Hayward. Excellent new blog entry

[Yazfan]

good read if you have a few minutes

http://www.gordonhayward20.life/2017/09/21/back-to-basketball/

[Spilling Green Dye]

Really cool article, TP for linking

[Phantom255x]

When the rumors about Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving started, I tried not to worry about it too much. This offseason especially, there have been so many rumors, and so many different things have happened. I really was just focused on continuing to work out, continuing to put the time in.

But it really started to get real when this happened:

Adrian Wojnarowski ✔
@wojespn
Sources: Boston, Cleveland nearing deal on Kyrie Irving, but details still working to completion. Isaiah Thomas, Crowder, pick(s) in talks.
6:25 PM - Aug 22, 2017

All of a sudden, my friends were hitting me up, asking me about it, if I knew anything. At that point in time, I didn’t really know too much. I just knew what everybody else was seeing on Twitter. I talked to Al Horford about it, and he was kind of in the dark as well. Then when it finally happened, I got a call from Danny Ainge and we talked about it, and I talked about it with Coach Stevens as well.

My first reaction was to text I.T., and wish him the best. That was a really strange moment because I’d really been looking forward to playing with him. He didn’t just help recruit me to Boston—he was a big piece of that recruitment. He had talked a lot about city and how it was different to be a Celtic. He talked about the intensity of playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, playing at the Garden in the playoffs, and how much fun it was, and how much fun he had playing in Boston.

GREAT read and great blog by Hayward, but man this part (quoted above) hurts to read.

Isaiah did all for the organization and got Horford and Hayward here, and yet it feels like the C's just kicked him to the curb as Kyrie became available. Dang...

[gouki88]

I really like Hayward.

[CelticsElite]

Hayward is probably gonna be my new favorite player. Great guy. He specifically named IT as a reason in his original letter when he chose boston

[LilRip]

Were lucky to have landed a guy like Hayward. He's easy to root for. I wish he does well this season!

[wayupnorth]

I will always love IT for what he did for this team both on, and off, the court, and last year's season is one I will talk about forever.

That said, I feel strongly that our ceiling is much higher with Kyrie than it would be with IT.

And I can't wait to see what Stevens has in store.

[LGC88]

When the rumors about Isaiah Thomas and Kyrie Irving started, I tried not to worry about it too much. This offseason especially, there have been so many rumors, and so many different things have happened. I really was just focused on continuing to work out, continuing to put the time in.

But it really started to get real when this happened:

Adrian Wojnarowski ✔
@wojespn
Sources: Boston, Cleveland nearing deal on Kyrie Irving, but details still working to completion. Isaiah Thomas, Crowder, pick(s) in talks.
6:25 PM - Aug 22, 2017

All of a sudden, my friends were hitting me up, asking me about it, if I knew anything. At that point in time, I didn’t really know too much. I just knew what everybody else was seeing on Twitter. I talked to Al Horford about it, and he was kind of in the dark as well. Then when it finally happened, I got a call from Danny Ainge and we talked about it, and I talked about it with Coach Stevens as well.

My first reaction was to text I.T., and wish him the best. That was a really strange moment because I’d really been looking forward to playing with him. He didn’t just help recruit me to Boston—he was a big piece of that recruitment. He had talked a lot about city and how it was different to be a Celtic. He talked about the intensity of playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, playing at the Garden in the playoffs, and how much fun it was, and how much fun he had playing in Boston.

GREAT read and great blog by Hayward, but man this part (quoted above) hurts to read.

Isaiah did all for the organization and got Horford and Hayward here, and yet it feels like the C's just kicked him to the curb as Kyrie became available. Dang...

TP
Exactly my thought.
I'm still amazed how far "it's a business" nba has become.
There is no more limit.
Trading IT is almost as worse as what KD did (ethically) , if you know what I mean.

