CelticsStrong
Celtics Basketball => Celtics Talk => Topic started by: LilRip on February 25, 2018, 01:10:26 AM
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I’ve been a fan of his so I may come off as biased here but Smart these past 2 games has been a breath of fresh air! I sincerely hope the team locks him up long term. He brings an identity to this team and (I know this has been said ad nauseum) he just makes “winning plays”.
He’s not a perfect player. Far from it. But that’s why won’t get paid superstar money anyway. From the eye test though, the team just plays better when he plays. The bench is less of a mess (though still not great) and the team just has more...spring in their step?
Lock him up DA!
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I agree.
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I’d like him back, but it’s hard to commit big money to a guy who is only proficient on one end (Kyrie aside, haha). If we can get him for around the MLE, I’d love to have him back.
If you’re Marcus’ agent, do you recommend a sub-$9 million contract, or do you have him play on his qualifying offer?
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I thought we'd never miss him, but I missed him. I'm starting to wonder if we'd miss Rozier the way we missed him.
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We need to keep Smart. In addition to what was said above, Smart is built for playoff basketball, which is much rougher than the regular season.
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I’d like him back, but it’s hard to commit big money to a guy who is only proficient on one end (Kyrie aside, haha). If we can get him for around the MLE, I’d love to have him back.
If you’re Marcus’ agent, do you recommend a sub-$9 million contract, or do you have him play on his qualifying offer?
His agent is a baffoon. He will try to get him to sign the qualifier and go elsewhere. But it will just sour the relationship Smart values. It also guarantees he makes less going forward because just like Thomas and Bradley, the Celtics will cut ties to save a buck, indicating to the league that the team that knows him best isn't even willing to invest in this guy so why should we pay him. Best move in Smart's position is to take a deal for 2-3 years, make good money and work your arse off to get in a position to make a better contract before you plateau.
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I’d like him back, but it’s hard to commit big money to a guy who is only proficient on one end (Kyrie aside, haha). If we can get him for around the MLE, I’d love to have him back.
If you’re Marcus’ agent, do you recommend a sub-$9 million contract, or do you have him play on his qualifying offer?
I think a contract slightly above MLE is a fair offer. Smart is better than your average NBA player. If MLE is 8m, maybe 9m for 3 years plus player option?
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He certainly brings an edge to this team.
And I really believe he wants to be here long-term.
Just this gem alone from a Player's Tribune article on him speaks volumes about his mentality and intensity - during a battle with none other than KG during a contest with the Nets
At that point, halfway through my rookie year, a Celtics legend reminded me of that. Kevin Garnett wasn’t even on the team anymore, but he did a little thing that made a big impact on me.
It was December of 2014 — we were playing the Nets at the Garden. It was the third quarter and I was guarding Jarrett Jack at the top of the key. KG came to set a pick on me … and then I saw that the ball had popped out of Jarrett’s hands.
A loose ball. The sweetest sight there ever was.
I just went off instinct and jumped on it. I grabbed the ball, but out of the corner of my eye I saw KG — it looked like he was going to land on me, so I just tossed the ball down the court and we ended up getting an easy bucket. KG almost fell right on top of me. The whistle blew. We were still both down on the court, trying not to get tangled up. My first thought was how lucky I was KG didn’t really dive on me.
Then KG gave me a little tap — just real quick, on the chest — and told me I made a good play.
Just that one little compliment from KG meant so much. I haven’t talked to KG about that play since then, but I still think about it. At that time in my rookie year, it was the dose of confidence I needed to keep playing my style of basketball — not to go crazy trying to score a ton of points, but to play my game. And coming from a guy who wore the Celtics uniform … a guy who won a ring for Boston … a guy always embodied that hustle mentality … it wasn’t a small thing for me.
I wonder if he even remembers that play.
The loose ball comment....his admiration of KG....
Marcus Smart brings a needed edge to this team. He is a bag of intangibles that - when he plays within himself - oftentimes brings so many positives and can affect the game so many ways.
That article was not even a year ago, April 2017.
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/marcus-smart-boston-celtics-playoffs-2017/
I REALLY hope something can be worked out long term for Smart to stay in BOS.
