Marcus Smart Appreciation Thread

[zoyathedestroya]

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See you back in Boston in 2026!

[darrendaye]

Team is going to miss his desperate determination. Not a perfect player by any means and even those of us who were Team Cobra recognize the bonehead plays, but he was a momentum shifter and raised the level of play of the other 4 guys who were out there with him on defense. And of course the contributions to the community were very admirable. I wonder where the conversation goes in debating who should be held in greater regard as an "all-time" Celtic, Smart or Rondo.

[brackdan70]

Class act. Good player resilience and grit. Will mis him and root for him. That said it was a hell of a good trade.

[zoyathedestroya]

Team is going to miss his desperate determination. Not a perfect player by any means and even those of us who were Team Cobra recognize the bonehead plays, but he was a momentum shifter and raised the level of play of the other 4 guys who were out there with him on defense. And of course the contributions to the community were very admirable. I wonder where the conversation goes in debating who should be held in greater regard as an "all-time" Celtic, Smart or Rondo.

Smart was a game and five minutes away from having his jersey on the rafters for me (he wouldn't have gotten traded had we won against GS). Not his fault he wasn't playing alongside 3 future HOFers who were ready to win at the time. Also not his fault Ime couldn't get his hands off Cs employee (or boss's wife?).

EDIT: Retiring his jersey after one chip may be too much but you get my point haha.

[Shak_Celts]

[zoyathedestroya]

You're not alone, Shak. Celtics Twitter is currently my therapy. Marcus Smart was/is/will always be loved and cherished by most Cs fans.

[return2glory]

Thank you Marcus! Much love and respect.

He loved the Celtics. His first four seasons, he was arguably one of the worst shooters in NBA history. He kept working and made himself into a decent shooter. He also became our best passer. His hustle and effort was great to watch. Wishing him the best.

[165bows]

You're not alone, Shak. Celtics Twitter is currently my therapy. Marcus Smart was/is/will always be loved and cherished by most Cs fans.

Going to be one of the biggest ovations in the history of ovations when he returns to the garden next year.

[Tyakack]

[zoyathedestroya]

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Don't discount the real possibility of the Celtics trading for Smart during preseason.

[zoyathedestroya]

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Don't discount the real possibility of the Celtics trading for Smart during preseason.

[philing00]

Probably yes. Smart averaged about 8apg the first 2.5 months of last season, then dropped to 4 or so as the offense became more Jay-centric.

Smart *could* distribute and be a “true” PG but I think Brad just indicated he’s comfortable playing through the stars instead. Include Brogdon in that — it’s a lot of iso scoring — they’ll need to grow individually and mesh collectively.

I just don’t get this move. Brad preaches quick decision making on offense. We lose grit, defence and passing with this move. Totally against what was lacking last playoffs.
Is KP getting extended? Seems like too much for a rental. If so, aren’t we going to be as stuffed as PHX in a couple of years time cap wise??
KP hasn’t played with elite wings like the Js. Will be very interesting on offense.
Anything but a ring will make this trade look bad.

How is that fair to say when we have 0 titles when smart was here? If we come up just short again it would be just like all the years we had smart as far as the end result.

I’d rather we lose with Smart, than lose with a more talented roster. Just means it wasn’t Smarts fault.

[Tyakack]

I just don’t get this move. Brad preaches quick decision making on offense. We lose grit, defence and passing with this move. Totally against what was lacking last playoffs.
Is KP getting extended? Seems like too much for a rental. If so, aren’t we going to be as stuffed as PHX in a couple of years time cap wise??
KP hasn’t played with elite wings like the Js. Will be very interesting on offense.
Anything but a ring will make this trade look bad.

How is that fair to say when we have 0 titles when smart was here? If we come up just short again it would be just like all the years we had smart as far as the end result.

I’d rather we lose with Smart, than lose with a more talented roster. Just means it wasn’t Smarts fault.

Fair enough.

[tfmiii]

I loved him and hated him and will miss him - just as you'd expect with any member of a family.

He helped instill peerless camaraderie, set the standard for hustle, grit, and willingness to sacrifice. He's the definition of a competitor and teammate and rightfully celebrated for all these qualities.

But he also embodied and in a sense set the tone for some of the team's worst flaws - a tendency to lose focus and hot dog when the team was up. Also a poor grasp of the importance of pace, often slowing the game down when the other team was on the ropes or late in pressure games. A lack of consistency and, for a pg, of the ability to settle the team down when the pressure ratcheted up.

