was it sticking with Hayward -Brad and Danny seem resolute

[rollie mass]

And the plan to have him back for playoffs.
The coaching staff seems resolute in him getting minutes That sprain didn't help.

It may be the last 20 games that he makes a jump,it would a shame to overreact now.
But watching him is like watching KO.He is tentative ,no burst or lift and can't close .It is drive and kick.For the last three years we were spoiled by effort and comebacks.Basketball was thrilling to watch, the Celtics were inspirational.

[Csfan1984]

When it comes to sticking with Hayward I wonder about practices. If practice speed is slowed from game speed for the C's that could be the reason for the confidence had in Hayward. Also even by playing the same guys you learn tendencies and tells that help you anticapate again giving a false sense a guy is ready or 100%. The game at full speed against players he is unfamiliar with has to be tough if he isn't truly at NBA athletic levels.
 

[ozgod]

When it comes to sticking with Hayward I wonder about practices. If practice speed is slowed from game speed for the C's that could be the reason for the confidence had in Hayward. Also even by playing the same guys you learn tendencies and tells that help you anticapate again giving a false sense a guy is ready or 100%. The game at full speed against players he is unfamiliar with has to be tough if he isn't truly at NBA athletic levels.

I think it was an educated gamble from Brad - he probably saw some things that concerned him but he also thought that Hayward being on the court was the best place for him to gain confidence. It's not just Brad, the Celtics have an entire army of analysts, physios, medical personnel, I can't believe that that they all missed the signs. I think they saw the signs but made a determination that letting him play was the best way to solve it. It was probably when they had a reasonable sample size (15 games) that they started to figure out how best to manage his rehab. Keeping in mind that it's a delicate balance of trying to get Gordon fit and also to let the team and other players be successful.

From the Jackie Mac article:

Still, because the Celtics considered Hayward a key cog in their championship aspirations, they determined that the best way to help him rehab was to let him work out the kinks on the court. It was a strategy that backfired miserably. As Hayward faltered early in the season, his play became stilted, hesitant. His teammates observed this, some from the bench, and chafed at their own lack of opportunity.

"I never felt like guys were frustrated with me," Hayward said, "but you could feel that guys were frustrated with their situation. Everyone in the NBA wants a bigger role. It was tough on everybody. We were trying to win basketball games, but at the same time, I was trying to get back to being the player I was, and some of that involved getting reps."

Hayward's difficulties were compounded by back woes stemming from atrophied muscles that had not been fired for nearly a year. He received injections to ease the pain, but it further limited his mobility -- and further delayed his progress.

"We never felt, 'This isn't going to work -- get him out of here,'" teammate Marcus Smart explained. "It was more, 'We're rushing him.' Everyone wanted to throw Gordon back out there, but his body wasn't ready to do what we were asking him to do."

Smart said the players understand the quandary: They need a healthy and confident Hayward to win the East, but force-feeding him minutes was impeding the team's day-to-day success.

"It's complicated," Smart conceded. "You can't stop playing him, but at the same time, you don't want to lose the other guys who are playing well. Guys need to earn their minutes.

"Gordon understands that. We want Gordon to be Gordon. We need that confident guy."

Celtics coach Brad Stevens says now that he managed Hayward's return incorrectly. It was too much, too soon, and Stevens made the move to relegate his former prized college recruit to the bench on Nov. 19 after Boston's lackluster 9-7 start.

"The one thing we haven't done all year is talk about what Gordon can't do," Stevens said. "We talk about what he does well and try to put him in the best position to do that.

"We didn't do a great job of that early on. And I think we've all learned how he can best help us. When he plays with the ball, he makes the right play over and over and over."

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26131924/the-waiting-gordon-hayward-hardest-part