| 06 January 2011
I missed everything last night. The twitter roll, the actual game and the memo that said "don't show up". I watched the first half late last night and was so disgusted that I needed 24 hours to get over this loss. All hands on deck are screaming mutiny, including Deron Williams. Frustration is probably a better explanation for all of this. I don't like that the leader of our team thinks that we might not make the playoffs. Even more so that he said it to the media.
I believe that Deron may be going through a Kobe stage. Which needs an entire post in itself. Coming this weekend.
Gordon Hayward.
ESPN writer David Thorpe wrote an Article about the improved play of Utah's own Gordon Hayward, here are parts of the article.
It's only three games, sure, but when they are so different from what we had seen from him, it bears looking deeper into what transpired. Hayward played with tremendous hustle at Butler, but early on in his NBA career, all I saw was a casualness that suggested he thought he was a can't-miss prospect. Now, after a disastrous first seven-plus weeks, it appears Hayward began to understand that anything less than an all-out effort was going to doom him to comparisons to Adam Morrison.
So Hayward began attacking the rim, going after loose balls, making hustle plays everywhere and even earning some terrific dunks. He made some shots, too, which always helps, but my guess is he did so because he was feeling better about his overall game. It's a pretty common occurrence: players finding their shooting stroke only after improving other parts of their game.
Hayward always has been a guy who plays with more toughness than you'd think just from looking at him, and that part of his game has returned. It's a good thing, because guess how he was rewarded for those three excellent games? He played just six minutes in Utah's next game against Detroit. But at least he's shown some life as a player and reminded the Jazz brass of why they drafted him in the first place. As long as he maintains that edge, he'll keep earning chances.
For the rest of this season, Hayward has to try to play the part of Lou Gehrig, replacing a starter permanently every chance he gets. Next season, he could be Wally Pipp, fighting off a new draft pick who's trying to replace him in the rotation. Such is life in the ever-competitive NBA.
Hayward has still not hit the top ten but is obviously doing better.
In case you missed this yesterday Al Jefferson gets punked a little by Deron and Fez.
Also there is this great find from Slcdunk. Deron on the Disney Channel.
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