[Neurotic Guy]

Recruiting Horford and Hayward doesn't just help the Celtics it also helps IT.  IT and the Cs have had a mutually beneficial relationship.  Do you ever stop and think about how much the Celtics helped ITs career? 

If Isaiah fled the Cs to a higher bidder in 2018 would we be saying " ...after all the Cs did for him... and he leaves for a bigger pot of gold".    Danny traded an ounce of silver (injured, older, depreciating IT) for an ounce of gold (an opinion, and a valid one).  Any smart business man would have done the same.  Just like smart businessman  Isaiah would have sold to the fullest Brinks.

[LGC88]

Recruiting Horford and Hayward doesn't just help the Celtics it also helps IT.  IT and the Cs have had a mutually beneficial relationship.  Do you ever stop and think about how much the Celtics helped ITs career? 

If Isaiah fled the Cs to a higher bidder in 2018 would we be saying " ...after all the Cs did for him... and he leaves for a bigger pot of gold".    Danny traded an ounce of silver (injured, older, depreciating IT) for an ounce of gold (an opinion, and a valid one).  Any smart business man would have done the same.  Just like smart businessman  Isaiah would have sold to the fullest Brinks.

I understand the move, don't be mistaken.
Your case can be made exactly the opposite with the Perkins trade.
My issue is when there is too much emotional attachment. In that case (IT) the attachment is mutual. From a business point of view, IT is gold. He embrass the culture better than anyone else wearing the Celtics jersey right now. Don't tell me he would have leave the franchise just to earn more money somewhere else.
Anyway, it's ridiculous, you give the guy the max if you have to. GSW is unstoppable. You have to bank on the youth if you want to win anyway.
Right now, unless there is a plan to get AD, Danny is planning on the youth. (Irving might help, true, but I'm not sure the price tag was worth it, specially emotionally for fans).
Not to mention, what would FA will think of Boston now, after realizing that you can give it all and be a franchise player and fan favorite, you get stab by Celtics FO.
That's how I feel, IT get stab in the back.
There is limit to trade someone, IT was untradable to me after all he has done here.

[Celtics4ever]

I think Gordon is a going to be a great Celtic.   He is already a Celtic in many ways in terms of attitude.

[cman88]

You might think that we traded pierce from the 2008 championship team the way people on this site are crying about the IT4 trade

[pearljammer10]

I will always love IT for what he did for this team both on, and off, the court, and last year's season is one I will talk about forever.

That said, I feel strongly that our ceiling is much higher with Kyrie than it would be with IT.

And I can't wait to see what Stevens has in store.

Gotta agree here. Loved IT, loved his passion, love everything he did for this city in regards to amping up the fanbase as well as recruiting.

But we had to do what was best for the team and I think bringing in Kyrie was a better move for the future success of the franchise.

A future of Kyrie/Brown/Hayward/Tatum/Horford(or our lotto pick in 18 or 19 after Horford's done) makes me so giddy.

[Alleyoopster]

You might think that we traded pierce from the 2008 championship team the way people on this site are crying about the IT4 trade

I can't speak for others...my concern isn't losing IT. (Although, he could bounce back and be the player he was last year...it seems EVERYONE is discarding that possibility.) It's the potential of losing a 19 year old superstar in next year's draft. This could end up being a 12 year mistake.

Realistically speaking, we have to live with this move and hope everything turns out well. We might also keep in mind that a lot of these top 5 picks don't work out. We've seen plenty of examples of this over the years.   

[painter33]

I think Gordon is a going to be a great Celtic.   He is already a Celtic in many ways in terms of attitude.

  He'll be good if he doesn't defer to other players too much. He had a tendency in Utah to give up the ball to other, lesser talented players when he should have taken the ball and scored. Watching entire games, I saw him just go to the other side of the floor and let Hood and Hill force action too many times. He obviously tried to be a team player but as the best option, he was not nearly as aggressive as a team's "best player" should have been. The Celtics might move the ball better than Utah, so he might end up with the ball with short time on the clock, so he'll have to do something.