Hayward has been "working out vigorously. Looks stronger, faster, leaner"

[kraidstar]

Hopefully he takes a Paul George-like leap this year and is better than ever before. It would be great to see Gordon turn a terrible injury like that into a positive.

[CelticsElite]

Ah yes the old Veteran in the best shape of his life article. Right on schedule. Roster is just about filled out and now we need to be reminded that hayward will be a factor. It feels like we had like 3 of these last year, remember how he was gonna be a playoff x factor? Maybe he is back, but I'm gonna wait and see.

well last year smart looked skinny and fit as ever. Then he had an amazing year

[Greengang5]

Have there been any reports of how Hayward has been in the locker room? He missed his first year due to injury and was a shell of himself last season. I feel like it would be almost reasonable to assume that his locker room presence would not be what it should be if he was healthy the whole time. If he feels great coming into the season, then his influence could have a great effect on the court and also in the locker room. Maybe players like Brown and Tatum will view Hayward differently once he fully regains his confidence back. See him as a veteran they can rely on, rather than a player receiving favorable treatment from the coach because of a past relationship.

You raise a good point. I am concerned that Hayward is too shy with his teammates.  I'm not asking him to have a personality transplant. But I wish, as one of the senior guys on the team now (along with Kemba), he would spend more time between games/practices, hanging out with his teammates, building a stronger bond. I get the sense that there was very little of that last season.  It's all too easy for players, based on age, social and cultural backgrounds (including race) to just stay within their bubble.  I would like to see Hayward do a better job of breaking the ice here. Someone needs to take the first step.  If Kemba Walker can take his teammates out and treat them all to dinner, certainly Gordon Hayward can afford to do that as well.  He seems like a very nice guy, but I can't emphasize how important this is.  Garnett said it was how the 07/08 team was able to gel so quickly. It's not all on Gordon, but he is the oldest, has the big contract. He should cut down on his video games and start hanging with his teammates more. (Or bring them over to game with him, for goodness sake).

Brad and Danny need to push this too.

What exactly have you seen and read that gives you the impression there is any truth in the fact that Hayward is shy, doesn't socialize with his teammates, doesn't treat them to dinner or that his teammates currently on this team don't have anything but the highest confidence in Hayward?

As Johnny Green said, there hasn't been a ton of locker room stories or travel stories about Gordon and what he is like with his teammates.

I remember a story (might have been the infamous plane ride to the west coast story) where Tatum said he and Hayward sit with each other on plane and he didn't expect that going into the season.  I also think the Orlando game where Hayward passed to Tatum instead of Kyrie can be a good pivot point.  Hayward believed in Tatum.  And I remember Hayward mentioned he saw Tatum make that all the time in practice.  Different ways to connect with your teammates.

[petbrick]

The determination is what separates good and great, he talks big and obviously have a ton of confidence in himself, but can he(or is he willing to) reach his basketball ceiling, with that kind of attitude i just don't think so

Funny, I thought it was skill, talent, and ability that separated the good from the great.

[jambr380]

Hopefully he takes a Paul George-like leap this year and is better than ever before. It would be great to see Gordon turn a terrible injury like that into a positive.

Great, so we pay him a max to do virtually nothing for two years only for him to break out in his 3rd, opt out of his contract, and sign a bigger max somewhere else that we won't match? Just perfect!   

[boscel33]

Hopefully he takes a Paul George-like leap this year and is better than ever before. It would be great to see Gordon turn a terrible injury like that into a positive.

Great, so we pay him a max to do virtually nothing for two years only for him to break out in his 3rd, opt out of his contract, and sign a bigger max somewhere else that we won't match? Just perfect!   

Yep, he planned on going out in his first game and breaking his stupid ankle, then for two year's get paid for virtually nothing.  UGH!

[tazzmaniac]

Hopefully he takes a Paul George-like leap this year and is better than ever before. It would be great to see Gordon turn a terrible injury like that into a positive.

Great, so we pay him a max to do virtually nothing for two years only for him to break out in his 3rd, opt out of his contract, and sign a bigger max somewhere else that we won't match? Just perfect!   

