Best of Yardbarker: Gordon Hayward heads to Beantown
The final details still need to be hammered out, but former Utah Jazz All-Star Gordon Hayward finally decided to head to Boston after some hemming and hawing over the decision to leave Salt Lake City. He ultimately chose the Celtics over the Jazz and Miami Heat, reuniting with coach Brad Stevens, whom Hayward played for in college at Butler.
Hayward's decision led us to the 'Carry on my Hayward son' quiz: "There is a case to be made that Gordon Hayward was the best Jazz player ever not named Malone or Stockton. Top 10 in career scoring, assists, steals and three-pointers made in just seven seasons. But if Hayward wants to crack the same list in Boston, he's going to have to put in some work."
In order to make room for the former Utah star, the Celtics had to ship out Avery Bradley, a very important cog in Boston earning the top seed in the East this past season. Having to depart with such a strong defender and all-around contributor was not an easy decision, and it puts pressure on Hayward to perform and not end up on the list of worst NBA free agent signing all time by team:
When it's all said and done, the Celtics hope Hayward joins another list instead: the list of most important NBA free agent signings ever:
If he does, he'll join the likes of Chauncey Billups, who helped lead the Detroit Pistons to a championship after they signed him in free agency.
Nowadays, of course, Billups is plying his trade in Ice Cube's BIG3 league and officially made his debut last weekend after turning down a position in the front office for the Cleveland Cavaliers. This weekend, Billups and the rest of the BIG3 head to Oklahoma in Week 3, where the threes go sweeping down the plain: "Yes, Ice Cube’s three-on-three league is more appealing than the front office of the 2016 NBA champions. (There’s no truth to the rumor that negotiations broke down when the Killer 3s demanded the Cavs send them Richard Jefferson for compensation for signing Chauncey.)"
In Billups' BIG3 debut week, his former Detroit teammate and former No. 1 overall pick Kwame Brown had a rough one. It was so bad, he blamed it on a blast from the past and called in to the BIG3 Referee Hotline Bling: Kwame Brown can't mute Michael Jordan: "Yes, the game was played in Charlotte, where MJ’s Hornets play. But Jordan doesn’t even attend that many of his own team’s games, much less the BIG3. It’s the offseason, and he’s busy playing blackjack, smoking cigars, betting tens of thousands on rounds of golf and not scouting NBA players."
Shifting back to Boston, things are looking up on the diamond like they are on the court in Beantown. Despite the struggles of former Cy Young winners David Price and Rick Porcello, the Red Sox are atop the AL East and surging, and it's win now time for the perpetually overinvested Red Sox: "If you recall, last season the Sox were armed with a new ace in David Price, Cy Young winner-to-be Rick Porcello, MVP runner-up Mookie Betts and on the final leg of the David Ortiz farewell tour. They expected to play into November. Instead, they were unceremoniously swept out of the postseason at the hands of the Cleveland Indians and found themselves right back where they began: big aspirations, unfilled potential and a clear need to do more."
The team on Boston's heels is a familiar one in the rival New York Yankees. New York's surprising revival has been spearheaded by rookie Aaron Judge, a slugger who is making his mark on the history books already. In fact, Judge brings back memories of another great Yankees slugger who has some very close ties to the Boston Red Sox. We're talking about Babe Ruth, of course, whom the Red Sox regrettably sold to the Yankees back in 1919.
Since Judge has entered the league with a bang and resembles the Great Bambino, it was only right to remind everyone that the Babe went out with a bang with this quiz:
Finally, we leave you this week with a look at our MLB midseason awards as the All-Star Game approaches, and given his historic start, it’s no surprise to see Judge all over this list:
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