Smart in verbal altercation w/fan. Says players might need to protect themselves

[tazzmaniac]

I don't think Smart is being thin skinned, he's just saying that action needs to be done to protect the players. Sure the fans can heckle but there's need to be a line drawn on what you can say. The fact that security didn't action is perplexing.

Protect them from what?  There was no physical threat to Smart.  The verbal comments were tame.  There were no racial slurs.  Security did apparently investigate and found nothing that deserved action.  There is certainly a line but nothing that has been presented so far indicates the fan came close to crossing it. 

[LilRip]

Double post

[LilRip]

Did Smart shove the fan? Did he shout at him or keep jawing at him? No, he did what (I assume) the NBA protocol is which is call security/officials to let them handle it and don’t further escalate the situation during the game.

I’m sure all NBA players hear plenty of pretty bad stuff game in and game out. But some comments are just “what the?” and I can see the potentially racial undertones to this. Would the fan have shouted this to Gordon Hayward? Idk. Maybe, maybe not. Would the fan have been booted if Westbrook or Lebron or Giannis complained? Idk. Maybe, maybe not. It definitely would’ve been a bigger story though

[Rondo9]

I don't think Smart is being thin skinned, he's just saying that action needs to be done to protect the players. Sure the fans can heckle but there's need to be a line drawn on what you can say. The fact that security didn't action is perplexing.

Protect them from what?  There was no physical threat to Smart.  The verbal comments were tame.  There were no racial slurs.  Security did apparently investigate and found nothing that deserved action.  There is certainly a line but nothing that has been presented so far indicates the fan came close to crossing it.

It doesn't have to be racial slurs, it could be stuff like "get on your knees" which depending on the person could interpreted as homophobic. I'm sure there's a line but I think it's been rather soft in how the NBA is implementing it but that's just me.

[tazzmaniac]

I don't think Smart is being thin skinned, he's just saying that action needs to be done to protect the players. Sure the fans can heckle but there's need to be a line drawn on what you can say. The fact that security didn't action is perplexing.

Protect them from what?  There was no physical threat to Smart.  The verbal comments were tame.  There were no racial slurs.  Security did apparently investigate and found nothing that deserved action.  There is certainly a line but nothing that has been presented so far indicates the fan came close to crossing it.

It doesn't have to be racial slurs, it could be stuff like "get on your knees" which depending on the person could interpreted as homophobic. I'm sure there's a line but I think it's been rather soft in how the NBA is implementing it but that's just me.

Everything nowadays could be interpreted as something.  Society as a whole is thin skinned. 

[18isGREATERthan72]

I don't think Smart is being thin skinned, he's just saying that action needs to be done to protect the players. Sure the fans can heckle but there's need to be a line drawn on what you can say. The fact that security didn't action is perplexing.

Protect them from what?  There was no physical threat to Smart.  The verbal comments were tame.  There were no racial slurs.  Security did apparently investigate and found nothing that deserved action.  There is certainly a line but nothing that has been presented so far indicates the fan came close to crossing it.

It doesn't have to be racial slurs, it could be stuff like "get on your knees" which depending on the person could interpreted as homophobic. I'm sure there's a line but I think it's been rather soft in how the NBA is implementing it but that's just me.

Telling a man (or a woman for that matter) to get on their knees is just as bad as using a racial slur in my opinion.  Both are terms used to assert dominance over another person.

[KGs Knee]

Society as a whole is thin skinned. 

I'm not sure if it's that more people today are easily hurt by insults or if more people today are just unwilling to tolerate insults.  It could be both, but it's definitely not neither.

I'm curious, though, and the irony here is not lost on me, but how bad is the commentary towards Kyrie going to be whenever the next time he plays in Boston?  Will the same people defending Smart today and speaking against such insulting commentary from fans act accordingly?  Or will they continue to spew the same vitriol I've read in many threads here? There have been some very nasty things said about him that goes well beyond simply calling him a bad teammate, selfish, poor performer, ect.

[ChillyWilly]

Weak sauce if opposing fans words affect you like that.

so he has to take abuse? What if he is weak? Why does he have to take abuse? Looks like you are making excuses for the abuser. Weak or strong the player has a right not to be abuse in that manner.

Take abuse? They are words not punches. Larry Bird should be banned from every NBA arena than if words are so abusive to players.

Weak sauce from Marcus on this one won't be convinced other wise.

Verbal abuse is abuse, dude.  Not like he could just walk away, he was stuck and had to listen to that garbage.

Everyone of Larry Birds opponents couldn't walk away either they took that ship for 35 mins a night

[Somebody]

Society as a whole is thin skinned. 

I'm not sure if it's that more people today are easily hurt by insults or if more people today are just unwilling to tolerate insults.  It could be both, but it's definitely not neither.

I'm curious, though, and the irony here is not lost on me, but how bad is the commentary towards Kyrie going to be whenever the next time he plays in Boston?  Will the same people defending Smart today and speaking against such insulting commentary from fans act accordingly?  Or will they continue to spew the same vitriol I've read in many threads here? There have been some very nasty things said about him that goes well beyond simply calling him a bad teammate, selfish, poor performer, ect.

Has there really been such nasty stuff? I consider myself to be one of the more aggressive posters who openly express their dislike of Kyrie, and it never really goes over the line of calling him a selfish individual who sabotaged a great squad with his inability to be even a decent teammate, not to mention his absolute no show when we needed him the most after putting up with his shtick for one whole season.

[nickagneta]

Society as a whole is thin skinned. 

I'm not sure if it's that more people today are easily hurt by insults or if more people today are just unwilling to tolerate insults.  It could be both, but it's definitely not neither.

I'm curious, though, and the irony here is not lost on me, but how bad is the commentary towards Kyrie going to be whenever the next time he plays in Boston?  Will the same people defending Smart today and speaking against such insulting commentary from fans act accordingly?  Or will they continue to spew the same vitriol I've read in many threads here? There have been some very nasty things said about him that goes well beyond simply calling him a bad teammate, selfish, poor performer, ect.

Has there really been such nasty stuff? I consider myself to be one of the more aggressive posters who openly express their dislike of Kyrie, and it never really goes over the line of calling him a selfish individual who sabotaged a great squad with his inability to be even a decent teammate, not to mention his absolute no show when we needed him the most after putting up with his shtick for one whole season.

As a person who moderates such behavior on this site I will tell you that yes, many have crossed a line with their comments regarding Kyrie.