What are the biggest challenges facing the Celtics’ pursuit of Gordon Hayward?
Let’s start with the gigantic $45 million dollar difference in contract offers. Second, Hayward has a good thing going in Utah. The Jazz are a young team on the rise.
We like to think that the presence of Brad Stevens, Danny Ainge and the greatest fans in the NBA can help sway him. but what if Hayward doesn’t like the fit in Boston? To be more specific, let’s say he doesn’t like the fit with one player in particular:
Yesterday the podcast formerly known as TrueHoop, The Basketball Analogy, had (among others) Tim McMahon of ESPN on. Tim covered the Jazz this season and was well connected to the team during the George Hill extension talks. He had this to say about the Celtics/Hayward rumors:
“I do hear, this isn’t coming from Hayward’s camp so it’s under the gossip category and not the necessarily reporting category, but I do hear that Hayward has significant concerns about playing with Isaiah Thomas. In other words he wants the ball in his hands, he doesn’t just want to watch Isaiah dribble around and do his thing.”
Say what? The Celtics offense is so much more than ‘Isaiah dribbling around and doing his thing.’
- #2 in assist percentage
- #2 in assists per game
- #8 in offensive rating
Thomas was 6th in the league in FGA (19.4), but I’ll argue that’s because the Celtics needed him to take so many shots. With Hayward here, he won’t have to.
What else is on your mind, Gordo?
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