Tuesday, April 17th, 2012 at 4:40 pm  |  96 responses

Gordon Hayward Wanted to Fight Delonte West After ‘Wet Willie’


The video footage certainly doesn’t make it seem like Gordon Hayward wanted any part of Delonte West after getting a finger shoved in his ear last night, but Hayward claims that he initially thought about throwing down with West. Per the AP: “Utah Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward said he initially felt like ripping Delonte West’s finger off and fighting him after he jabbed it into Hayward’s right ear during the second quarter of Monday night’s triple-overtime win against Dallas. ‘I wanted to fight right there, but you can’t do that,’ Hayward said before Tuesday’s practice. ‘It wouldn’t have been the smart idea. I’d risk getting a technical foul, getting suspended for the season, whatever. There’s more important things than fighting someone out on the court. The more important thing was getting the win and we were able to do that.’ Hayward acknowledged Tuesday that many of his teammates might have reacted differently. But Hayward, who raised both arms and walked away, said he ‘got the last laugh’ as the Jazz prevailed 123-121 to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with four games remaining.”

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  • Slamfan4life

    west would f him up

  • bike

    Dunleavy would have karate chopped his finger off.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    What a p*ssy. Shoulda punched him. Be a man.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    One of my favorite basketball clips of all time had to be that one Bike.
    Serge with the death grip followed by MD with the dragon chop.

  • Rainman

    LOL alright tough guy…thats why ur instant reactino was to put ur arms up and act like nothing happened.

  • http://theurbangriot.com The NUPE

    I’m not sure if it was out of fear or keeping his cool that allowed him to just walk away. But whatever it was, he made the right decision. But if Delonte get’s mugged by a masked man in the next few weeks…

  • http://www.soundcloud.com/tray-5 T-Ray

    He wasn’t gonna do a thing. D West would have mopped the floor with this kid period. Big talk after the fact FOH

  • http://slamonline.com Nella

    Just cause he’s not a dumb ass like Delonte and did the smart thing doesn’t mean he couldn’t have fought him. I’m sure one dude looking like a choir boy and one dude looking like, well, Delonte West is making people biased.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    “I wanted to fight right there”?! Really?? Hayward didn’t even show that he was displeased with DWest’s actions. He didn’t even turn around and make eye-contact with West until he was safely 15 feet away. I never thought I’d say this, but, Gordon Hayward is a STUDIO-GANGSTER!!!

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    considering Wayward is Utah’s best wing. And they are still largely in the playoff hunt. Acting on what Delonte did would have been a huge mistake. Plus, Delonte is nuts. Obviously.

  • Rainman

    Im not saying he did the wrong thing at all, he did the right thing. But dont act like u were gonna do anything, u clearly werent. <– THATS the wrong thing to do lol

  • Heals

    Rumble young man, rumble. Good stuff, Hayward’s got a real slick game, and ditto nbk’s sentiments. Riding a motorcycle with a machete on 1 side, a hand gun on the other and shot-gun in guitar case has “Don’t uck with me, EVER!” written all over it…

  • http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bulls-talk/2011 Diesel

    Lakeshow – Hayward’s response sounds dangerously close to what someone’s been arguing all morning.

  • http://sportsbybrooks.com/boxscores-never-lie-or-exaggerate-on-twitter-30011 Allenp

    Of course it did.
    Dude hit someone with an elbow, jostled with them down the court, and then pretended to walk away like he didn’t know what was going on AFTER he flopped.
    But he’s the smart hero.
    It’s amazing. We cheer cats for doing underhanded stuff to get an advantage, like that’s smart. Then complain about flopping. Or cheap shots.
    It’s all the same thing people.

  • Jer Dawg

    There’s plenty of time. The next time when it’s a meaningless regular early season game then they should just fight.

  • http://sportsbybrooks.com/boxscores-never-lie-or-exaggerate-on-twitter-30011 Allenp

    And it was the SECOND QUARTER!
    Why are y’all acting like the game was in the balance.
    GTFOH with that foolishness.

  • kb

    B*itchmade!

