Author Topic: So how good can Smart be?  (Read 3116 times)

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Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #15 on: December 18, 2014, 11:48:34 PM »

Offline jpotter33

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Karma wise this was the smart decision.  He is now my new basketball hero.  Either he or KO.  I think Smart is an absolute leader and underrated even with the hype surrounding him.   I felt the same way about Rondo though.  Rondo was underappreciated imo.  We are about to find out how much of a difference Smart can make though. We never will with a fully focused Rondo. I don't think he was ever fully on board with this team.  Smart doesn't have that excuse. This is Smart's team now imo.

Or, you know, Ainge could have let Bradley walk and had a starting backcourt of Rondo and Smart, but nooooo...  It doesn't even matter how good he can be right now - the guy has seemingly played about 15 minutes in the NBA and now he's hurt.  Again; and to think that people were concerned about Rondo being injury prone.  Sorry, I'm going to be fuming over this for a long time.

Smart's injury can happen to any player, though. It literally just happened to Durant. Sprained ankles are a natural part of the game, and it's almost a certainty that the achilles deal was related to that.

Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #16 on: December 18, 2014, 11:50:29 PM »

Offline oldtype

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In any case Smart needs to be playing PG long term. He can't leverage his physical advantages as much at SG.

The writing was on the wall for Rondo as soon as we ended up with the 6th pick and Smart ended up as the Best Player Available. If we were picking fifth and drafted Aaron Gordon, we may be in a very different situation.


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Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #17 on: December 18, 2014, 11:51:08 PM »

Offline vjcsmoke

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LOL, I wouldn't call Rondo mentally weak just because he missed a bunch of free throws.  Shaq missed a lot more free throws than Rondo ever did and he only won like 3 championships.

No, the reason we moved on from Rondo was multifold:
1. Smart the up and coming talent, freshly drafted, and looking to be the real deal
2. Rondo's pending free agency coming up
3. Rondo reportedly wanting a max deal
4. Not having a team currently constructed that would complement Rondo's talents ie this ain't your circa 2008-2010 Celtics.

They have different types of toughness to them. I think Smart is much more mentally tough, where Rondo was mentally weak, i.e. free throw woes. But Rondo hasn't been playing tough since he came back from his injury.

It all added up to Ainge hunting for a deal he could live with.  Do I think that's the best deal we could have gotten?  Probably not, if we waited maybe we get a better offer.  But by not waiting, we can now immediately turn around and trade those other chips we got at the deadline.  Ainge traded away overall return, for flexibility to deal one more time.

Hope it pays off.  I'm feeling iffy/disappointed with the trade, but it was talked about all season long for a reason.  Rondo was going to leave/be traded inevitably.  Especially once we failed to win the Love sweepstakes.

Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #18 on: December 18, 2014, 11:52:18 PM »

Offline piercetruth34

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Smart was my favorite player in the draft btw. I wanted him when guys were hyping up this draft like the second coming. Smart was a guy because of his leadership and defense I really liked.  I like players like that.

I always try to find what fits the celtics regardless not just an ego thing and I've been really  good with that stuff and players to target and how it fits.

I see smart as just a basketball player in ways.  He can do a lot of things on a basketball court that don't show up in the boxscore. He has a lot of intangibles and is his own player in ways.  He's really big and strong for a pg.

I don't know if i can compare him to anyone really. He is sort of like a cross between Mark Jackson and Westbrook to me. Westbrook is a superior offensive player though and not the leader Smart is.  I also was never a huge fan of Mark Jackson.

I really like Marcus Smart.  That said I also really like Rondo.  My two favorite pgs in the game.

I think where Smart differs from Rondo is he doesn't dominate the ball as much.  He gives the ball up much quicker. He's also a much more aggressive defender.  Both guys can rebound and post up. Smart is more aggressive around the rim though.

I think that is going to help us.  Smart is aggressive taking the ball to the rim and on putbacks. He isn't afraid to get to the free throw line which is going to change our offense.  He also doesn't dominate the ball as much. He is more  a playmaker in that regard where rondo is an assist guy.  Smart will make plays all over the court.

Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #19 on: December 18, 2014, 11:54:51 PM »

Online Who

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I am irrationally high on Smart. This guy is high-floor, high-ceiling.

He has one NBA skill that is already unquestionably elite, so he will at least be a capable starter.

But he also has an incredible physical advantage at his position, so if he improves on his weaknesses, there is star potential there.

The one thing that makes me believe it is his mentality. I don't think I've ever seen a first-year player who has the maturity, leadership, and competitiveness that Smart has for as long as I've been supporting the Celtics. he is a player with a truly unique mindset. That doesn't guarantee success, but it's definitely a point in his favor.

I like that mindset too and yours.   He's been compared to bill russell at pg. Bill Russell though?  Is that irrational?

How about a PG-sized version of Ron Artest. Tremendous lateral quickness combined with exceptional physical strength. A top drawer stopper and high quality team defender.

Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #20 on: December 18, 2014, 11:56:21 PM »

Offline oldtype

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I am irrationally high on Smart. This guy is high-floor, high-ceiling.

He has one NBA skill that is already unquestionably elite, so he will at least be a capable starter.

But he also has an incredible physical advantage at his position, so if he improves on his weaknesses, there is star potential there.

The one thing that makes me believe it is his mentality. I don't think I've ever seen a first-year player who has the maturity, leadership, and competitiveness that Smart has for as long as I've been supporting the Celtics. he is a player with a truly unique mindset. That doesn't guarantee success, but it's definitely a point in his favor.

