Gordon Hayward Safari

[Derek]

In a vacuum, no Hayward isn't worth the max. However, if you're in the Cavs situation, he is.

If Irving and Wiggins develop into the legitimate 1-2 punch that we drafted them to be, Hayward's salary won't matter. All that will matter is that he's here, and making a positive impact. The only way Hayward's contract looks bad is if Irving and Wiggins don't develop, and if that's the case we're screwed either way.

 

[Rondo]

He moves like a taller Manu Ginobili

 

[shoes22]

I highly object to the fact that this Safari is in Cavs talk and the LeBron one isn't.

 

[DELONTEizDad]

He moves like a taller Manu Ginobili

A more athletic Larry Bird.

 

[DW3]

A lot of times a player's field goal percentage will drop when they make the jump to a starting role and heavily increased minutes..Look at Harden when he went to Houston and became a starter - his field goal percentage dropped 60 points...

Also have you seen what kind of deals are going down in FA so far?

Gortat - average, 31 year old center - $12 million a year

Avery Bradley is getting $8 million a year and he's a one dimensional guard that shot 43% last year

Lowry is probably gonna get $14.5 million a year - He shot 42% from the field

Factor in that this is Cleveland, a city that struggles to bring big names to town via free agency. So that means we'll have to overpay

I guess the lesson is, there are other variables to consider outside of field goal percentage. Don't just pull up a stat sheet and assume someone isn't worth the contract. I'd bet that you watched less than 3 Utah Jazz games last year.

So, a guy performs poorly in the starting role, let's give him a huge contract and starting SF. Makes perfect sense to me. And, comparing Hayward to Harden, really? Harden went from the 3 option to face of a franchise and still perform as one of the top players in the league. If we are getting that in Hayward, lets sign him asap...

 

[RedBlackAttack]

I'm not saying we should totally ignore last season, but I will say that his role here will not remotely resemble what he was doing last season. Utah basically asked him to be a No. 1 option while playing in the freaking Western Conference. I could have predicted his numbers were going to take a serious hit trying to carry that kind of weight on a team that was maybe even younger than our own.

And, he still didn't totally crap the bed. Prior to that, he looked like one of the best young wings in the league. He is a far better shooter than he showed last year. The guy was a > 40% three point shooter when he wasn't being asked to create his own shot the majority of times down the floor.

I feel like he is a great fit -- possibly a perfect fit -- for both the roster we have in place and what I believe Blatt's offense will look like. Offense is not a concern. My only questions about Hayward are his defense. Even though he seems like the kind of guy who would be a good wing defender with his length and athleticism, it really hasn't translated yet in that area.

Is he worth a max deal? Obviously that's not ideal, but if the market says it would take a max deal to lure him away from Utah, then that's his market value. At the end of the day, Hayward is a very young, good player who seems like a good fit... and he also has quite a bit of untapped potential. I'm certainly not going to complain if we land him.

The Spurs just showed us that you really can't have enough talented wings in this league, especially when they each possess different skillsets. We don't have a player like Hayward on this roster currently

 

[daytripper]

I highly object to the fact that this Safari is in Cavs talk and the LeBron one isn't.

I know. Maybe the difference is that Hayward actually came in for a visit while LeBron apparently won't even answer our calls?

 

[CardiacCavs]

I would take Hayward at 4 years 52 million. We may be over paying but it is not by too much. Plus, his contract would coincide with Wiggins rookie deal so our payroll would work nice for that period of time. I'm not sure how we will handle Dion's RFA when that comes around, but we have plenty of time before that.

Not sure if its been posted yet but here is a good compilation of his skills:

[video=youtube;XS6U4NwaCfY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS6U4NwaCfY[/video]

 

[AuxiliaryPie]

Hayward + Respectable center would be fantastic

 

[Baseline Runner]

A more athletic Larry Bird.

A rich man's Michael Jordan.

 

[Omar The Horse]

A more athletic Paul Pierce.

Fixed

With shades of Richard Jefferson.

:hide:

 

[LuNcHBoX]

A bunch of blowouts in that highlight video, not sure how 30 point losses are good for a highlight reel.

 

[MirORich]

A bunch of blowouts in that highlight video, not sure how 30 point losses are good for a highlight reel.

Then how are we supposed to make highlight reels for Kyrie, Dion, Bennett etc?

 

[wuck]

Differing opinions are fine. No need for the personal insults, which have been deleted.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Gordon made valid points in that interview though. No one wants to play in an empty arena. Would probably just feel awkward or weird.

That explains why Miami is having such a hard time signing free agents. :chuckles: