You know what I liked about Hayward’s blog post? We. It was always we.
"We"
Hell, yeah, it was always we. But, guys, don't undersell hayward's post... this is, like, not just, "we," it's an exploration of what "we" means for him--and what it all means for the Celtics, and us.
Like, keep in mind who he is, and who he has been, and how he might have come to the team.
And then consider the "we."
I mean, there's the one guy who isn't even playing--Kyrie Irving. He was like a case study in character in coming to this team. I don't mean that he was great, I mean it was like a social experiement--was he a bad apple or a guy who wanted a better situation? One of the great clues was that the list of teams he wanted to be traded to was dominated by what people in the know called "good coaches." And also a place on the beach, but hey. But there was reason to believe he was lured to Boston as a better place...
Not unlike Horford, also lured here as a good place. By, among other people, a player who found himself cast aside and yet still stands up publicly for the coach that revealed his greatness, who, it seems, is the nexus of this TEAM that Danny built--
To which, it seems that not anybody could have lured Brad away from Butler. He was happy and it was good. Would he have taken any NBA job? He even extracted commitments from Danny--a man who himself was on his way to being an elite coach himself... but stepped away because he couldn't himself manage the family-job balance... a man who might, to say nothing of accommodating what he needs as a man and a human being, is able to recognize Brad's need for it and why that is a GOOD thing--about how the team will go. Things like no tanking.
Which allows us to now, looking back, reframe the concerns raised when Jaylen Brown questioned the direction and mission of the team when IT--the aforementioned outspoken Brad Stevens supporter--was traded, about what it means to be a Celtic. in, again, retrospect, this valid concern which could have meant many things has revealed that he's all in, and just wants to make sure that everyone else is and that's what the trade means. Clearly, it was not just a mindless complaint, but rather a demand for what the CELTICS mean, and it's clear that that has been brought to him loud and clear--and not just from his statements that Brad was a rock for him when his best friend committed suicide--through his statements and those of others...
To say nothing of his apparent bond with Tatum, punching each other in the chest and such in great plays, being young and funny around the veterans, which belies the maturity and desire to grow each--I don't even know enough about Rozier and Smart to get into them--has shown.
Stepping back a moment, for all the talk of what these guys are like, and what Brad is about and what Danny is up to... is it not coming into focus that it's not so unlikely that these two young wonders, both with an odd "Y" in their names (I don't even have a theory about what that's about--ask Danny.), one went to Berkeley just to make his life more complicated by taking advanced classes on what people are like while trying to be a pro, another a Duke guy who bought his mom a unit in the same place he lived and extended his shooting range to NBA 3-pt range on his own such that it took the rest of the league a damned half season to realize it...
And then there are the guys that I don't even remotely understand. I love them--I didn't understand the Rozer v. Smart debate until... I did...
Because they are part of--have joined--this amazing "we" of which Hayward speaks.
But really, that's THEM. Hayward even says so--he switches from "we" to "they" when he speaks of the players who are currently getting it done on the court.
Which is awesome. Because Hayward is a genius and part of the we and he gets it... because, I mean, I think his point is:
We haven't even seen Hayward's "we" yet. Sure, he signed up, but he's not playing. But think about what that we was supposed to mean--and yes, in the
@Deathofthebambino kind of way. And then add to it not just what you know about Hayward's talent, but what he--including that talent--could and can mean for that "we." He's not just any all-star. He's a Stevens guy. All the excitement about Brad's player development--he had Hayward in college! And Hayward wanted to come here.
But then he got hurt.
And then, well, there's this--which I understand:
Every time I see a new post in this thread I think, "maybe he's coming back".
Great blog post from him about the team and its success. Thanks for the link.
Here's the thing:
He's back.
This is Hayward back. He can't play. He can't get on the court, he can't run ball. But he can contribute. Because he understands what the "we" they want to build is, and, well, the motherfucker can write.
Up above, did you see when I mentioned that he moved from "we" to "they"? Well, if you read the whole piece, did you notice near the end where he switched from "we" to "you"?
Who is this written to?
If we think it's most importantly written to fans, we are kidding ourselves. This is more important than that. Remember the news stories about Kyrie's text messages to teammates about the playoffs? Well, this is obviously that and next level.
This is written to his teammates. You can even see him change tack and tone when he discussed different players. This is a message of we, which means each you and me and then us all--this guy so fucking gets it, and the fact that he believes that this is worth writing makes me believe it that we too.
Which is why that it's noteworthy that he swapped in a "you" near the end.
Read it. And read it again. This is a message to his teammates--he makes that clear in differentiating them from us [we]--but by the same token it's a message to us [we], to, well...
I don't believe he just switched to "you" by accident, right before the "Yes we can" section of the piece. I just don't.
This is a call to arms. On all sides. And he's making every fan's dream clear--yes, they--they're "we"--they want us to be part of their "we."
Team.
Bring whatever it is we bring. We decide, I guess. But it's clear by now that home crowds matter to teams.
Hell, Drew Bledsoe is here. Somewhere...
This guy (Not Drew) is a ninja writer (Remember this--he's really good. So it comes up a lot.). He's one of Brad's guys. Now look back... Danny brings in Brad, they put together a roster of... a certain type of guys... their guys--our guys--and...
Hayward is like, after the team is assembled, the old vet from past campaigns that all the troops have heard legend of and then he's finally THERE... and then he's taken out. Like seeing Snake Eyes sniped in the first moment of battle... so he's out...
Unless he could find some other way to contribute...
Like, if he wrote some amazing, inspirational blog post from his rehab location, far away...
I wonder what it will be like when he shows up?