I think we all agree that if it's purely about basketball then the obvious choice is Boston. I don't really buy the reports that he would be swayed by another team purely for basketball reasons.
Hayward to Boston...Really, We Mean It
- Thread starter sox311
- Start date
Of course, Rubio doesn't change the Jazz' calculus much, but Shelburne is making it seem like GH wants to play with him. She's usually pretty plugged in, no? Of course its tough to get across clearly with a series of tweets.
So what does everyone think while we wait? My gut feeling is that we get a decision tonight and he goes back to the Jazz. Familiarity and the all important more $$ will be the deciding factors. I'm not really concerned with Miami.
It's like your girlfriend threatening to break up with you because you're not edgy enough, then you run out and come back with a mohawk and she leaves you anyway.
I hope.
That is probably the direction I am leaning, but the Celtics did get Horford last year (he was in a similar situation to Hayward), so I do have a little hope he chooses the Celtics.
Edit: Similarities between Horford and Hayward are they both played for only one franchise, and that franchise had recently had a good bit of success (i.e. Playoffs).
Last year she said that Kevin Durant owed it to the Lakers to meet with them "out of respect." Screw her.
The fact that there have now been reports of varying degrees of respectability each stating that Hayward is leaning towards a different team tells me that Hayward's mind truly isn't made up (or he's better at keeping secrets). This is different from the Durant situation where pretty much everyone was saying he was leaning GSW with some chance for re-signing in OKC and we were left hoping that was all misdirection.
That said my gut also says he goes back to the Jazz. Just reading tea leaves but he seems to be the kind of person who values loyalty and stability more than perhaps some other players. If the Jazz hadn't been the team that drafted Hayward I would think their odds would be less, but they did draft him and so can make the pitch that they drafted him to the be the centerpiece of a contender and they've been improving every year with that in mind.
Edited to add: I also find it hard to believe that the Jazz traded for Rubio specifically because Hayward asked. I think it's much more plausible that they said something along the lines of "Gordon, we know you like playing with George Hill but that's just not going to work with our financial situation, so we are going to do all we can to find a suitable replacement for him. We think we have a shot at Ricky Rubio, is that someone you'd like to play with?"
That said my gut also says he goes back to the Jazz. Just reading tea leaves but he seems to be the kind of person who values loyalty and stability more than perhaps some other players. If the Jazz hadn't been the team that drafted Hayward I would think their odds would be less, but they did draft him and so can make the pitch that they drafted him to the be the centerpiece of a contender and they've been improving every year with that in mind.
Edited to add: I also find it hard to believe that the Jazz traded for Rubio specifically because Hayward asked. I think it's much more plausible that they said something along the lines of "Gordon, we know you like playing with George Hill but that's just not going to work with our financial situation, so we are going to do all we can to find a suitable replacement for him. We think we have a shot at Ricky Rubio, is that someone you'd like to play with?"
Agreed. I think she's more tied in than anyone who's tweeted about Hayward's intentions ado suspect her wording "reading the tea leaves" is her way of saying she's hearing he's leaning Utah and using Rubio asa device.
But who knows
But who knows
So, was the person that said he's tight with Hill and wants him back plugged in too? Hill and Rubio play the same position. And what's Utah's best case? A #4 seed? At best? They'll never get beyond second round in West.
And all this "Boston has too many assets" thing--apparently the entire presentation yesterday was built around how they would use Hayward. I'm pretty sure they're not offering the max to get him here to score 10 points a night.
I suspect Riley tried to convey that Ainge wouldn't be able to convert those picks into championship players....re: "too many assets."
Shelburne was hosting one of the 10M NBA "free agent specials" this week and, when discussing the Celtics said a) "when was the last time Boston actually signed a name free agent" and b) "The Heat are closer to winning than the Celtics are right now."
When someone else on the panel brought up Horford and being in the ECF this season, Shelburne changed her narrative to "Ainge gets all these draft picks and never does anything with them."
That's when I switched the TV over to a repeat of "Fixer Upper"
When someone else on the panel brought up Horford and being in the ECF this season, Shelburne changed her narrative to "Ainge gets all these draft picks and never does anything with them."
That's when I switched the TV over to a repeat of "Fixer Upper"
I heard someone named Micheal Lee from The Vertical on the radio today. He said the Celtics collect all these draft picks but don't cash them in and it must be because either the owners don't want to pay the luxury tax or the GM doesn't have a commitment to try to win.