I like that mindset too and yours.   He's been compared to bill russell at pg. Bill Russell though?  Is that irrational?

How about a PG-sized version of Ron Artest. Tremendous lateral quickness combined with exceptional physical strength. A top drawer stopper and high quality team defender.

If he ends up as good as Artest in his best years, I'd be more than happy with that.


Great words from a great man

Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #21 on: December 19, 2014, 12:15:20 AM »

Offline Evantime34

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So far he has shown that once he develops he will be an elite wing defender. He has shown streaks of good shooting this season so I think he will be able to be more consistent with his jump shot in the future. In college he was excellent at getting to the bucket, if he can show that at the NBA level I think he can be an all star.
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Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #22 on: December 19, 2014, 12:18:38 AM »

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So far he has shown that once he develops he will be an elite wing defender. He has shown streaks of good shooting this season so I think he will be able to be more consistent with his jump shot in the future. In college he was excellent at getting to the bucket, if he can show that at the NBA level I think he can be an all star.
Agreed. This is the big thing I'm hoping to see from Smart as the season goes on. Beating his man off the dribble and getting into the middle of the paint.

Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #23 on: December 19, 2014, 12:37:54 AM »

Offline Beat LA

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To the original question of this thread - not nearly as good as Rondo.

Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #24 on: December 19, 2014, 12:45:10 AM »

Offline LooseCannon

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I have concerns about Smart's ceiling if he never improves from being a Rondo-level three-point shooter.
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Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #25 on: December 19, 2014, 01:59:05 AM »

Offline Asher77

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Rondo will always be one of the great Celtic point guards and has learned his craft to heights much higher than Smart. My take is that Rondo need not be a leader as he played the game the right way and had KG bringing the true motivation Much like DJ had Bird. Cousy with Heinsohn/Russell.

That being said I think one of the considerations in the trade was Smart in the possibility he has the leadership type to be a motivator on the court. The type of guy each team needs to give it identity. Every great team has a leader who can be there self and all the other players not only just deeply understand who the leader is but are inspired to play with and for that guy.

Smart happens to play point guard and Rondo as the current captain and most veteran player had just a bit to big a gap to properly step aside and properly give the true team leadership to Marcus if it came to that ( no guarantee of course but he may be worth the gamble ).

Rondo is great but never meant to be the guy all the young rookies take too for inspirational leadership. it may be the right thing for the organization to move Rondo so that Smart  fully imprint himself.

Possible it may bring a team that has a defensive pride and culture and if that's the case near the realm of a player as Rondo but he may help Marcus gain a few wins shutting down the other teams back court from easy baskets at the rim. Nelson may be needed salary filler along with the TPE in deadline deal. Jeff Green may just be a player who can fill a backseat role and truly look up to Marcus given time and stays.

Jae Crowder may be undervalued in this trade as a player who fits in to the gritty mindset. Cuban has not been one to keep young scrubs on his bench,aged ones maybe.

Re: So how good can Smart be?
« Reply #26 on: December 19, 2014, 03:44:38 AM »

Offline 255 Rings

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As the season progressed I saw the disinterest of Rondo playing hard. Whether he had accepted that he wasn't cut to be a leader or not it's when I saw the writing on the wall that his days were numbered. That comeback game vs. Washington were Smart hyped everyone up and inspired the team to keep playing as hard as they could was a glimpse of what we got in the 2014 Draft. The way he dominated and keep making hustle plays convinced me that he was the true player Boston wanted to build at PG. He was also responsible for the Mavs comeback as well (Green and Bradley too, but he energized them with his fire). Rondo was sat on the bench and not for a mere minute did he come back. He also had 0 points to show for his performance and pretty much mailed the game after being benched. If it was Rondo instead of Smart in that 4th quarter we would have gotten blown out, period. Rondo was asking for max money and he definitely did not deserve it, even with the cap going up in 2016. He's not a player you pay max to, he can't take over games and can't make crucial shots to will a win for his team. That's why Ainge traded him. He gave him the keys to lead and he was putting up stinkers, looking for assists and triple-doubles to stat pad instead of producing wins. At 8 PPG and a streak of 2 point games, lack of effort in late game situations and the all-around lack of improvement in Rondo's weaknesses is what sealed his fate. A lot of people will crucify Ainge for not being a man of his word and not building around Rondo, but he has the right to change his mind. We were playing a brutal schedule mind you, but even through that adversity did we not see Rondo try to put the team on his back, getting burned and embarrassed by virtually every opposing PG that played us ( Vs.Canaan are you kiddin' me?!). He was basically regressing and showed the passion to lead whereas Smart did just that behind him as a back-up. Leaders push their teams to play hard and also prove that they will play hard with them to win games, not making cool lobs or flashy passes to rack up assists. That's Un-Celtic IMO. We won our titles being an unselfish team historically. We played as a team. That's what Brad has intended on doing. That's why he runs a motion read-and-react offense. Everyone gets a share of the glory. Leading the league in stats does nothing for the team if it's losing. Rondo was great in here but his weaknesses bogs the team down to a halt. KG, Pierce and Allen were the reasons we won games, Rondo extended their careers being an elite play-maker but he was never groomed to take over. And if he was was he was doing a terrible job at it. He said the right things but they never translated into the court. I think the majority had enough of his inconsistent plays and moody demeanor and wanted him to mature into a star player we could have built around. Too late for sour grapes though. IMO Smart will be in the long run much better than Rondo minus the passing and play-making (though I would sacrifice all that for big time PPGs, wins and championships).