Celtics forward Gordon Hayward told reporters today, including Tim Bontemps of ESPN, that he intends to leave the NBA’s Walt Disney World campus for the birth of his fourth child in September, assuming his team is still alive in the playoffs at the time.
“I’m for sure going to be with her,” Hayward said of his wife Robyn. “… “It’s a pretty easy decision for me on that. I’ve been at the birth of every one of my children and I think there are more important things in life. So we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
Players who receive permission to leave the Orlando campus for a family situation will be required to quarantine for four days upon returning, as Bontemps notes. That hinges on the player being gone for fewer than seven days and testing negative for COVID-19 each day that he’s away. Unexcused absences would require a quarantine period of at least 10 days upon returning to the NBA’s Disney campus — that shouldn’t apply to Hayward, but he could still miss at least a couple games.
The exact due date for Hayward’s child is unclear, but based on the NBA’s tentative schedule, the conference semifinals will take place during the first half of September, with the conference finals taking place during the second half of the month. In other words, Boston – currently the No. 3 seed in the East – is in good position to be playing into September.
According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Celtics big man Vincent Poirier and his partner Assouan are due to have their first child on September 17. Poirier told The Athletic that, like Hayward, he plans to leave the campus to attend the birth, so depending on the timing – and Boston’s performance – the team could be down a couple players in September.
Don’t think BOS will be playing in September, unless they can avoid PHI in the ECR1, if they have to play the Sixers they will be one & done, that’s for sure!
You clearly don’t watch basketball. The Celtics are easily when fully healthy far better then the sixers and should wash them away. Yo boy Simmons is nothing compared to Tatum just an fyi.
I would say you don’t watch hoops boy! JT will never be the player Simmons is right now, that’s for sure!
Hopefully will see, but PHI will be overwhelmingly favorites on a match up with BOS, that’s for sure!
Are you kidding me? Simmons still can’t shoot, they play very different positions so no Tatum will never have the “playmaking/assist type ability of Simmons” but saying he’s no where near the level of player is just silly. Tatum is already a better scorer but doesn’t even need to be on the current Celtics team that has so many scoring options. I think BOS/PHI will be a good matchup — but I’m also pretty sure the general consensus around the league right now would be that Boston is the better team. PHI has had chemistry issues all year long, which one would only imagine will be exacerbated by the long layoff.
Yeah JT is a better scorer & … can’t think of anything else.
Ben Simmons is a better rebounder, passer, shot blocker, stealer, much better defender, general on the floor & so on…
That is why for me he is better, I look at players what they can do all around, not just one thing.
IMO Ben Simmons so far this year has been a top 20 player, JT not quite a top 30.
Opinions differ but that is mine, I know BOS fans are very protective of their team & players, but I just say it as I feel it, I may be right or wrong, only time will tell.
Good for Hayward for putting his family first… But also Yikes for BOS. If they are indeed still playing – that means they’re doing really well and in the middle of a playoff series battle. And losing Hayward for what would be a minimum of 4 days would really suck. I don’t blame him at all – that’s the ‘right decision’ for him and his family — it just will really be a tough pill to swallow for the C’s and C’s fans if and when it comes down to possibly losing a playoff series because of the quarantine rules etc.!
Yeah I applaud Hayward for putting g family first but then again he’s been home for 3 straight months, this is his fourth child, and with his injuries and the rough road back I wouldn’t say that he’s lived up to his $31.5MM per year contract, so I’m going to definitely need a little water to help swallow this pill.
Trade Hayward. Surely not been dependable for the Celtics.