Smart or White?

[Goldstar88]

If both were about to become free agents and you could only afford to keep one going forward, who would it be?

[Roy H.]

I'd call for Wyc's head, because we can afford both, and both are indispensable to team success.

I know that's not the spirit of your question, but it's how I'd react.  If asked who is having a better season this year, it's White.

[Phantom255x]

Hate losing Smart, but it's White for me. He can play really well on both ends whereas Smart can be extremely limited on offense. White is having a better season than Smart too and when Smart was out for 5-6 weeks, White filled in admirably and we didn't miss a beat.

[Moranis]

White is healthier, so I'd go with him.

[Vermont Green]

It is an interesting topic.  White has made it a topic of discussion by playing so well.  Think back one year ago though.  White was in a funk, couldn't hit the side of a barn.  Meanwhile, Smart was the floor general for the best starting 5 in the game, and playing some of the best basketball of his career.

My point is that it is wrong, or at least incomplete, if you only compare what Smart and White have done in the last couple of weeks.  In that time, White is playing the best ball of his career, Smart is coming off an injury and is not playing the best basketball of his career (to put it mildly).  At some point, if both continue on their current trajectory, then for that hypothetical, I would say yes, White should be bumped up to the lead PG and Smart should find a bench role.

But I say give Smart some more time.  See if he can get his mojo back.  Time is running out on the season but I say give Smart two more weeks, until mid-March.  If at that time, White is still playing that much better, then yes, make some adjustments and prepare for the playoffs based on that.

[Goldstar88]

I'd call for Wyc's head, because we can afford both, and both are indispensable to team success.

I know that's not the spirit of your question, but it's how I'd react.  If asked who is having a better season this year, it's White.

Yeah, I just didn’t want to get into talking potential contracts. White is having the better season, but last year Smart did. Was curious to see who people would rather move forward with if they had to choose.

[Csfan1984]

Depends on the team setup. White for more scoring. Smart for more passing. Both play decent defense White is quicker but Smart can guard up. The trio of Smart, White and Brogdon have been great. Feel bad for PP.

[Goldstar88]

It is an interesting topic.  White has made it a topic of discussion by playing so well.  Think back one year ago though.  White was in a funk, couldn't hit the side of a barn.  Meanwhile, Smart was the floor general for the best starting 5 in the game, and playing some of the best basketball of his career.

My point is that it is wrong, or at least incomplete, if you only compare what Smart and White have done in the last couple of weeks.  In that time, White is playing the best ball of his career, Smart is coming off an injury and is not playing the best basketball of his career (to put it mildly).  At some point, if both continue on their current trajectory, then for that hypothetical, I would say yes, White should be bumped up to the lead PG and Smart should find a bench role.

But I say give Smart some more time.  See if he can get his mojo back.  Time is running out on the season but I say give Smart two more weeks, until mid-March.  If at that time, White is still playing that much better, then yes, make some adjustments and prepare for the playoffs based on that.

Exactly, that’s why I was curious to see who people would prefer moving forward with if having to choose between the two. It’s a tough call for sure.

[Vermont Green]

It is an interesting topic.  White has made it a topic of discussion by playing so well.  Think back one year ago though.  White was in a funk, couldn't hit the side of a barn.  Meanwhile, Smart was the floor general for the best starting 5 in the game, and playing some of the best basketball of his career.

My point is that it is wrong, or at least incomplete, if you only compare what Smart and White have done in the last couple of weeks.  In that time, White is playing the best ball of his career, Smart is coming off an injury and is not playing the best basketball of his career (to put it mildly).  At some point, if both continue on their current trajectory, then for that hypothetical, I would say yes, White should be bumped up to the lead PG and Smart should find a bench role.

But I say give Smart some more time.  See if he can get his mojo back.  Time is running out on the season but I say give Smart two more weeks, until mid-March.  If at that time, White is still playing that much better, then yes, make some adjustments and prepare for the playoffs based on that.

