Gordon Hayward is staying in the draft

If the title didn't give it away, Gordon Hayward has made the decision to keep his name in the NBA Draft.

"I'm pretty ready," Hayward told the Indy Star. "My mind's pretty made up, and it's been made up for a while now, at least since talking to my dad about it after the (college basketball) season. I've never really wrestled with it, at least in a pure basketball sense; it was no decision for me."

Like it or not, this is the right decision. Hayward is all but guaranteed to go in the first round of the draft, and there is a very good chance he could climb up into the lottery with a few good workouts. Remember, Hayward had a bit of an underwhelming season. If he hadn't help carry Butler to the national title game, I don't think his name would be mentioned as a potential lottery pick.

The question now becomes what to do about Butler. If Hayward had returned, they would, without a doubt, be a top five team in the preseason.

But without him? Are they still a top 25 team?

While guys like Shelvin Mack, Matt Howard, and Ronald Nored return, keep in mind this is a team that really struggled to score at times last year, and now they are losing their most talented offensive player.

I wonder if Brad Stevens is going to regret passing up on Oregon's millions when he had a chance.