Others have mentioned the shooting, which handicapped us in close games, but don't overlook degree of difficulty involved in having a pg who can't penetrate effectively initiate the offense, especially when pressured.

His indisputable individual virtues were too often offset by his broader impact on team performance. He was asked to do too much and that hurt the team in the larger picture but that was also due in part to his inability or unwillingness to recognize his limitations.

I'll cheer him on his return. He'll always be welcome in the garden. I'll root for him... except when he plays the Celtics

[Triple7]

I just don’t get this move. Brad preaches quick decision making on offense. We lose grit, defence and passing with this move. Totally against what was lacking last playoffs.
Is KP getting extended? Seems like too much for a rental. If so, aren’t we going to be as stuffed as PHX in a couple of years time cap wise??
KP hasn’t played with elite wings like the Js. Will be very interesting on offense.
Anything but a ring will make this trade look bad.

How is that fair to say when we have 0 titles when smart was here? If we come up just short again it would be just like all the years we had smart as far as the end result.

I’d rather we lose with Smart, than lose with a more talented roster. Just means it wasn’t Smarts fault.

Lol, we have a better shot at winning with Smart gone, but nothing is guaranteed in this league. I’d still do that trade everytime.

[Wolverine44]

Marcus was my favorite C's player as well. In some ways it's shocking he is gone but I think the team needed a shake up in it's core, time will tell if this was the correct move. Thanks for everything Marcus

[shackles10]

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Don't discount the real possibility of the Celtics trading for Smart during preseason.

I saw that too and my first thought was in 3 years JT is going to demand they sign Marcus. My second thought was “is there a way to get him this off-season still and do a redo”. My third thought was “oh **** JT is going to demand a trade to Memphis”. Then I beat my head against the wall and no longer have any thoughts on this.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

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Don't discount the real possibility of the Celtics trading for Smart during preseason.

Memphis took Smart to mentor Morant. So if Morant does another gun video and gets suspended for a year or more they have no need for Smart and can give him back right ?

[Mr_Mojo_Risin]

I loved him and hated him and will miss him - just as you'd expect with any member of a family.

He helped instill peerless camaraderie, set the standard for hustle, grit, and willingness to sacrifice. He's the definition of a competitor and teammate and rightfully celebrated for all these qualities.

But he also embodied and in a sense set the tone for some of the team's worst flaws - a tendency to lose focus and hot dog when the team was up. Also a poor grasp of the importance of pace, often slowing the game down when the other team was on the ropes or late in pressure games. A lack of consistency and, for a pg, of the ability to settle the team down when the pressure ratcheted up.

Others have mentioned the shooting, which handicapped us in close games, but don't overlook degree of difficulty involved in having a pg who can't penetrate effectively initiate the offense, especially when pressured.

His indisputable individual virtues were too often offset by his broader impact on team performance. He was asked to do too much and that hurt the team in the larger picture but that was also due in part to his inability or unwillingness to recognize his limitations.

I'll cheer him on his return. He'll always be welcome in the garden. I'll root for him... except when he plays the Celtics

This is a very fair summary…so…get that **** outta here, this is the appreciation and LOVE thread!!!

[BK_2020]

I loved him and hated him and will miss him - just as you'd expect with any member of a family.

He helped instill peerless camaraderie, set the standard for hustle, grit, and willingness to sacrifice. He's the definition of a competitor and teammate and rightfully celebrated for all these qualities.

But he also embodied and in a sense set the tone for some of the team's worst flaws - a tendency to lose focus and hot dog when the team was up. Also a poor grasp of the importance of pace, often slowing the game down when the other team was on the ropes or late in pressure games. A lack of consistency and, for a pg, of the ability to settle the team down when the pressure ratcheted up.

Others have mentioned the shooting, which handicapped us in close games, but don't overlook degree of difficulty involved in having a pg who can't penetrate effectively initiate the offense, especially when pressured.

His indisputable individual virtues were too often offset by his broader impact on team performance. He was asked to do too much and that hurt the team in the larger picture but that was also due in part to his inability or unwillingness to recognize his limitations.

I'll cheer him on his return. He'll always be welcome in the garden. I'll root for him... except when he plays the Celtics

Yeah for me, too, Smart's biggest flaw on offense was his inability to get to the rim, not shooting or turnovers.