Exactly, that’s why I was curious to see who people would prefer moving forward with if having to choose between the two. It’s a tough call for sure.

To me, Smart has proven more and proven it longer than White has.  If I had to bet on one, I would still bet on Smart based on that.  But I see no need to move on from one or the other.

[Goldstar88]

It is an interesting topic.  White has made it a topic of discussion by playing so well.  Think back one year ago though.  White was in a funk, couldn't hit the side of a barn.  Meanwhile, Smart was the floor general for the best starting 5 in the game, and playing some of the best basketball of his career.

My point is that it is wrong, or at least incomplete, if you only compare what Smart and White have done in the last couple of weeks.  In that time, White is playing the best ball of his career, Smart is coming off an injury and is not playing the best basketball of his career (to put it mildly).  At some point, if both continue on their current trajectory, then for that hypothetical, I would say yes, White should be bumped up to the lead PG and Smart should find a bench role.

But I say give Smart some more time.  See if he can get his mojo back.  Time is running out on the season but I say give Smart two more weeks, until mid-March.  If at that time, White is still playing that much better, then yes, make some adjustments and prepare for the playoffs based on that.

Exactly, that’s why I was curious to see who people would prefer moving forward with if having to choose between the two. It’s a tough call for sure.

To me, Smart has proven more and proven it longer than White has.  If I had to bet on one, I would still bet on Smart based on that.  But I see no need to move on from one or the other.

Maybe not for this year, but at some point roster changes will likely be necessary. Horford is going to be 37 this year and eventually will no longer be a starting caliber PF. Grant has shown that he is not that guy, so you might have to make a trade down the road and include one of White or Smart to upgrade the PF position. Then you have Davison playing well in the G-league. He might be a suitable bench guard at some point. I’d imagine these are things that Brad has to consider on a regular basis.

[Vermont Green]

To me, Smart has proven more and proven it longer than White has.  If I had to bet on one, I would still bet on Smart based on that.  But I see no need to move on from one or the other.

Maybe not for this year, but at some point roster changes will likely be necessary. Horford is going to be 37 this year and eventually will no longer be a starting caliber PF. Grant has shown that he is not that guy, so you might have to make a trade down the road and include one of White or Smart to upgrade the PF position. Then you have Davison playing well in the G-league. He might be a suitable bench guard at some point. I’d imagine these are things that Brad has to consider on a regular basis.

I understand what you mean.  We could trade one of them to get a starting level PF back in return.  I would  trade the one that returned the greater value.  I am not sure which one that would be but right now, I would rather keep Smart over White, but by a slim margin.  My plan A would be to keep both, see what Gallinari can give us, and go from there.  They are both under contract for a couple more seasons, as is Horford.

PF and even C (depending on how Rob Williams holds up) are concerns moving forward.  But for next season, if we have Horford, RWill, Gallinari, Grant, and Muscala.  That should be solid enough that we don't have to sell off Smart or White.  I admit there is plenty of risk in that group and it may come to that point where we have to give up Smart or White to address the position, but we aren't there now unless someone offers us a really good big because they really want White or something.  In that case, sure, I would be totally open to trading either.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Both players are in the "they are worth more to us than to you" category. What I mean is that most teams would not value them as highly as Stevens does.

Both players make a positive impact on the game in ways that go beyond normal counting stats.

So in other words, we'd be looking for an almost all-star forward that consistently makes the right plays and makes a positive impact on the game, even if their counting stats don't show it.

We need Al Horford from 5 years ago. Draymond Green is a similar-type player, but that's a weird situation and the Warriors would want more.

Sengun is solid, but we can't really wait for him to develop. It's unclear to me whether or not Collins is just getting bad at basketball, or if the Trae Young situation is that bad. Another guy I think is starting to become something is Naz Reid, but it's unclear what the Wolves would want to do there and they'd likely need to send more back (although I definitely could see them wanting a player like White or Smart to put next to Edwards).

There's not an obvious fit to me right now.

