Specific Criticism of Smart I'm Tired of Hearing

[Big333223]

1. Smart's terrible shooting makes everything else irrelevant.

2. Smart's defense and intensity on the court make his terrible shooting irrelevant.

I've seen a lot more of #1 than #2 but I've still seen both and both are equaling ridiculous. Smart has a problem with his shooting and needs to get better to play the position he plays in the NBA. Everyone agrees on that. But it does not mean that the rest of the stuff he does doesn't matter and vice versa. You can criticize parts of a player's game without making absolute statements about whether or not he should play/not play/be traded, et al.

/whining

[Redz]

this has me thinking about my marriage. I'm a faithful, supportive and patient husband/father and yet my wife is critical of my penchant for burping and farting. 

...I wasn't even a lottery pick

[Big333223]

this has me thinking about my marriage. I'm a faithful, supportive and patient husband/father and yet my wife is critical of my penchant for burping and farting. 

...I wasn't even a lottery pick

Perfect analogy.

[GratefulCs]

this has me thinking about my marriage. I'm a faithful, supportive and patient husband/father and yet my wife is critical of my penchant for burping and farting. 

...I wasn't even a lottery pick

she should be grateful you feel comfortable enough to do that around her


It ain't love til you can be gassy around them

[Moranis]

Blame Smart.  If he could shoot better than you wouldn't hear about either.

[Eja117]

this has me thinking about my marriage. I'm a faithful, supportive and patient husband/father and yet my wife is critical of my penchant for burping and farting. 

...I wasn't even a lottery pick

Well if you do those things all the time and she coulda married Julius Randle then you should probably call your agent or get in the fudging gym.

[dreamgreen]

Smart is a fine player and getting better I'm not convinced he is starter quality but hopefully he can reach that. It seems his mid range game has improved and I really like that floater he has developed. His biggest problem is this insane idea that he is the alpha on offense. If he can get past that and take "his" shots and make plays for others he becomes a real asset on the floor.

[apc]

this has me thinking about my marriage. I'm a faithful, supportive and patient husband/father and yet my wife is critical of my penchant for burping and farting. 

...I wasn't even a lottery pick

Does she know you have over 2500 TPs ?

[manl_lui]

this has me thinking about my marriage. I'm a faithful, supportive and patient husband/father and yet my wife is critical of my penchant for burping and farting. 

...I wasn't even a lottery pick

comment of the day LOL

[CelticGuardian]

Well, sorry to hear that... but, unless Smart changes his game, the critics will continue to sing the same song. He does shoot too much, he needs to be better, but how come Steven isn't telling him that a high volume 3pt shooter, is not his game? I understand Stevens respect player's individuality, but at what point do you say, "hey for the sake of both our jobs, please put the ball on the floor"

[hwangjini_1]

1. Smart's terrible shooting makes everything else irrelevant.

2. Smart's defense and intensity on the court make his terrible shooting irrelevant.

I've seen a lot more of #1 than #2 but I've still seen both and both are equaling ridiculous. Smart has a problem with his shooting and needs to get better to play the position he plays in the NBA. Everyone agrees on that. But it does not mean that the rest of the stuff he does doesn't matter and vice versa. You can criticize parts of a player's game without making absolute statements about whether or not he should play/not play/be traded, et al.

/whining

hmmmm...not sure whether this last part was directed at other posters? or is a form of self relfexity? 

[Snakehead]

For me the thing I am annoyed with his acting like shooting is all there is to the offensive end.  Especially with how you have seen him this year, Smart can do other things.  He can really pass and his ball handling has got a lot better.  He has some nice moves in the post even.  He's a very smart player on offense in addition to his defense which really is a positive. 

He makes big plays on offense as well.  He has often had to play at SF this year and really holds his own on both ends when undersized.  There are a lot of positives that people can overlook because they just end at his shooting, and that's not a full look at a player.

I think maybe you would consider me almost someone you are complaining about but the reality is he does more things on both ends and yes he doesn't shoot that well.  He is still a positive on offense especially these days.  This is a guy who can clean up his shooting and be a star player.  I think we are just seeing him start to get to handle the ball more this year in recent games and he has had big assist totals.

[Ed Hollison]

Forget Smart's defense and shooting. The true mark of a winner is whether or not he has the mentality to leave his postpartum wife behind to play a regular season game in the middle of November. Ok, Mike, ok?!

[droopdog7]

The truth is, offense is much more valuable than defense.  So while his lousy offense doesn't make his defense irrelevant, it is a much more important aspect of the game.  In other words, great defense and lousy offense don't make an average player.  It makes a below average player.  On the other hand, there are many examples of great offensive players with bad defense that are still good players overall.

[jpotter33]

The truth is, offense is much more valuable than defense.  So while his lousy offense doesn't make his defense irrelevant, it is a much more important aspect of the game.  In other words, great defense and lousy offense don't make an average player.  It makes a below average player.  On the other hand, there are many examples of great offensive players with bad defense that are still good players overall.

Oh, now we're going as far as labeling Smart a below average player?

Funny, I didn't know below average players average over thirty minutes and are always on the court in crunch time for teams with serious playoff aspirations. 

Brad just must seriously be overrated if he trusts and plays a "below average" player as much as he does...

Such biased nonsense. There are good arguments to suggest Smart will never be more than a rich man's Tony Allen and never develop into a star. I still think he has the potential to get there, though of course that doesn't mean he will or will not get there. However, to suggest that he's a below average player is just absolute ridiculousness.