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Gordon Hayward: The Need to Explore Elsewhere | The Sports Post

VINYLONE

VINYLONE

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Food for thought...

When Gordon Hayward first entered the NBA in 2010, most fans knew him as the guy who just missed winning a national championship for Butler when missing a near, half-court shot. Nowadays, it's still something that defines him.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Hayward was the star of 2010's Cinderella team, the Butler Bulldogs. The only problem with this is that he should be known for more. He just isn't getting the chance to do so.

The main reason for this? He plays for the Jazz. They were the last team in the NBA to be winless, finally achieving their first win on Wednesday. Teams like that don't receive a lot of national exposure, and if they do, it's because of how badly they're performing.

The Brownsburg, IN native will become a restricted free agent this upcoming summer after being unable to agree on an extension with the Jazz. While it is still possible Hayward stays in Salt Lake City, he would be better off leaving.

As of now, Hayward is the main element of this equation. He's the leading scorer for this year's squad, but not the solution to Utah's problems. As good of a basketball player as he may be, Hayward is not fit to be the go-to guy. Maybe at Butler, but not in the NBA.

He isn't flashy and doesn't attract defenses or dominate like stars in the NBA do. This isn't to say Hayward doesn't have the talent it takes to truly make a difference, because he does. He has the ability to score in various ways, and he also defends and rebounds well. His versatility is valuable, but he would be better suited as a role player.

Take Luol Deng, for example. Deng certainly isn't the star of the Chicago Bulls, but he is a nice complement to Derrick Rose. He has the ability to score in several ways and can pick up the slack if Rose is struggling to score. Deng is enough of a threat to attract defenders more than Kirk Hinrich would, but not more than Rose. Hayward is similar to Deng in this way, and could easily take on a role a similar role while still succeeding.

If he were to stay, Hayward could be a role player on a team led by Trey Burke. Currently, Burke is out with a finger injury and still has adjustments to make as a rookie; however, there's still a chance Burke takes on a role similar to that of Portland's Damian Lillard. Then again, there's also the other side of that, where Burke doesn't turn out to be a star. If that's the case, Hayward may remain in the spot he is currently.

There's also the possibility of Utah getting Andrew Wiggins in the 2014 NBA Draft. With the record the Jazz have now, they have put themselves to a good position start their tanking ways. Granted, even if they do end up with the worst record at the end of the season, there's no guarantee of the first pick. Even so, Jabari Parker is another college player to consider.

Both Parker and Wiggins can take Hayward's spot on the roster if either of them were to be drafted to Utah. This would leave Hayward to be less than a role player and likely a bench player. There's nothing wrong with that, except for the fact it would limit his true potential. He doesn't just have to be a star of a lousy team. He can be more than that, which is exactly why Hayward needs to do whatever it takes to find himself a new home in the league.

One team he should consider joining this upcoming offseason is the Boston Celtics. The most attractive thing about them, for Hayward anyway, would be head coach Brad Stevens. At Butler, Stevens coached Hayward for two years. They thrived together, so why wouldn't it be appealing to have them join forces again?

There isn't much of a star on the Celtics. It would likely be Rajon Rondo, but he's still out with an injury. Plus, he may not stay in Boston for long if he gets traded like Bill Simmons suggested. With that being said, it could put Hayward in a position to act as the primary scorer once again. That role isn't working out so well for Utah, which just might be what management wants, but Stevens is familiar with Hayward. He will know how to utilize him in the best way.

Even if Hayward can't make it to Beantown to play for his college coach, there's still reason to write a new chapter in his basketball career elsewhere. Standing out on a losing team isn't difficult when there's enough talent, but Hayward has the potential to be more than that. He just might need to explore around for it.
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I don't really understand this article. All we need to get is a go to guy and then hayward is the great player they are talking about in the article. I don't really see how Wiggins could take his role, and why hayward would be back on the bench...
 