Edit: I switched to Little Steven's Underground Garage.
Awesome. And when they draft 1 and 2 next year, after winning another 50+ games, that same guy will call Ainge a genius.
I'm really trying to establish what the storyline about this is, and the only thing I can think is that all these talking hairdos are obsessed with the super team bullshit. A team that goes to the ECF but doesn't have a super team doesn't matter
Celtics are in a tremendously enviable position. They're set to have potentially 5 top draft picks mature just as the GSW come apart. People are jealous.
There's no big stars on the team to talk about/gossip about. It's a team that as a sum of it's parts is better than the parts itself.
That's a good question, and one I hadn't considered. I suppose some people are envious of success in general? Or want to see people who rely on cleverness or patience fail?
I'm in the cracks of the psychologist's armchair at this point.
Source: Jazz meeting w/ Gordon Hayward in San Diego, 3.5 hours, with @rickyrubio9 flying from Spain to pitch partnership. Decision looms.
Celtics meeting was by far the longest. Not sure it matters but interesting.
Also, flying in Ricky Rubio from Spain to be part of this huge partnership pitch is kind of laughable.
Also, flying in Ricky Rubio from Spain to be part of this huge partnership pitch is kind of laughable.
I would hope Hayward knows that the Jazz would be about on par with the team Rubio got traded from, 4-6 seed. He still probably stays, but if Rubio is their key pitch it seems pretty weak.
Unless you buy that Hayward said he wanted to play with him.
Also, the Celtics brought Kelly Olynyk and Marcus Smart to meet KD last year. Glass houses and all that.
I am convincing myself he is not coming here. Hoping to be pleasantly surprised, but at this point, I dont see it. Sigh.
But Tom Brady!
There are going to be two local hot takes if he doesn't pick the Celtics:
1. Clearly winning isn't his number one priority so we don't want him in Boston anyway.
2. Ainge sucks.
F5 time.
Right. The fact that they actually brought Rubio - opposed to players he played with - signifies (to me, at least) that Hayward did mention wanting to play wit him. He's not a star, he's not a teammate he played with this year. He's just a slightly above average pg they flew in for a pitch...Unless Hayward wanted him.
If that's the case, it feels like meetings with other teams was simply leverage to bring in his guy. He didn't ask for a superstar. He didn't want his team to jump through hoops. He wanted his buddy resigned and he wanted Rubio in (whom they traded for and brought in on the pitch today).
Between that, and the rumor that he was prepared to make a decision tonight (which got walked back, most likely out of respect for the teams he interviewed with), Im starting to feel like he's returning to Utah.
I think he's returning to Utah too, but by all accounts, George Hill was one of his best friends and really wanted him to be re-signed. That is his guy at PG. This Rubio stuff just came out like 4 hours ago.
No idea where he's going but do not for a second believe that getting Rubio is a key element of his decision
If he stays in Utah, it's the same loyalty he showed by sticking with Butler when Purdue came calling when he was in high school. That's my biggest fear.
I just find it kind of strange that he'd go through this process if he was just going to re-sign with Utah due to loyalty, especially if reports are true that he isn't enjoying it. If he was that loyal wouldn't he have just signed right away?
By all accounts, or by that one account on Twitter? And the same reporter tweeted a follow up saying Rubio was considered an acceptable plan B.
I get folks here want the Hill stuff to be true. And it may well be, but there's no evidence suggesting it's any more true than the Rubio stuff. Do you really think the Utah FO would be so out of tune with their star player that they'd invite his best friend's replacement to his free agency meeting?
I thought there were multiple accounts from a while back stating that Hill and Ingles were his two closest friends on that team.
Would you turn down a 50% raise because your best work friend transferred to a different office?
That is true. It's also true that Rubio was said to be liked by Hayward too.
The summer league game is interesting. Brown is tearing it up and Tatum looks good. Zizic is doing a Steve Adams imitation.
Are you disputing that:
1--Hill is one of his best friends?
or
2--That Hill and Rubio both play PG?
or
3--That Rubio, the PG they just traded for while Hill talks elsewhere, was at the meeting?
Free agency.
Of course not. I'm just not sold on freaking Ricky Rubio being such a big factor here. Especially since Boston has IT4 and Miami has Dragic who are much better players at that position.
None of the above.
I'm pointing out how silly it is that some people here are still clinging to the notion that Hill's leaving irreparably hurt Heyward's feelings.