Gordon Hayward... the name sparks debate among Utah Jazz
fans. There are many questions that we have. Was he a good draft pick when Paul George was still available? Can he be a leader of the Utah Jazz young core? Will he eventually reach his potential? Is he
worth a max contract? Is he worth the 15 Million that other teams will pay him?
Allow me to present the pros and cons of these questions.
Pro: The Table below shows the top four NBA teams with cap space, however Miami should be eliminated. This money is generally locked up with One superstar, and than spread out to the role players ,but Miami has three superstars expecting superstar contracts. Lebron James has asked for a max contract and it should be expected that Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh will follow him. When I calculate what it could cost Pat Riley,(General manager) the total comes to 50 million dollars. Due to this calculation Miami should be eliminated. This would put the Jazz number three on this list. The Utah Jazz front office, have cap space to pay Gordon Hayward. They can afford to over pay him a little. This overpayment should come with an caveat. If Gordon does not perform up to the level of his salary, than he can be amnestied ( cut from the team ) at any time.
Pro:The 2013/2014 Season was hard for everyone on the Utah Jazz, Gordon was
no exception. He was a product of not fitting in the right system and a lack of
decent coaching. I agree with most fans that say he is a leader, but he should
not be your first option to score. He was made that option, and knowing that
the Jazz lacked another real offensive weapon other NBA teams honed in on
him. Under this immense pressure, he
fell apart. At least that's what fans and critics said. When you look at the
table below and you see that his season points, rebounds, and shot percentage
within the arc rose from the previous year. (Basketballreferance.com) Look at
per game stats as well and you will see the same statistics mentioned above
also rose significantly. We are focusing on the most glaring statistic, his
three point shooting. I am not sure what we as fans were expecting, but Hayward
did show improvement. Look at the highlighted section of each table and he
showed improvement. If a player is continuing to improve, why would you not spend
a little to get a lot back? 
Pro: Of the top 50 free agents on the NBA board, according to D.J.
Foster, writer for Bleacherreport.com, "Hayward is rated number nine. Jody Genessy Utah Jazz writer says, "It
is safe to assume that Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward.... Will be one of the
first ones that Brad Stevens contacts."
According to a Celtics blog and Dennis Lindsay, "Hayward will be
great under the right coach." There is more than one coach that thinks
highly of Gordon. Jeff Hornacek said He has superstar potential, as an assistant
coach he was able to see the ceiling of Hayward. Other players see the
potential. Kobe Bryant said, "I think he's going to have a very
bright future in this league. He reminds me of a more talented Jeff
Hornacek." With this much potential the price may be worth it. These pros
are simple. Do these three pros outweigh the cons?
Cons: There is a large problem to Signing Hayward. There are other
Small forwards available that may be a better scoring option. Hayward did
improve, and if he was the only good small forward available, than offering him
more may be better, but there are other free agents available, that I believe,
would consider coming to Utah.
Evan Turner, Trevor Ariza, and Chandler Parsons are just some of the Small forwards that could be paid less, and be more productive for the Jazz. According to USA today,there are at least 15 top 10 small forwards Available. Look
at the link below and you will see that there are plenty of
small forwards that could help the Jazz and save them about five million in cap
room.
Utah fans must take the emotion out of the decision. I like Gordon Hayward too, but
looking at the pros and cons is it beneficial for him to stay? I will not make
up your mind. You can decide for yourself.
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