Brad Stevens Gave An Update On Gordon Hayward’s Status And Claims ‘No Ill Will’ Towards Cavs

Gordon Hayward’s gruesome leg injury he suffered on Tuesday night left the entire sports world in shock, and for good reason. Hayward joined an unfortunate collection of athletes including Shaun Livingston, Paul Goerge, and Kevin Ware, among others, where the injury is so disturbing, so upsetting, they put you at a loss for words. It’s part of being a professional athlete, sure, but it’s impossible not to feel bad for these guys.

The initial diagnoses on Hayward was a dislocated and fractured left tibia, and Brad Stevens confirmed that diagnoses in a press conference on Wednesday night. He will require surgery, of course, but both the Celtics and Hayward are still trying to decide when and where to have that procedure done.

Of particular note to Celtics fans, Stevens wouldn’t declare whether or not Hayward’s injury is season-ending. Regardless of when Hayward returns to the court, the Celtics are expecting a full recovery.

Stevens also made it a point to acknowledge the amazing work by the Cavaliers and their medical staff. “I thought the Cavs organization was top notch in taking care of him of while we were there. We all appreciated that.”

Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca echoed Stevens’ claim to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

“It was well-handled by Cleveland and it was well-handled by our staff,” said Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, who stayed with Hayward after the injury. “For something that was that traumatic, people really leaped into action. And I think it’ll pay off in the long run in his recovery.

“It was the NBA at its best. Everyone realized it was more important than any game.”

LeBron James and former Celtic Isaiah Thomas made it a point to go visit Hayward while he was in the locker room, making for an incredible display of camaraderie. By all accounts, all parties couldn’t have handled this better.

Before ending his presser on Wednesday, Stevens wanted to clear the air on one more thing. While most people didn’t see anything explicitly dirty by either Jae Crowder or LeBron James on the play that injured Gordon Hayward, there was a minority of NBA fans calling foul play. Stevens couldn’t disagree more.

As far as who will be replacing Gordon Hayward in the Celtics’ starting lineup, Brad Stevens revealed that Marcus Smart would be the guy moving forward. They’ll tweak the rest of the rotation from there.

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On Wednesday nigh, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Hayward would have his surgery that night and a timetable would become more clear after surgery was completed.