Hayward's free pass has been revoked...

[IDreamCeltics]

via yahoo sports

"Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart got tangled up in practice on Wednesday and Hayward proceeded to attempt to dunk everything the rest of practice.

Advice: Smart doesn't back down from anyone, even his own teammates. In this case, there was nothing wrong, just two teammates practicing hard, but it really sparked Hayward. His return hasn't been easy, but maybe his 30-point explosion on Saturday is a sign of the tide turning for the better."

Friction between these too was bound to happen eventually. 

One guy is in the league because of effort and the other guy is here because he was anointed by the fans, front office, and coaching staff before ever even wearing a Celtics Jersey. 

Hayward having a full year to recover from an injury returning to the court in "Fortnite Shape" definitely didn't help him build credibility or respect with his teammates. However, getting competitive in practice and going at people is a nice first step on the way back to NBA relevance.   

[knuckleballer]

This is a great thing.  That little tiff angered Hayward and brought out the best in him.  Smart is a terrific teammate. 

[DefenseWinsChamps]

What in the world is this? This is some of the worst narrative forming I've seen?

Gordon Hayward being drafted 9th overall and improving his game every year doesn't count as hard work? Marcus Smart showing up to camp several years overweight and not improving as a shooter counts as hard work?

I like both players and they both have roles on the championship team we are building, but using this to knock Gordon Hayward seems a bit much.

[RockinRyA]

via yahoo sports

"Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart got tangled up in practice on Wednesday and Hayward proceeded to attempt to dunk everything the rest of practice.

Advice: Smart doesn't back down from anyone, even his own teammates. In this case, there was nothing wrong, just two teammates practicing hard, but it really sparked Hayward. His return hasn't been easy, but maybe his 30-point explosion on Saturday is a sign of the tide turning for the better."

Friction between these too was bound to happen eventually. 

One guy is in the league because of effort and the other guy is here because he was anointed by the fans, front office, and coaching staff before ever even wearing a Celtics Jersey. 

Hayward having a full year to recover from an injury returning to the court in "Fortnite Shape" definitely didn't help him build credibility or respect with his teammates. However, getting competitive in practice and going at people is a nice first step on the way back to NBA relevance.

Getting back from that gruesome injury isn't hardwork? Ok.

[Donoghus]

Hayward still owning real estate in your head, I see.

[PhoSita]

Sure, because returning to the court after an injury like that doesn't take hard work, determination, pain tolerance, or any of that stuff.

[Celtic Fan Forever]

Did he like refuse to sign an autograph for you or something?

[hpantazo]

Did he like refuse to sign an autograph for you or something?

Maybe he crushed him at Fortnite

[Androslav]

Sure, because returning to the court after an injury like that doesn't take hard work, determination, pain tolerance, or any of that stuff.

Gordon is using his twisted and broken ankle as an excuse.
How weak. 

[IDreamCeltics]

It was certainly not my intention to trigger so many emotional and somewhat unhinged responses to what seems like a fairly obvious contrast in situations to an objective observer.

Smart has returned from MANY injuries with an accelerated timeline and to my memory has never been afforded the myriad of excuses that have recently been offered for Hayward's poor performance.  Images of him diving for loose balls in the playoffs last year after tearing the ligament that prevents your thumb from dislocating are still fresh in my mind.   

I'm actually a fan of both players, sorry to ruin the lazy and inaccurate narrative that I just don't "like" Hayward.

However, I do feel it's undeniable that: 1. Hayward was being cheered in this arena while playing for another team 2: Was out of a walking boot before the end of LAST season. 3. Didn't show any real urgency to make it back onto the court. 4. Was given playing time without having to earn it with his play.

I expect these factors most likely rubbed some of his teammates who weren't gifted max contracts at the request of their former college coach the wrong way.

[Eddie20]

Just to be clear the OP added all the other nonsense. That was not part of Yahoo!’s quote. In addition, that’s all from a fantasy perspective, hence the “advice”.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4724/news/

The full quote:

Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart got tangled up in practice on Wednesday and Hayward proceeded to attempt to dunk everything the rest of practice.
Advice: Smart doesn't back down from anyone, even his own teammates. In this case, there was nothing wrong, just two teammates practicing hard, but it really sparked Hayward. His return hasn't been easy, but maybe his 30-point explosion on Saturday is a sign of the tide turning for the better.

By the way, the quote isn’t even directly from yahoo!, it’s from rotoworld. This is such a disingenuous post by the OP that a mod needs to edit it to avoid confusion.

[johnnygreen]

This thread is reminding me of the “Cut Daniel Theis” topic. The discussion is clearly not going with how the OP seemed to have intended.

Does Marcus Smart help bring out the best in his teammates? I would think so, but I’m not in practice. Are Smart and Irving trying to get the best out of Hayward…yes. Maybe those two guys see something in practice that Hayward hasn’t realized (that he is closer to being back than he thinks). I would just never question Hayward’s worth ethic, especially after coming back from that horrific injury. Also, there is a huge difference between just being fit and being in basketball shape. On top of that, I’d imagine being in NBA basketball shape is at another level. There is also the hurdle of getting past the injury mentally, and he seems to be doing well with that as he is doing alley-oop dunks and rebounding in the paint.

[gift]

"One guy is in the league because of effort and the other guy is here because he was anointed by the fans, front office, and coaching staff before ever even wearing a Celtics Jersey."

I honestly didn't know which player you were trying to hate on because Hayward worked himself into an All Star and, while Smart gives 100% on the floor, he has had conditioning issues in the past.

[Eddie20]

I expect these factors most likely rubbed some of his teammates who weren't gifted max contracts at the request of their former college coach the wrong way.

Are you purposely being obtuse? The Heat offered him the max and the Jazz offered him more than both the C’s or Heat.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

It was certainly not my intention to trigger so many emotional and somewhat unhinged responses to what seems like a fairly obvious contrast in situations to an objective observer.

Smart has returned from MANY injuries with an accelerated timeline and to my memory has never been afforded the myriad of excuses that have recently been offered for Hayward's poor performance.  Images of him diving for loose balls in the playoffs last year after tearing the ligament that prevents your thumb from dislocating are still fresh in my mind.   

I'm actually a fan of both players, sorry to ruin the lazy and inaccurate narrative that I just don't "like" Hayward.

However, I do feel it's undeniable that: 1. Hayward was being cheered in this arena while playing for another team 2: Was out of a walking boot before the end of LAST season. 3. Didn't show any real urgency to make it back onto the court. 4. Was given playing time without having to earn it with his play.

I expect these factors most likely rubbed some of his teammates who weren't gifted max contracts at the request of their former college coach the wrong way.

1 and 2 are undeniable facts. 3 and 4 are opinions I disagree with.