Gordon Hayward yesterday became the latest All-Star on the move after agreeing to sign with the Celtics, the latest example that the NBA offseason and free agency period are "more compelling, unpredictable, and full of nail-biting drama than the predictable postseason," according to Christopher Gasper of the BOSTON GLOBE. The combination of free agency intrigue and an "instant-notification and -gratification society" has made the NBA "king of the sports scene on a holiday normally reserved for America’s pastime, baseball." The NBA’s "silly season" now supersedes MLB’s actual season. Gasper: "Unapologetic capitalism and deal-making are among the most American of ideals. They’re alive and thriving during the NBA offseason" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/4). ESPN's Jason Fitz said, "The NBA has found a way to make itself interesting in July. ... I feel like the NBA has gotten better in this offseason. I feel like it's going to be a more compelling product. When we hit the beginning of the regular season, there’s going to be more reasons to watch” ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 7/4). USA TODAY's Adi Joseph wrote, "This is the way the NBA wants things to go." The "compressed schedule of having the NBA Finals, Draft, summer leagues and free agency all occurring within a month’s span keeps the buzz high for the sport before a couple months of relative chill." The Hayward saga yesterday "provided the NBA with some great theater." MLB is a week from its All-Star Game and the "only of the big four sports leagues currently playing games," yet the "trending topics on Twitter" yesterday were dominated by the NBA (USATODAY.com, 7/4).
ROLLER COASTER OF A DAY: In Boston, Adam Himmelsbach notes Hayward's courtship by several teams "turned into a frenzied day filled with conflicting reports, frustrated representatives, and team executives left waiting by their cellphones." Just after 2:00pm ET yesterday, ESPN "reported that Hayward had agreed to a deal with the Celtics." However, soon afterward there was a "sudden shift." Multiple reports and sources suggested that Hayward had "yet to notify the teams involved in his courtship." Priority Sports & Entertainment Founder & CEO Mark Bartelstein, Hayward's agent, was "agitated by the leak, and he said it was inaccurate." When "afternoon turned to evening, all sides mostly went silent, stirring rampant speculation about what the holdup might be." But then Hayward’s announcement was posted on The Players' Tribune and there "finally was clarity" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/5).
SCORE ONE FOR THE EAST: In DC, Tim Bontemps notes the Celtics added "one of the top players at one of the league’s weakest positions while the rest of the East is seeing a nonstop migration to the Western Conference." Paul George, Jimmy Butler and Paul Millsap "all moved West in the past two weeks, turning the Western Conference into a non-stop arms race while the East is largely made up of teams trying to go the other way" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/5). USA TODAY's Sam Amick wrote Hayward's decision to join the Celtics "makes the Eastern Conference interesting again," as Butler, George and Millsap's departure "worsened the imbalance of power between the two conferences" (USATODAY.com, 7/4).
SPREAD THE WEALTH: In Providence, Bill Reynolds wrote NBA free agency "all seems like some elaborate board game, complete with fantasy money." Reynolds: "Welcome to the new world order where the rich get richer, and the rest of us get higher ticket prices" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 7/4).
