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.
Did you not see how happy for him every single one of his teammates were for him after his performance in Minnesota? Yeah, that strikes me as a guy who doesn't have the support of his teammates.
Plenty of excuses have been made for Smart - just look at his numbers. He's never improved his shooting but most posters are content with it because he makes "winning plays" or his "passion" makes it acceptable for him to put his fist through glass causing him to miss several weeks of the season. Sorry Hayward couldn't continue to play through last year even though his foot was literally bent the wrong way.
As to your numbered points, Hayward was never supposed to spend the full season in a walking boot. That's called part of rehabilitation, not sure why you think it's supposed to count negatively against him. Showed no real urgency to get back on the court? Lol. WUT? I work in physical therapy, he was
never coming back last season. Even if his rehab went perfectly - which it didn't because he had to have a second procedure to remove his hardware over the summer. That was a pipe dream invented by fans.