Marcus Smart: "If you're trying to be pretty then this isn't the game for you."

[RockinRyA]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

[perks-a-beast]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

[10610786d]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

Save for Embiid, Jokic and Aaron Gordon, I feel all of the above are debatable. It's just a really good draft huh.

And with the way Wiggins, Parker and Lavine are going...having Smart on a mid-level contract might be preferable...... Having Wiggins on a max is one of several reasons why the Wolves suck right now. And Parker has been sucking on an already bad Bulls team. Same for Lavine.

Clarkson and Rodney Hood are just straight up worse. Jerami Grant is pretty awesome, but if you're gonna discount Smart for being limited offensively, then Grant is far more limited...Nurkic as a starting center in today's NBA just makes Portland worse off...

[RockinRyA]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

Of course you are wrong. look at the names you posted. Heck go to Canis Hoopus and you'd find a lot of posters who prefer Smart over Wiggins. Clarkson lol go to FearTheSword last playoffs and most of them want to throw him away.

Its really laughable how you can list a lot of those guys, I'm guessing you are a stat total kind of guy, you dont even consider the advanced metrics and the eye test. 

[10610786d]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

Of course you are wrong. look at the names you posted. Heck go to Canis Hoopus and you'd find a lot of posters who prefer Smart over Wiggins. Clarkson lol go to FearTheSword last playoffs and most of them want to throw him away.

Its really laughable how you can list a lot of those guys, I'm guessing you are a stat total kind of guy, you dont even consider the advanced metrics and the eye test. 

Who, from the list, would you rank above Smart then?

Randle vs. Smart seems totally debatable now too.

Very interesting draft.

[perks-a-beast]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

Of course you are wrong. look at the names you posted. Heck go to Canis Hoopus and you'd find a lot of posters who prefer Smart over Wiggins. Clarkson lol go to FearTheSword last playoffs and most of them want to throw him away.

Its really laughable how you can list a lot of those guys, I'm guessing you are a stat total kind of guy, you dont even consider the advanced metrics and the eye test. 

Who, from the list, would you rank above Smart then?

Randle vs. Smart seems totally debatable now too.

Very interesting draft.

Not really a debate at all. Randle is just better. He’s averaging 19/9/3 in like 27 minutes this season while shooting like 55% from the field. It’s not even that I’m a total stat guy, that type of efficiency is just more important than defensive prowess in today’s NBA.

I’ve always felt that Marcus Smart was born about 15 years too late. He would have thrived in the early to mid 2000’s where there was more emphasis on defense, and juggernaut defensive teams like the Pistons and Spurs who would routinely hold teams below 70 points in playoff games.

[Androslav]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

Of course you are wrong. look at the names you posted. Heck go to Canis Hoopus and you'd find a lot of posters who prefer Smart over Wiggins. Clarkson lol go to FearTheSword last playoffs and most of them want to throw him away.

Its really laughable how you can list a lot of those guys, I'm guessing you are a stat total kind of guy, you dont even consider the advanced metrics and the eye test. 

Who, from the list, would you rank above Smart then?

Randle vs. Smart seems totally debatable now too.

Very interesting draft.

Not really a debate at all. Randle is just better. He’s averaging 19/9/3 in like 27 minutes this season while shooting like 55% from the field. It’s not even that I’m a total stat guy, that type of efficiency is just more important than defensive prowess in today’s NBA.

I’ve always felt that Marcus Smart was born about 15 years too late. He would have thrived in the early to mid 2000’s where there was more emphasis on defense, and juggernaut defensive teams like the Pistons and Spurs who would routinely hold teams below 70 points in playoff games.

It is very much of a question which player is more winning one.
I think it is Smart.
Randle has a def rtg of 111.4 (would rank at about 25th place as a team), he was always poor at defending. Smart, on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired on offense, but he is probably our best defender.

[makaveli]

 Sun, Dec 2

Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart got tangled up in practice on Wednesday and Hayward proceeded to attempt to dunk everything the rest of practice.

Advice: Smart doesn't back down from anyone, even his own teammates. In this case, there was nothing wrong, just two teammates practicing hard, but it really sparked Hayward. His return hasn't been easy, but maybe his 30-point explosion on Saturday is a sign of the tide turning for the better.
i got this from my yahoo fantasy update on GH. didn't see it here, but you gotta love it, right???

