hayward coming into the season was that it would take him half to 3/4s of the season to really hit his stride, but I at least thought he'd shoot the ball well and be a glorified marksman averaging 14-15 per game just based on knocking down shots playing off all the talent around him.
He's not even shooting it well which is making him a 2nd unit PG. Pretty useless at 30million

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And that is the biggest disappointment which is his shooting. I get not driving and dunking the ball but missing open shots all game? Hayward has turned a bad shooting version of Kyle Korver.

[Fencer reregistered]

I'd say Gordon Hayward is the single biggest dissapointment of the season so far. It's not even close. Obviously, his injury was devastating and coming back from an entire year out/rehabbing is something that none of us can really relate too...But lets just call it how we see it. He looks terrible. He looks disinterested. He plays with zero confidence. Most of the time, he's not helping.

Hopefully, it's by design and Brad has him held back and will unleash Hayward down the stretch (wishful thinking).

I don't think he is so much of a dissapointment, as much as Brad's refusal to accept that he is not anywhere close to his best. It's obvious that Brad doesn't want to make Hayward think that he forgot about him, after that injury, but at the same time, he is not fair to the other players on the team, as he is giving minutes to Hayward, without him earning it.

Jaylen Brown may have been dissapointing so far, but one thing is certain with him, he is atleast not afraid to jump. Hayward looks like he is scared of his own shadow right now. Brad is not being fair to his players. He talks all the time about entitlement not being tolerated, but the way he treats Hayward right now is the opposite of that.

Yeah, as much as I like Smart starting, part of me wants to see Jaylen/Tatum together again in the starting lineup. So Kyrie-Jaylen-Tatum-Mook-Horford

That's a long, athletic, and versatile unit. I just think that when we really think about things we cannot forget that Tatum/Brown were the best young wing duo in hoops last season before Haywards return.



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The guys who are starting are ones who, fairly consistently, play hard, intelligently, and effectively at both ends of the court. Yeah, Tatum can be too eager to shoot or Horford not eager enough to rebound, and much the same can be said of any of the others (except maybe Smart now that his shot selection is better), but basically they're playing the right way. So does Baynes, when healthy, in limited minutes. The others have been much less consistent, and are perhaps getting minutes based on potential, especially as proven by past performance.

[ddb]

Hayward is really screwing things up because it's almost like Brad HAS to play him due to his max salary, the relationship between them, and Haywards reputation as a good player.
But this is spiraling and the only person that can stop things from going "Haywire" is Hayward. He simply needs to step up

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[Banks2Pierce]

Hayward is really screwing things up because it's almost like Brad HAS to play him due to his max salary, the relationship between them, and Haywards reputation as a good player.
But this is spiraling and the only person that can stop things from going "Haywire" is Hayward. He simply needs to step up

Haha he's trying to step up and clearly had a good mentality to have worked from good player to All Star. It's the injury preventing him from getting there and not something inside of Gordon.

Brad is in a strange spot because you have to give him minutes in order to climb back to a good level and Hayward's play has been more erratic than rookies. He's been pretty good some nights.

The injury is just brutal because it has really nerfed our chances for 2 different seasons and hopefully not more.

[AlCelticFan]

I don't believe the FUD for a second about Hayward. His shot will come back, which consistent great shooters in this league have mysteriously lost their shots? ... none?

We'll see about his athleticism...

And regarding his contract. It's water under the bridge. It's only meaningful in terms of salaries for trades.

[celtics543]

Nothing is going to be great until his ankle is fully recovered. Shooting is all legs and right now he's still not 100% through his legs so his shot is going to be off. His conditioning probably isn't back to what it was pre-injury so he's got tired legs and that effects shooting as well. Brad's doing what he has to do right now. This team has like a 15% chance at winning a championship if everyone is healthy and playing well. It's more important to use this part of the season to get Hayward reps and get him playing better than it is to win games. We watched the teams with Isaiah win a ton of regular season games and then not have another level to go to in the postseason, which made all those regular season wins kind of pointless.

The Boston Celtics aren't about regular season wins, they're about championships, and getting Gordon Hayward healthy and in rhythm again is the only way this team has a chance at winning a championship. So if that means he plays and looks bad right now instead of benching him for Semi then that's what it means. You aren't winning a title with Semi playing those minutes. This is the best hope we have.

[colaroaster]

I don't believe the FUD for a second about Hayward. His shot will come back, which consistent great shooters in this league have mysteriously lost their shots? ... none?

We'll see about his athleticism...

And regarding his contract. It's water under the bridge. It's only meaningful in terms of salaries for trades.

agreed. just like a baby that doesn't want to eat and requires force feeding I believe c's need to shove the damn ball in haywards hand. make him shoot a minimum five 3 pointers/game. i'm almost willing to concede the top EC spot, so if this team has playoff aspirations they need hayward shooting fire flames. he's only 28 y/o!!

btw does the nba run plays anymore? it seems as though the league's morphed into high-level playground pick-up game. i rarely see post-up, screens, pick/roll fundamental basketball. drawing contact (paul pierce) is a lost art.

[djFan71]

Hayward is really screwing things up because it's almost like Brad HAS to play him due to his max salary, the relationship between them, and Haywards reputation as a good player.
But this is spiraling and the only person that can stop things from going "Haywire" is Hayward. He simply needs to step up

Haha he's trying to step up and clearly had a good mentality to have worked from good player to All Star. It's the injury preventing him from getting there and not something inside of Gordon.

Brad is in a strange spot because you have to give him minutes in order to climb back to a good level and Hayward's play has been more erratic than rookies. He's been pretty good some nights.

The injury is just brutal because it has really nerfed our chances for 2 different seasons and hopefully not more.

Yep, he's getting minutes because he's an all-star that needs to work his way back, not due to salary or Brad's relationship. It hurts some games in the short term, but long term the team is better if Hayward is better, so you feed him minutes to get there.

It does suck since at the same time you need to hold all the young guys accountable for their mistakes via playing time. Then they see Gordon getting time while not playing great, so it's awkward. But, all 3 of Hayward/Jaylen/Terry need minutes to develop. I always thought giving him the starting position from the start of the season was the wrong approach. But, what he's doing now is fine. Maybe Jaylen overtakes him for 6th man, but make him definitely earn it first.