Thank You Marcus Smart! We’ll Miss You

[theswitch]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/06/22/sports/marcus-smarts-initial-reaction-celtics-trading-him-was-said-be-complete-shock/

What a bummer -- still think it's a good basketball move but it's hard not to love the guy.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

My favorite player...gone.  This might be the worst thing this franchise has ever done.  Ever.

You haven’t been around very long then.

LOL i was about to tell him the same thing. me and you are almost same age, i may be a couple years older and we both started watching the C's at the same time as little kids. early 80s.

that poster might be 15. lol

[SparzWizard]

Smart said he's still trying to process it and is still shocked.

Smart needs to understand that NBA is a business. Loyalty should not matter on both ways in business aspects. We've learned that the hard way many times with this franchise.

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

hate brad keeping mazz but like this move heck yes.

[Donoghus]

Smart said he's still trying to process it and is still shocked.

Smart needs to understand that NBA is a business. Loyalty should not matter on both ways in business aspects. We've learned that the hard way many times with this franchise.

There's no doubt he understands that the NBA is a business. 

He literally just got traded from the only place he called home for his entire professional career, of course its going to take time to process.  That's human nature.  Who wouldn't be shocked in this situation?

[RJ87]

Smart said he's still trying to process it and is still shocked.

Smart needs to understand that NBA is a business. Loyalty should not matter on both ways in business aspects. We've learned that the hard way many times with this franchise.

There's no doubt he understands that the NBA is a business. 

He literally just got traded from the only place he called home for his entire professional career, of course its going to take time to process.  That's human nature.  Who wouldn't be shocked in this situation?

Agreed. Even if it's a business, this is still a shock.

He's gone through a lot here, including the loss of his mother. It's completely natural to have a strong reaction.

On the bright side, sounds like the team was able to notify him before it hit social media. That's not always the case these days (look at the Suns and Chris Paul).

[BASS_THUMPER]

[Kernewek]

My favorite player...gone.  This might be the worst thing this franchise has ever done.  Ever.

You haven’t been around very long then.

LOL i was about to tell him the same thing. me and you are almost same age, i may be a couple years older and we both started watching the C's at the same time as little kids. early 80s.

that poster might be 15. lol

I dunno, I'd say Marcus was my favourite Celtics player for his tenure, most of the time it was by a long shot.

Regardless, hating on someone for being born late enough to have no memory of a lot of terrible Celtics teams feels kind of weird.

[keevsnick]

Guy was the longest tenured Celtic. Legitimately sad to see him go, as sad as any Boston athlete in recent memory.

[SparzWizard]

Guy was the longest tenured Celtic. Legitimately sad to see him go, as sad as any Boston athlete in recent memory.

It's Tom Brady for me and will always be. And then Paul Pierce, KG...sigh

[Celtics2021]

Smart said he's still trying to process it and is still shocked.

Smart needs to understand that NBA is a business. Loyalty should not matter on both ways in business aspects. We've learned that the hard way many times with this franchise.

There's no doubt he understands that the NBA is a business. 

He literally just got traded from the only place he called home for his entire professional career, of course its going to take time to process.  That's human nature.  Who wouldn't be shocked in this situation?

Seriously, I’m just a fan and I’m still processing the shock.  It’s his actual life.

[perks-a-beast]

I’ve had my frustrations with smart as a basketball player over the years to put it mildly. But I always got the sense that he is a really good dude with a good heart. He hasn’t had an easy life but feel like he always tried his best to put his best self forward.

I really hope he can get back to his DPOY form. But even if he doesn’t, Memphis will still love him. Best of luck, Marcus.

[GreenEnvy]

Guy was the longest tenured Celtic. Legitimately sad to see him go, as sad as any Boston athlete in recent memory.

I was obviously upset when Pierce (whom in the early 2000’s was the reason I became a C’s fan) and KG got traded, but the writing was on the wall and at least they came to my hometown. That team clearly peaked and the Celtics, in hindsight, couldn’t have possibly gotten a better return for them.

Then there was IT. That one definitely stung. But he was coming off a serious injury and going to a good situation (or so we thought at the time), plus we were getting an All-NBA player in return (lol).

But for some reason Smart hits differently. Maybe the shock factor amplifies it. Was he perfect? No. For every spectacular play he made, did he make a boneheaded one as well? Sure. He was as exhilarating as he was frustrating. But he was a Celtic. Through and through. He embodied what the franchise is about.

[Celtic Fan Forever]

Something didn’t sit right with me when I saw that Marcus was involved in this new trade instead of Brogdon. It honestly makes sense basketball wise- I think White is a better fit starting with the Jays and Brogdon is obviously well suited for that 6th man role.

But man… really hate to see Marcus go from an emotional standpoint. That dude gave his heart and soul to this team. He was incredibly frustrating at times but you never questioned his effort and love for the team and the organization.

Cold move by Brad, even if it’s the right one from a basketball standpoint. I will miss Marcus and wish him the best, it’s been awesome having him be a part of this team the last 9 years.

[hwangjini_1]

I loved Smart as a Celtic more than I can express.

Did the Celtics get a ridiculously good return on the trade? Yes.

Was it time to let Smart go as age and wear and tear add up? Yes.

Was his style of all out effort about to result in his decline? Yes.

But I still wish he was a Celtic and had a title to show for it.

I will always miss him as a Celtic.