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When average player's like Turner sign for 17.5MM/year or Mahinmi at 16MM/year one gets the feeling that at least one GM will offer Smart big bucks this off-season.
Last year the Nets practically forced Washington to offer Otto Porter 26.6MM/years for 4 years. Porter's good....not crazy money good.
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When average player's like Turner sign for 17.5MM/year or Mahinmi at 16MM/year one gets the feeling that at least one GM will offer Smart big bucks this off-season.
Last year the Nets practically forced Washington to offer Otto Porter 26.6MM/years for 4 years. Porter's good....not crazy money good.
I don’t know about this. Maybe before, when teams had an embarrassing amount of cap space. But how many teams have 15-17Mn/year to throw around?
Plus as much as I hate to admit it, Porter is a much better player than Smart. Porter is a highly efficient player who can play D and has started showing some potential of creating his own shot. I can see why someone would offer him Harrison Barnes money.
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He looks like like he lost a little weight during his time off, and maybe that’s helped him a little bit.
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Didn't we miss Smart for his defense, supposedly? Well, he's been back for 2 games and the defense is still awful...
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They held Detroit to 30% from three and 43% overall while keeping them under 100 points, that's not awful. The defense was bad against the Knicks, true enough, but the team has looked better overall since his return.
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They held Detroit to 30% from three and 43% overall while keeping them under 100 points, that's not awful. The defense was bad against the Knicks, true enough, but the team has looked better overall since his return.
The stats weren't all that different in the Knicks game -- we held them to 22% and 46.9%. The shooting percentage for Detroit overall was actually 43.5% - a difference of 3.4% - but that's in part because they took more 3s and that pulled their average down. Also, the Knicks were allowed to convert a few garbage time baskets after the game was decided. In the end, pretty much a wash.
The Knicks scored more points mostly because the game pace was so fast; they had about 13 more possessions than Detroit (I'm estimating based on # shots, free throws, and turnovers) and scored about 14 more points. If there's a site that gives the pts/100 possessions per game, that'd be interesting.
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And, actually, I just found a site that would give me defensive efficiency.
Against NYK, Boston allowed 105 pts/100 possessions, which was only good for about 14th or 15th best in the league. So, better than during our recent losing streak, but not great.
The margin between league best and average is pretty fine. Best in the league is 100 points/100 possessions (us!). Let somebody score 4 or 5 more buckets every 100 possessions and we'd be worst in the league (Phoenix, 109)!
https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/stat/defensive-efficiency
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There's a lot of players better than Smart and Smart does some things I don't care for sometimes. There's no other player I'd rather have on my team during crunch time, except maybe KG.
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Smart is a good role player and a great contender. If the C's can lock him up for 5 million a year they should do it, anything more than that he can be replaced through the draft or free agency.
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I doubt that 5m/year will do it. If Smart signs an Avery Bradley type deal, I feel that's an acceptable payment. Something in that 8-10m per year bracket for the next 3 or 4 years.
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Smart is a good role player and a great contender. If the C's can lock him up for 5 million a year they should do it, anything more than that he can be replaced through the draft or free agency.
Yeah, 5 is downright unrealistic. MLE starts at 8 now (although it used to be about 5.4m, which is where I guess you got your 5m estimate). Smart is well worth the MLE.
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What Smart brings that the team desperately needs (and will need even more in the playoffs) is not really quantifiable. It is his intensity and competitive desire.
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He's the best player ever and should get a max contract, no idea why CBS doesn't play him 40 mpg!!!
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I’d like him back, but it’s hard to commit big money to a guy who is only proficient on one end (Kyrie aside, haha). If we can get him for around the MLE, I’d love to have him back.
If you’re Marcus’ agent, do you recommend a sub-$9 million contract, or do you have him play on his qualifying offer?
His agent is a baffoon. He will try to get him to sign the qualifier and go elsewhere. But it will just sour the relationship Smart values. It also guarantees he makes less going forward because just like Thomas and Bradley, the Celtics will cut ties to save a buck, indicating to the league that the team that knows him best isn't even willing to invest in this guy so why should we pay him. Best move in Smart's position is to take a deal for 2-3 years, make good money and work your arse off to get in a position to make a better contract before you plateau.
