Hayward Hurt

For all intents and purposes the Celtics season ended less than six minutes after it began. On Tuesday night in Cleveland, Gordon Hayward, the Celtics prized addition in free agency had one of the more gruesome leg injuries that I have ever seen. It appeared as though he ankle was perpendicular to his leg. It won’t be this season, but I am certain that Hayward will make a full recovery. We all saw what happened to Paul George and Kevin Ware and both came back to be their old selves. I think we will be able to say the same for Gordon Hayward.

The Celtics were right there with the Cavaliers as favorites in the Eastern Conference prior to the injury. Now? I don’t think they are even a top four team in the Eastern Conference. Sure, they’ll play hard under Brad Stevens, but they just don’t have the bodies. People tend to overlook the fact that Boston only was able to bring back four players from last year’s team that made the Eastern Conference Finals.

I think an interesting subplot that will ensue after this injury will be how Kyrie Irving tries to compensate for the loss of his running mate. Last season, Isaiah Thomas averaged nearly 30 points per game for the Celtics. I think, and most would agree, that Kyrie is a superior offensive talent. If he really wants to, I think Kyrie could lead the league in scoring.

The season is not lost for Boston, but Gordon Hayward’s injury is nothing short of devastating. I couldn’t have thought of a worse way to start the NBA season.