That's better than if he does virtually nothing this season and opts in. 

[jambr380]

Hopefully he takes a Paul George-like leap this year and is better than ever before. It would be great to see Gordon turn a terrible injury like that into a positive.

Great, so we pay him a max to do virtually nothing for two years only for him to break out in his 3rd, opt out of his contract, and sign a bigger max somewhere else that we won't match? Just perfect!   

That's better than if he does virtually nothing this season and opts in.

No way, ideally he is terrible the next two seasons, we sign him at a discount long-term, and then he becomes awesome again. Just two more years of mediocrity and we are good to go! 

[Silky]

Hopefully he takes a Paul George-like leap this year and is better than ever before. It would be great to see Gordon turn a terrible injury like that into a positive.

Great, so we pay him a max to do virtually nothing for two years only for him to break out in his 3rd, opt out of his contract, and sign a bigger max somewhere else that we won't match? Just perfect!   

Gordon is at least the type of guy that would feel like he owed it to boston to resign in that scenario

[86MaxwellSmart]

Doesn't matter what kind of shape he is in, if he doesn't have a Killer Instinct....Soft as tissue in these last playoffs, just no guts. Larry Bird murdered guys, playing with a bad back.

[Mahk E Mahk]

Doesn't matter what kind of shape he is in, if he doesn't have a Killer Instinct....Soft as tissue in these last playoffs, just no guts. Larry Bird murdered guys, playing with a bad back.

anti-hayward mentalities like this one amaze me. expecting hayward to have a killer instinct in his first year back from such a horrific injury is beyond unfair. comparing anyone’s killer instinct to bird’s is nonsensical. comparing hayward’s killer instinct to bird’s in hayward’s first year back from injury is just plain ridiculous.

i continue to be amazed by the hayward hate on this board. some folks seem to have the expectation that he should have averaged 25/10/7 while on crutches, a few weeks after his injury. i get it, the c’s paid him a lot of money and he hasn’t produced at that level due to a serious injury. according to this report, the dude’s working his ass off to get back to all-star level. how ‘bout we give him a chance this season before we declare him a bust, and not the next larry bird (hint: no one on the roster, or most nba rosters, is the next larry bird).

he’s a huge key to the celtic’s success this coming season, and i’m looking forward to folks jumping back on the bandwagon.

[footey]

Have there been any reports of how Hayward has been in the locker room? He missed his first year due to injury and was a shell of himself last season. I feel like it would be almost reasonable to assume that his locker room presence would not be what it should be if he was healthy the whole time. If he feels great coming into the season, then his influence could have a great effect on the court and also in the locker room. Maybe players like Brown and Tatum will view Hayward differently once he fully regains his confidence back. See him as a veteran they can rely on, rather than a player receiving favorable treatment from the coach because of a past relationship.

You raise a good point. I am concerned that Hayward is too shy with his teammates.  I'm not asking him to have a personality transplant. But I wish, as one of the senior guys on the team now (along with Kemba), he would spend more time between games/practices, hanging out with his teammates, building a stronger bond. I get the sense that there was very little of that last season.  It's all too easy for players, based on age, social and cultural backgrounds (including race) to just stay within their bubble.  I would like to see Hayward do a better job of breaking the ice here. Someone needs to take the first step.  If Kemba Walker can take his teammates out and treat them all to dinner, certainly Gordon Hayward can afford to do that as well.  He seems like a very nice guy, but I can't emphasize how important this is.  Garnett said it was how the 07/08 team was able to gel so quickly. It's not all on Gordon, but he is the oldest, has the big contract. He should cut down on his video games and start hanging with his teammates more. (Or bring them over to game with him, for goodness sake).

Brad and Danny need to push this too.

What exactly have you seen and read that gives you the impression there is any truth in the fact that Hayward is shy, doesn't socialize with his teammates, doesn't treat them to dinner or that his teammates currently on this team don't have anything but the highest confidence in Hayward?

As Johnny Green said, there hasn't been a ton of locker room stories or travel stories about Gordon and what he is like with his teammates.

I read numerous reports about the fact that the Celtics players don't really have great chemistry off the court. I think Jackie MacMullan article or two mentioned this. 