  • http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bulls-talk/2011 Diesel

    he soft

  • http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bulls-talk/2011 Diesel

    ^ not me

  • http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bulls-talk/2011 Diesel

    Allen – you are the new king of spin. Eboy can’t hold a candle to your spinning abilities. I don’t even understand what you’re argument is. Two guys were shoving each other and the refs caught one of the guys. Hayward walked away after the foul call like a normal person would. What do you want his reaction to be? Keep fighting in front of the ref and cost his team the game? That way he’s not being sneaky? Even though both guys were cheap shotting each other?

  • T-Money

    Lakeshow – no one is debating whether he should have punched him. but please don’t act like you had to control yourself you were running away!

  • http://sportsbybrooks.com/boxscores-never-lie-or-exaggerate-on-twitter-30011 Allenp

    The jostled, he flopped.
    Let Joakim Noah jostle Dwayne Wade and then Wade flop.
    I guarantee you would see the situation completely differently.
    Even better, let LeBron and Rose start jostling, LeBron flop, then walk away as Rose puts a finger in his face and yells at him.
    No one is going to be calling LeBron the “smart player.”
    Situational morality is a beast.
    The player who does his dirt and doesn’t get caught isn’t the smart one. He’s the sneaky one. And I understand completely why Delonte was upset after catching an elbow to the head. It’s all on the tape.

  • JML-G

    im glad Delonte did it – lets face it, Hayward looks like the type of person u just WANT to mock and push lol

  • Dagger

    Yeah that would have been a good idea. Because you want to start a fight with a crazy guy who’s been arrested for bringing enough guns on his bike/tank hybrid to take out Predator.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    It’s funny that so few people notice that rather hard elbow Hayward throws. It’s not a baby elbow.

  • Feez_22

    “It’s the quiet ones you have to worry about”. Keep that in mind guys.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Allen, are you saying Hayward flopped? Where was that? He got shoulder checked and slightly bumped back from it…. Where was the “flop”?
    The ‘elbow’ is out of frame and you can barely catch what happens at the beginning. Obviously West got hit, but he also initiated the contact.
    T-Money are you a grown man? Act like it.

  • http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-bulls-talk/2011 Diesel

    It’s funny that you notice something that happens barely on screen for a split second and no one else is 100% sure what it is, but you’ve already definitely classified it as a unprovoked hard elbow to the head. And you somehow see jostling on the other side of the court where Delonte runs away from the hoop and lowers his shoulder into Hayward’s chest. But I’m done for the day. Have a good night everyone.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Haha, Lates Diesel.

  • OTB

    Based on the video, they were jostling around, and it was Delonte that gave him a shove/elbow. Did he flop? Maybe. But if you’re going to get overly emotional enough to put a finger in someones ear like a wierdo then I’d say Hayward won this round.

    As for fighting: I don’t doubt that Delonte could have taken him down, but again, despite what all you “macho” SLAM folks from (apparently) the grittiest streets of America would have done, he’s paid to play BASKETBALL. He’s paid to win games, and considering he is one of Utah’s best players while Delonte is anything but justifies his actions. Its the same reason why Steve Nash didn’t react to Horry, or Kobe to Ron Artest getting in his face. Ditto for Lebron getting his headband flipped off by DeShawn, or Dirk to David West slapping him in the cheek.

    The best players understand thier importance and don’t react emotionally in a situation like that. West thought he could get in Hayward’s head and make him react, and it backfired. Its that simple.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    I said unprovoked? Where? Are saying the elbow didn’t happen? You saying West mushed for no reason?
    Lakeshow
    He flopped. West hits him with forearm not shoulder. And he flops flailing his arms.
    I have never said delonte won. Just said neither did gordon. They were both active participants

  • OTB

    @AllenP – I saw the elbow you’re talking about. West jostled him GOING UP THE COURT (which doesn’t often happen), and was grabbing on to him. Hayward swung his arm to free himself and hit him as well. Delonte responded by shoving him. So West getting mad was justified – him hitting him with a finger to the ear is not. In fact, the “altercation” should have technically ended after West’s retaliation. West tried to push it further, and Hayward wanted no part of it. So, no, it doesn’t make him a coward, it makes him a smart player who beat West at his own game of mental intimidation.