I'm not so sure the Celtics will cut ties to save a buck. Danny has mentioned several times that he regrets letting Tony Allen go in free agency; I see similarities here with both being gritty, defensive-minded players who contribute more to winning than what shows in the box score.
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4 years 56 million right now.... RIGHT NOW!!!
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I think it’s looking more likely we bring him back. We most likely won’t have a lottery pick this year to worry about that salary, and we could easily trade Morris for salary relief and maybe a future pick (somewhat not needed with Hayward coming back), and try not to bring Monroe back(although I wouldn’t mind if he stays).
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Smart is a good role player and a great contender. If the C's can lock him up for 5 million a year they should do it, anything more than that he can be replaced through the draft or free agency.
Yeah, 5 is downright unrealistic. MLE starts at 8 now (although it used to be about 5.4m, which is where I guess you got your 5m estimate). Smart is well worth the MLE.
The taxpayer MLE was $5.2 million this year, and will be $5.4 million next year (which is where I guess he got his estimate). This being said, someone will probably throw the nonpayer MLE at him.
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I’d like him back, but it’s hard to commit big money to a guy who is only proficient on one end (Kyrie aside, haha). If we can get him for around the MLE, I’d love to have him back.
If you’re Marcus’ agent, do you recommend a sub-$9 million contract, or do you have him play on his qualifying offer?
His agent is a baffoon. He will try to get him to sign the qualifier and go elsewhere. But it will just sour the relationship Smart values. It also guarantees he makes less going forward because just like Thomas and Bradley, the Celtics will cut ties to save a buck, indicating to the league that the team that knows him best isn't even willing to invest in this guy so why should we pay him. Best move in Smart's position is to take a deal for 2-3 years, make good money and work your arse off to get in a position to make a better contract before you plateau.
I'm not so sure the Celtics will cut ties to save a buck. Danny has mentioned several times that he regrets letting Tony Allen go in free agency; I see similarities here with both being gritty, defensive-minded players who contribute more to winning than what shows in the box score.
I believe the Celtics will find a way to keep Smart unless a blockbuster trade scenario comes into play this summer. Some people get tired of talking about the "little things" in regards to Smart, but I agree with you that his contributions go way beyond the box score. His intensity and defensive communication makes the entire team play with a better sense of purpose. He also has a knack for lifting the team out a funk when needed.
Smart is an ideal complimentary piece to go along with a core of Irving, Hayward, Tatum, Brown and Horford. His impact will only increase as this group grows together. I can picture him being like a Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry, Derrick Fisher, or James Posey type of player on a title team. All of those players were instrumental in helping their team win in the playoffs. None were easy to replace.
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I’d like him back, but it’s hard to commit big money to a guy who is only proficient on one end (Kyrie aside, haha). If we can get him for around the MLE, I’d love to have him back.
If you’re Marcus’ agent, do you recommend a sub-$9 million contract, or do you have him play on his qualifying offer?
Which is exactly why IT got traded...and traded again ;D
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Re-signing him has luxury tax implications going forward. Want to trigger the LT as late as possible.
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Re-signing him has luxury tax implications going forward. Want to trigger the LT as late as possible.
I think this is the sad reality that most fans are struggling to grasp... The Celtics have a two tiered system of max guys and guys on rookie contracts and no room under the cap for anyone in between.
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Sat down for an interview with @smart_MS3 and after we’re done he just flips into a handstand and then walks on his hands away.
That putback slam and this remind you of how great an athlete he can be.
Marcus, The Warrior-Winner, Smart....let's hope the brass and he are both reasonable in their negotiations....he needs us, we need him...hope both sides see it that way!!
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Was interesting to read quotes from Smart about the team's success since the break.
“You have Kyrie doing what Kyrie does,” Smart said. “With me playing on the ball, and him playing off the ball, it takes out another defender. We know exactly how they’re going to play Kyrie. With me on the ball, I’m a great passer and a great playmaker. What a way to have it with our best player and our best scorer off the ball, and your best playmaker finding him.”