I have also read that when Gordon was rehabbing, Baynes and Theis would visit him, but that was it. None of the other players. Also they were the only players he socialized with. Don't know if that is true, but it  was disappointing to read.

As far as Hayward being "shy", it's just something I have picked up in observing him, during interviews, they way he behaves on the bench. The way he deals with guys who get in his face (e.g. Kyrie in Orlando game).  I don't know him, and could be reading the signals wrong.  Just how I have read from my exceedingly great distance. 

[csfansince60s]

I wish I could get excited about this report, but he disappointed so badly for the first two years of his max contract (partly his own fault, and partly not), that I can’t help but feel resentment towards the guy for how badly his contract has crippled this franchise.

And now, entering year 3 we are in a lose/lose, because of his contract. If he has another suck year, then this team will not be a contender, then he’ll probably opt in for year four and then we will be stuck with him, but he’ll at least be an expiring that will have some value.

If he has a great year, he opts out, and we potentially lose him to a rival, getting only one useful year out of 3 from him.

This contractual situation that we are in with him in and of itself is fodder for resentment with some of our fans. Couple this with the perception that he was a net negative last year for us due to perceptions of teammates and fans alike that he was Brad’s son and treated as such to the detriment of his teammates individually AND the team as a whole, as well as the perception that he was being timid and not always giving anywhere near 100%, and you have a whole cauldron of resentment brewing based on arguably reasonable negative perceptions of the guy.

[GreenFaith1819]

I wish I could get excited about this report, but he disappointed so badly for the first two years of his max contract (partly his own fault, and partly not), that I can’t help but feel resentment towards the guy for how badly his contract has crippled this franchise.

And now, entering year 3 we are in a lose/lose, because of his contract. If he has another suck year, then this team will not be a contender, then he’ll probably opt in for year four and then we will be stuck with him, but he’ll at least be an expiring that will have some value.

If he has a great year, he opts out, and we potentially lose him to a rival, getting only one useful year out of 3 from him.

This contractual situation that we are in with him in and of itself is fodder for resentment with some of our fans. Couple this with the perception that he was a net negative last year for us due to perceptions of teammates and fans alike that he was Brad’s son and treated as such to the detriment of his teammates individually AND the team as a whole, as well as the perception that he was being timid and not always giving anywhere near 100%, and you have a whole cauldron of resentment brewing based on arguably reasonable negative perceptions of the guy.

God forbid he leaves he will fare a LOT better than Kyrie Irving on is way out of here - mark my words.

Make no mistake about it I LOVE GORDON HAYWARD and wish him the BEST. But he will NOT get the vitriol that Kyrie is getting.

I hope to God that I won't even have to revisit this comment and he STAYS in BOS - as close to Utah GH as possible.

[Sophomore]

I wish I could get excited about this report, but he disappointed so badly for the first two years of his max contract (partly his own fault, and partly not), that I can’t help but feel resentment towards the guy for how badly his contract has crippled this franchise.

And now, entering year 3 we are in a lose/lose, because of his contract. If he has another suck year, then this team will not be a contender, then he’ll probably opt in for year four and then we will be stuck with him, but he’ll at least be an expiring that will have some value.

If he has a great year, he opts out, and we potentially lose him to a rival, getting only one useful year out of 3 from him.

This contractual situation that we are in with him in and of itself is fodder for resentment with some of our fans. Couple this with the perception that he was a net negative last year for us due to perceptions of teammates and fans alike that he was Brad’s son and treated as such to the detriment of his teammates individually AND the team as a whole, as well as the perception that he was being timid and not always giving anywhere near 100%, and you have a whole cauldron of resentment brewing based on arguably reasonable negative perceptions of the guy.

There are some scenarios in which we do badly - the one you pointed to, where he's bad and opts in seems like the worst. But if he has a great year and opts out we will be able to offer him the max, and I believe a little more than other teams. And Wyc would probably pay that if Gordon had a truly *great* year. If it was only an OK year or a pretty good year, then you might be just as happy to see him opt out and go, especially if you had a chance at a better max player or a chance at a good player for less than his current deal.