Import in waiting

There’s a blue-chip import waiting for a call to play in the PBA Governors Cup and so far, Lazar Hayward remains untapped. Former Arizona State star guard and coach Paul Howard, who’s based in Los Angeles, is pitching for Hayward. Howard knows the PBA like the back of his hand. He used to fly to Manila often to visit his best friend Ron Jacobs. But since Jacobs’ death, Howard hasn’t taken a trip over. But he’s planning to reacquaint himself with PBA team coaches on a long-overdue trip next month.

Howard recently got in touch with a PBA team to offer Hayward’s services but the call came too late as an import was already signed up on a two-month guarantee. “Lazar’s 6-4 3/4 barefoot,” said Howard. “He’s a post-up player, a tremendous rebounder for his size. And Lazar just won the championship in Venezuela.” The PBA team official whom Howard contacted described him as “very knowledgeable.”

Hayward, 30, played four years at Marquette University, raising his scoring average from 6.6 points as a freshman to 12.8 as a sophomore to 16.3 as a junior and 18.1 as a senior. He could’ve renounced his varsity eligibility to apply for the NBA draft but decided to finish the course, a testament to his maturity. A teammate at Marquette was Jimmy Butler, now an NBA star recently traded by Chicago to Minnesota. 

College basketball writer Todd Rosiak said Hayward played out of position in his four years at Marquette, moving from his natural three spot to four or five “because of the dearth of experienced talent in the frontcourt.” Rosiak added, “Hayward presents a match-up nightmare for opposing coaches because of his ability to step out and hit the three and has pulled down as many as 18 boards in a game despite often being much smaller than his opponent.”

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Marquette coach Buzz Williams said Hayward was more than a player to him. “I think Lazar’s a really good player and I mean this in a very genuine way,” said Williams. “I’m much more grateful to Lazar the person is in our program than Lazar the player. Because his impact resonates whether I’m present or not. Whether it’s in the gym, in the dorm, at the mall. Who he is as a person is exactly what I want my sons to grow up to be.” Williams called him a multi-position guy. “Throughout his career, his game began to evolve,” he continued. “Lazar became catch-shoot to one-dribble pull-up to out-running his guy in transition and finishing the break to defensive rebound and helping initiate the break. All of that in his game, he has worked to expand.”

In 2010, Hayward was the Washington Wizards’ first round draft pick. He ended up earning over $3.37 Million playing for Minnesota and Oklahoma City in three NBA campaigns. In all, Hayward appeared in 72 NBA games, averaging 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds.

A highlight in Hayward’s pro career was his stint with the Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals against Miami. His teammates included Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. His adversaries included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Hayward saw action in the title-clinching Game 5 of the series, collecting two points and two rebounds in 4:44 minutes. Miami won, 121-106, to wrap up the title at home. That experience on the big stage has made Hayward a more confident player. It’s not surprising that in his first overseas stint in Venezuela this year, he led the Guaros de Lara club to the Liga Americas championship. Hayward averaged 13.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 18.8 minutes in 51 games in the Venezuelan league, hitting 80.6 percent from the line and 39.7 percent from beyond the arc.

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Before plying his trade abroad, Hayward played four seasons in the NBA D-League with the Tulsa 66ers, Los Angeles D-Fenders and Long Island Nets. With Tulsa, he averaged 24 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists. As a collegiate player, Hayward was picked to suit up for the US team at the World University Games in Belgrade in 2009. He averaged 9.3 points in seven games as the US took home the bronze medal.

Hayward would’ve been ready to fly over last week but with teams in other countries calling, his availability is now uncertain. Howard said if a PBA team requires a replacement, he’ll try to make Hayward available.

Comebacking imports in the Governors Cup are Barangay Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee, Meralco’s Allen Durham, Alaska’s LaDontae Henton, Phoenix’ Eugene Phelps and San Miguel Beer’s Wendell McKines who was previously with the Aces and Rain Or Shine. The newcomers are Kia’s Chane Behanan, Star’s Cinmeon Bowers, Blackwater’s Trevis Simpson, NLEX’ Aaron Fuller, GlobalPort’s Jabril Trawick, the Elasto Painters’ James Weatherspoon and TNT’s Michael Craig.