Doublea said:
I don't really understand this article. All we need to get is a go to guy and then hayward is the great player they are talking about in the article.
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For starters, the point of the article is precisely that Hayward isn't great. Operating from that point, Hayward's value diminishes greatly if he's a complementary player on a max contract.
 
Hayward could (and will) make a great sidekick to Wiggins/Parker, he wouldn't become "less than a role player" lol.
 
Article: "Hayward doesn't have what it takes to be a go-to player. He should leave Utah and go to Boston where he'll be the go-to player, but it's OK because Brad Stevens."
 
Both Parker and Wiggins can take Hayward's spot on the roster if either of them were to be drafted to Utah. This would leave Hayward to be less than a role player and likely a bench player. There's nothing wrong with that, except for the fact it would limit his true potential. He doesn't just have to be a star of a lousy team. He can be more than that, which is exactly why Hayward needs to do whatever it takes to find himself a new home in the league.

One team he should consider joining this upcoming offseason is the Boston Celtics.
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Umm Boston may very well get the other one. This article is dumb.
 
Is this a Boston writer?
 
this article is lame. it was more anti-Utah then anything. I mean Utah has NEVER had famous players. why would any one WANT to play in Utah?

good grief Charlie brown.
 
Best trade idea ever. Hayward to the Celtics at the deadline for their First round pick top 2 Protected. Hayward and Stevens can be buddies again. Utah can start fresh with 2/3 Studs from the draft.
 
Boston needs Hayward...he's the next Larry Bird according to some fans here.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using JazzFanz mobile app
 
Hayward can play the 2 or the 3, so we can draft any one player in the whole draft and still start both of them. Also, even if he gets a max contract, it's still not 'Kobe' Max, it's a maxed out RFA deal. It's completely possible to have Hayward maxed out and max out Wiggins/Parker as well, especially with Favors having a more reasonable contract like he does. The only caveat on this is Kanter's and Alec's deal. I've said it several times that we can't keep everyone. The question becomes who is going away, and I don't think Hayward is high on that list.
 
davidbenoit said:
Article: "Hayward doesn't have what it takes to be a go-to player. He should leave Utah and go to Boston where he'll be the go-to player, but it's OK because Brad Stevens."
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This
 
I've always thought Hayward would be a good "system" guy. Too bad he plays for a coach who does not have a system.
 
cctrackstar said:
Hayward can play the 2 or the 3, so we can draft any one player in the whole draft and still start both of them. Also, even if he gets a max contract, it's still not 'Kobe' Max, it's a maxed out RFA deal. It's completely possible to have Hayward maxed out and max out Wiggins/Parker as well, especially with Favors having a more reasonable contract like he does. The only caveat on this is Kanter's and Alec's deal. I've said it several times that we can't keep everyone. The question becomes who is going away, and I don't think Hayward is high on that list.
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So much good here. The real question is, do the Jazz value Hayward more than Kanter? I don't know if you can RFA max out Hayward, and keep Kanter and bring in a good PG (and we need to invest some more in the PG position). If you give Hayward more than 10 per, you are going to limit what you can do with Burks, Kanter, and/or the PG. I'm not sure Hayward is good enough to lose Kanter or severely weaken the PG position. If he comes back for <10 per...I snatch him up.
 
He's already turned down less than ten per and it's pretty certain that other teams will give him more than that. The real question is how much giving him a RFA max contract is worth it to us.
 
Burks

cctrackstar said:
The only caveat on this is Kanter's and Alec's deal. I've said it several times that we can't keep everyone. The question becomes who is going away, and I don't think Hayward is high on that list.
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Always confused when reading a post that assumes we'll have to pay a lot of money to keep Alec. How is the 6th man on the worst team in the league (shooting .375 from the field, .227 from 3) worth more than $5MM/year? Point is probably moot, I think Alec does not match Lindsey's vision of a future of sharp shooting wings.
 
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