[IDreamCeltics]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

You're not wrong at all.  Smart was a panic pick on Ainge's part.  Basically they were so sure they were going to trade the pick that they didn't really do their due diligence with draft preparation. 

Smart's biggest problem has always been that he was drafted 15 picks too high.  If he had just been a late first round pick he wouldn't have felt the need to live upto his draft position and thus never would have had the terrible offensive efficiency problems that have made him one of the worst offensive players in NBA history.  He'd essentially have become the best version of himself as a defensive guard who stands in the corner on offense and hit's threes from his spot.

I'm saying this and I like Smart, but guys like him are available in the the latter half of the first round in every single draft. I think Danny just got excited by the obvious and accurate Tony Allen comparisons.

[RLewis35]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

Save for Embiid, Jokic and Aaron Gordon, I feel all of the above are debatable. It's just a really good draft huh.

And with the way Wiggins, Parker and Lavine are going...having Smart on a mid-level contract might be preferable...... Having Wiggins on a max is one of several reasons why the Wolves suck right now. And Parker has been sucking on an already bad Bulls team. Same for Lavine.

Clarkson and Rodney Hood are just straight up worse. Jerami Grant is pretty awesome, but if you're gonna discount Smart for being limited offensively, then Grant is far more limited...Nurkic as a starting center in today's NBA just makes Portland worse off...

+1.  Parker, Levine, hood and clarkson - smart is. Lear choice - especially for our team - over any of them.  Wiggins embiid Gordon Jokic yes.  After that it’s at least debatable. 

[Wretch]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

Save for Embiid, Jokic and Aaron Gordon, I feel all of the above are debatable. It's just a really good draft huh.

And with the way Wiggins, Parker and Lavine are going...having Smart on a mid-level contract might be preferable...... Having Wiggins on a max is one of several reasons why the Wolves suck right now. And Parker has been sucking on an already bad Bulls team. Same for Lavine.

Clarkson and Rodney Hood are just straight up worse. Jerami Grant is pretty awesome, but if you're gonna discount Smart for being limited offensively, then Grant is far more limited...Nurkic as a starting center in today's NBA just makes Portland worse off...

+1.  Parker, Levine, hood and clarkson - smart is. Lear choice - especially for our team - over any of them.  Wiggins embiid Gordon Jokic yes.  After that it’s at least debatable.

I think that there are 4 or 5 players that are no brainers to be ahead of Smart in a redraft. In no particular order: Embiid, Jokic, Capela, Gordon, and maybe Wiggins, but all of the other players are debatable and there are plenty of arguments for and against.  Smart was drafted about where he should have been drafted and in a redraft would go between 5-10 depending on how whether you favor defensive or offensive players and the composition of the team selecting.

I think Smart is a better fit for the Celtics than most of the other "debatable" players like Parker, Lavine or Randle because all of those players need the ball to really have an impact, Smart doesn't.  If Randle was on the Celtics his touches would come at the expense of Kyrie, Tatum, and Hayward.  It's the same reason Horford is so valuable to the team.  His impact doesn't come at the expense of other players.

[BitterJim]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

You're not wrong at all.  Smart was a panic pick on Ainge's part.  Basically they were so sure they were going to trade the pick that they didn't really do their due diligence with draft preparation. 

Smart's biggest problem has always been that he was drafted 15 picks too high.  If he had just been a late first round pick he wouldn't have felt the need to live upto his draft position and thus never would have had the terrible offensive efficiency problems that have made him one of the worst offensive players in NBA history.  He'd essentially have become the best version of himself as a defensive guard who stands in the corner on offense and hit's threes from his spot.

I'm saying this and I like Smart, but guys like him are available in the the latter half of the first round in every single draft. I think Danny just got excited by the obvious and accurate Tony Allen comparisons.

Yeah, I'm gonna need some actual sources on that

[hwangjini_1]

Smart is the most wrongfully over valued Celtic of all time amongst fans. I understand more than anyone rooting for gritty players, but aside from grit Smart has disappointed in almost every aspect since coming to the NBA. Average (at best) point guard skills, and has virtually no chance of becoming a legitimate consistent scorer. His grit doesn’t translate in to wins as much as fans like to think, and defensively he’s not on par with ex Celtics guards like Tony Allen and Avery Bradley. I know I’m likely to get shredded for this, but I think Danny’s paying him about $8 mill too much a season. Leadership is also overstated.