He's right that that's an interesting set. But calling himself the best playmaker on the Cs? When a player starts talking about himself in public this way I get a little concerned. What do his teammates think of this, and why would he say it? Surprised me a little. He seems to have embraced his sixth man role, but maybe it still grinds on him.
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Was interesting to read quotes from Smart about the team's success since the break.
“You have Kyrie doing what Kyrie does,” Smart said. “With me playing on the ball, and him playing off the ball, it takes out another defender. We know exactly how they’re going to play Kyrie. With me on the ball, I’m a great passer and a great playmaker. What a way to have it with our best player and our best scorer off the ball, and your best playmaker finding him.”
He's right that that's an interesting set. But calling himself the best playmaker on the Cs? When a player starts talking about himself in public this way I get a little concerned. What do his teammates think of this, and why would he say it? Surprised me a little. He seems to have embraced his sixth man role, but maybe it still grinds on him.
I think he is right. He has better vision at this point in CBS system than Irving. Irving will in the long run, but when he talks about "play-making," he is talking about setting up teammates.
The "on-ball" thing I think is talking about a current trend where you take your worst shooter and give him the ball, forcing his defender to engage on defense the whole possession. By doing that, there is no place for your worst defender to hide or be lazy.
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Was interesting to read quotes from Smart about the team's success since the break.
“You have Kyrie doing what Kyrie does,” Smart said. “With me playing on the ball, and him playing off the ball, it takes out another defender. We know exactly how they’re going to play Kyrie. With me on the ball, I’m a great passer and a great playmaker. What a way to have it with our best player and our best scorer off the ball, and your best playmaker finding him.”
He's right that that's an interesting set. But calling himself the best playmaker on the Cs? When a player starts talking about himself in public this way I get a little concerned. What do his teammates think of this, and why would he say it? Surprised me a little. He seems to have embraced his sixth man role, but maybe it still grinds on him.
Maybe he was talking about Horford?
Al is this team's best playmaker.
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Was interesting to read quotes from Smart about the team's success since the break.
“You have Kyrie doing what Kyrie does,” Smart said. “With me playing on the ball, and him playing off the ball, it takes out another defender. We know exactly how they’re going to play Kyrie. With me on the ball, I’m a great passer and a great playmaker. What a way to have it with our best player and our best scorer off the ball, and your best playmaker finding him.”
He's right that that's an interesting set. But calling himself the best playmaker on the Cs? When a player starts talking about himself in public this way I get a little concerned. What do his teammates think of this, and why would he say it? Surprised me a little. He seems to have embraced his sixth man role, but maybe it still grinds on him.
Maybe he was talking about Horford?
Al is this team's best playmaker.
25% of this board will tell you otherwise and tell you Al's a bum.
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Was interesting to read quotes from Smart about the team's success since the break.
“You have Kyrie doing what Kyrie does,” Smart said. “With me playing on the ball, and him playing off the ball, it takes out another defender. We know exactly how they’re going to play Kyrie. With me on the ball, I’m a great passer and a great playmaker. What a way to have it with our best player and our best scorer off the ball, and your best playmaker finding him.”
He's right that that's an interesting set. But calling himself the best playmaker on the Cs? When a player starts talking about himself in public this way I get a little concerned. What do his teammates think of this, and why would he say it? Surprised me a little. He seems to have embraced his sixth man role, but maybe it still grinds on him.
I hear you, but having Marcus engage in delusions about his playmaking is far preferable to delusions about his shooting. Let him consider himself an elite playmaker, defender, energy-guy all day long. He'll shoot less.
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As far as the topic of the thread, I do appreciate Smart for what he brings to the team. His elite defense, will to make the hustle plays, and overall toughness are much needed traits.
I don't even mind when he has the ball in his hands, I just wish he had better shot selection. When he focuses on being more of the playmaker he seems to envision himself as, he definitely can have a positive impact on the offense. It's when he starts feeling himself, and taking absurd amounts of threes early in the shot clock that I start to lose my patience with him.
EDIT: Basically what Neurotic Guy said above.