[RodyTur10]

Both players are in the "they are worth more to us than to you" category. What I mean is that most teams would not value them as highly as Stevens does.

Both players make a positive impact on the game in ways that go beyond normal counting stats.

So in other words, we'd be looking for an almost all-star forward that consistently makes the right plays and makes a positive impact on the game, even if their counting stats don't show it.

We need Al Horford from 5 years ago. Draymond Green is a similar-type player, but that's a weird situation and the Warriors would want more.

Sengun is solid, but we can't really wait for him to develop. It's unclear to me whether or not Collins is just getting bad at basketball, or if the Trae Young situation is that bad. Another guy I think is starting to become something is Naz Reid, but it's unclear what the Wolves would want to do there and they'd likely need to send more back (although I definitely could see them wanting a player like White or Smart to put next to Edwards).

There's not an obvious fit to me right now.

I don't know. Smart is the current DPOY, a leader, in his prime and on a very good contract. I'd think he has a lot of trading value. Lots of GM's could believe he'd be a good fit alongside the abundance of scoring guards with bad defense. And for the Celtics with now White and Brogdon present he's not as indispensable as he used to.

A forward like Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby or Jonathan Isaac (big gamble) would interest me.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Both players are in the "they are worth more to us than to you" category. What I mean is that most teams would not value them as highly as Stevens does.

Both players make a positive impact on the game in ways that go beyond normal counting stats.

So in other words, we'd be looking for an almost all-star forward that consistently makes the right plays and makes a positive impact on the game, even if their counting stats don't show it.

We need Al Horford from 5 years ago. Draymond Green is a similar-type player, but that's a weird situation and the Warriors would want more.

Sengun is solid, but we can't really wait for him to develop. It's unclear to me whether or not Collins is just getting bad at basketball, or if the Trae Young situation is that bad. Another guy I think is starting to become something is Naz Reid, but it's unclear what the Wolves would want to do there and they'd likely need to send more back (although I definitely could see them wanting a player like White or Smart to put next to Edwards).

There's not an obvious fit to me right now.

I don't know. Smart is the current DPOY, a leader, in his prime and on a very good contract. I'd think he has a lot of trading value. Lots of GM's could believe he'd be a good fit alongside the abundance of scoring guards with bad defense. And for the Celtics with now White and Brogdon present he's not as indispensable as he used to.

A forward like Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby or Jonathan Isaac (big gamble) would interest me.

I've decided that I think Derrick White is 90% of what Bridges is and that we don't need him. I think they play similarly, guard similar positions on the court with similar effectiveness, and have the same positive influence.

I'm just not really convinced that OG is better than Smart. I think his reputation as a defender has outpaced his play, and I'm not a believer in his offense. But this is an example of what I'm talking about. Both the Raptors and the Celtics value their guy more than the guy they'd be getting back.

I'm about 90% in on Johnathan Isaac. I want to see him finish the year, but I don't think he would cost either White or Smart to acquire.

[Goldstar88]

Both players are in the "they are worth more to us than to you" category. What I mean is that most teams would not value them as highly as Stevens does.

Both players make a positive impact on the game in ways that go beyond normal counting stats.

So in other words, we'd be looking for an almost all-star forward that consistently makes the right plays and makes a positive impact on the game, even if their counting stats don't show it.

We need Al Horford from 5 years ago. Draymond Green is a similar-type player, but that's a weird situation and the Warriors would want more.

Sengun is solid, but we can't really wait for him to develop. It's unclear to me whether or not Collins is just getting bad at basketball, or if the Trae Young situation is that bad. Another guy I think is starting to become something is Naz Reid, but it's unclear what the Wolves would want to do there and they'd likely need to send more back (although I definitely could see them wanting a player like White or Smart to put next to Edwards).

There's not an obvious fit to me right now.

Some possible Horford replacements down the road: Markkanen, Randle, Siakam. Any of those would be ideal. Olynyk wouldn’t be a bad option either.