Well he doesn't pass like TA. At least the ball usually stays somewhere on the court, vs TA's passes to the dude in the 3rd row.

Underwhelming offensively; there's a reason Smart gets open looks from 3.  The guy has heart, though, and apparently you actually can put a price on that. This is likely his career top salary though.

I’ll applaud his ability to guard better on switches than TA and Bradley - he can really hold his own against bigger guys in the post. However, TA and Bradley were much better at staying in front of guys due to superior quickness and agility. His team defense also leaves something to be desired.

I know I’m in the minority but I’m about ready to call that Smart pick a whiff. There are like 16-19 guys in that class who are better..that pretty much constitutes wasting a top ten pick.

Between saying that Brown is about 9th in his draft and saying there are 16-19 guys in Smart's draft who are better, I must say you clearly lost your mind.

Am I wrong..?

Andrew Wiggins
Joel Embiid
Jabari Parker
Aaron Gordon
Nikola Jokic
Clint Capela
Zach LaVine
Julius Randle
Gary Harris
Jusuf Nurkic
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Dario Saric
T.J. Warren
Rodney Hood (this ones debatable at least)
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jordan Clarkson
Jerami Grant

So that’s 17 guys from the ‘14 draft I’d take over Smart, and I’m sure the vast majority of NBA fans not blinded by green goggles would agree. Not a good pick. Randle/Harris was the way to go with those picks. Oh well.

You're not wrong at all.  Smart was a panic pick on Ainge's part.  Basically they were so sure they were going to trade the pick that they didn't really do their due diligence with draft preparation. 

Smart's biggest problem has always been that he was drafted 15 picks too high.  If he had just been a late first round pick he wouldn't have felt the need to live upto his draft position and thus never would have had the terrible offensive efficiency problems that have made him one of the worst offensive players in NBA history.  He'd essentially have become the best version of himself as a defensive guard who stands in the corner on offense and hit's threes from his spot.

I'm saying this and I like Smart, but guys like him are available in the the latter half of the first round in every single draft. I think Danny just got excited by the obvious and accurate Tony Allen comparisons.

Yeah, I'm gonna need some actual sources on that

May I suggest that you do not hold your breath while waiting for them?

[tenn_smoothie]

Sun, Dec 2

Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart got tangled up in practice on Wednesday and Hayward proceeded to attempt to dunk everything the rest of practice.

Advice: Smart doesn't back down from anyone, even his own teammates. In this case, there was nothing wrong, just two teammates practicing hard, but it really sparked Hayward. His return hasn't been easy, but maybe his 30-point explosion on Saturday is a sign of the tide turning for the better.
i got this from my yahoo fantasy update on GH. didn't see it here, but you gotta love it, right???

What you describe here - this was all there was to it ? Did it, or has it, become personal between these two guys ? Is there some other issue between them, playing time, salary jealousy, maybe Smart didn't like losing Jae Crowder and watching the Golden Boy from Utah come in and under-achieve (though not Hayward's fault due to freak injury). Was this practice dustup a regular thing between Smart and Hayward or does Smart simply create these incidents with everyone because of his intensity?

[RockinRyA]

Sun, Dec 2

Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart got tangled up in practice on Wednesday and Hayward proceeded to attempt to dunk everything the rest of practice.

Advice: Smart doesn't back down from anyone, even his own teammates. In this case, there was nothing wrong, just two teammates practicing hard, but it really sparked Hayward. His return hasn't been easy, but maybe his 30-point explosion on Saturday is a sign of the tide turning for the better.
i got this from my yahoo fantasy update on GH. didn't see it here, but you gotta love it, right???

What you describe here - this was all there was to it ? Did it, or has it, become personal between these two guys ? Is there some other issue between them, playing time, salary jealousy, maybe Smart didn't like losing Jae Crowder and watching the Golden Boy from Utah come in and under-achieve (though not Hayward's fault due to freak injury). Was this practice dustup a regular thing between Smart and Hayward or does Smart simply create these incidents with everyone because of his intensity?

Morris was interviewed and just said it was Smart being Smart. He pushes other guys in practice. Nothing to see here.