    Also, Joakim Noah and Rose/Lebron wouldn’t put fingers in people’s ears so that example doesn’t hold weight. A comparable situation would be Kobe elbowing Artest in the head and then Artest challenging him down the court.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Nah, that’s not a flop. He could have flopped, and then I wouldn’t be defending him at all, but he didn’t flop. If flopping is admitting that someone is making illegal contact to you by no longer going the direction you were headed due to said illegal contact then I guess he flopped, but I just don’t see it that way.
    That only reference to “#winning” that I made, was that the Jazz won. Neither man “won” imo. I appreciate Gordon’s ability to turn down his aggression more-so than Delonte’s ability to mush someone is really the only thing that I see more towards GH way.

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    OTB last two comments are hilarious and spot on. Good stuff dude…

  • http://fkjlf.com Jukai

    Allen, you’re WAY off on this one, man. There was no elbow, Hayward did what every player does when running down the court and tried to hold the other player back.
    Are you on Delonte’s stuff?

  • http://fkjlf.com Jukai

    Actually, just cosign OTB pretty much all the way.

  • MikeC.

    I had an amazingly crappy day at work. This video made my day. Thank you crazyassD West and goofy Gordon.

  • windowlicker_son

    Just to throw it out there, Delonte’s piercings and tats don’t negate the fact that he’s 5 inches and 30 pounds smaller than Hayward.. why is it the consensus that he would win in a fight?

  • BillM

    windowlicker_son, because West has one white parent & Hayward has two? They prolly think Seth Curry could take Hayward too. West may be legit on meds crazy, but he ain’t built like Calvin Murphy or Nate Robinson or even Monta, either.

    Hayward made the right call last night walking away, game’s too important to get thrown out over a scrub like Delonte, but he will have to stand his ground next time after speaking up like that.

    Earl Watson called out the other guys today on twitter, Corbin def should’ve had Kanter put a few into Dirk’s ribs.

  • windowlicker_son

    BillM- I agree that he made the right move, and yes he will have to stand his ground next time.

  • Leonard

    Pretty sweet yellow journalism you got going here.

  • Da-Meat-Hook

    That’s my beef with what happened. He’s talking like he had to restrain himself from retaliating, but in reality, his body language says the exact opposite. Gordon could have easily stood his ground without getting a technical foul. He could have turned, faced, and voiced his displeasure. He didn’t. He looked the other way while walking a good 10 to 15 feet in the opposite direction before he even bothered to turn and face in West’s direction. Again, there’s nothing wrong with refusing to fight a person who is crazy, but there’s no way Gordon Hayward or anyone who watched that video can say he walked away because he wanted to win the game or because he was taking the high road.If Jose Calderon stuck his finger in Hayward’s ear, he would immediately be put in the “Boston Crab” no questions asked!

  • LA Huey

    A smart, knowledgable man does not try to throwdown with Delonte West. He didn’t back down from Artest the other day and comes off as one of those cats that would bite the flesh from your neck before he loses a fight.

  • Slambo

    What a bunch of idiots. I am pretty sure this is the dumbest comments i have ever read. We really are a hate filled ignorant nation. No wonder the rest of the world hates us.

  • LA Huey

    “there’s nothing wrong with refusing to fight a person who is crazy” That golden quote capped off by a “Boston Crab” reference makes you the winner of my day, Meat Hook.

  • Youngindy21

    I thought the same thing when I saw Delonte West do that to Gordon Hayward. I said if I were Gordon Hayward I would have stole Delonte dead in the jaw for doing that immature sh!t. Because Delonte West is basically saying he doesn’t respect Gordon Hayward by doing that. I would have taken the fines and the suspensions. It’s one thing to do that to a close friend, but to do that to a complete stranger is complete disrespect.

  • bike

    Delonte is one of the most entertaining personalities in the league.

  • samoth

    West wants to be G sooo bad it hurts… he wants to be the villain. To fight him is to give him what he wants. I say give him a hug and say ‘Thank you Mr. West, God bless.’

  • Dj Taste

    Hayward should have knocked the herpes off DWest’s face.

  • IAMORANGE4EVER

    @OTB you just face palmed Allenp at 6:27 pm.

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