The Celtics Traded Marcus Smart and I am Sad (even though it low key *might* be for the best)6/22/2023 
After nine seasons in Boston, the Marcus Smart era is officially over. The 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year and three-time First-Team All-NBA defender was part of a three-team deal that sent Kristaps Porziņģis and two first-round picks to the C's.
As DOL readers likely know, I'm battling a herniated disc that may be my undoing. Since this agonizingly painful situation has drastically altered my sleep schedule, I passed out around 7 pm last night, woke up briefly at 9, then zonked until 2 am. I was under the impression that we traded Malcolm Brogdon and missed all that drama. I never expected what was about to come. When I woke up, I checked my phone to see what time it was. It could've been next week for all I knew, but that's when I found out Marcus Smart was gone. In a cruel twist, the Celtics' last tweet before the trade praised Marcus' heart and hustle that made him a fan favorite.
Sureeeee, Marcus tended to take ill-advised shots and make decisions that left you scratching your head, but he also brought so much to the floor that can't be measured in conventional statistics. For every "Wtf was that, Marcus?!" moments, 36 made like three "No, no, no, YES! How'd he do that?" plays (although that ratio wasn't set in stone). It's such a cliche, but his value was much greater than what you see in the box score.
As much as I'm a Marcus Smart guy (and don't get me wrong, there's plenty of times he pissed me off), he's not a superstar and was moderately expendable, given the Celtics' guard depth. Some even believe that his play declined this year. While I'm still hurting, this tweet kinda hits the nail on the head.
There's no denying that this is a solid return for Marcus Smart, but I'm just concerned about the impact this move has on the C's as a whole. Part of me thinks that maybe this was necessary to get more out of the Jays. Marcus Smart has been the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics for nearly a decade, which might be precisely why he's gone. Maybe the C's figured for the Jays to take the next step in their maturation process, they need to be the emotional and spiritual leaders. Getting rid of Marcus could force Jayson and Jaylen to grow into that role. At least now, Marcus won't take the final shot instead of them.
This trade reminds me of a story I've heard a thousand times in one of my favorite episodes of America's Game. In the 1968 Jets episode, defensive end and Rhode Islander Gerry Philbin talked about how Joe Namath had all the talent but wasn't emotionally ready to be the leader the Jets needed him to be. All he had around him were yes men, and his image hurt the team. So the Jets elected him team captain, forcing him to grow up and be more responsible. It worked. and the Jets went onto to win Super Bowl III in arguably the greatest upset in American professional sports history. I know it's a different sport and over 55 years ago, but the crux of that little story about a green team is giving me a little bit of hope with the much more historically relevant and important green team. 
As for Porziņģis, if you look at his numbers, they don't suck. He was solid on a terrible Wizards team laast year. Admittedly, I don't watch many non-Celtics regular season NBA games, so apart from his time in New York, I haven't seen a ton of this guy, but I know he's missed a lot of time and isn't a great defender. Is ANOTHER injury prone big really what the Celtics needed???
I love his height. The C's need more size and added depth in the front court, but it just sucks they had to lose Marcus to make that happen. I know "sports are a business" and you gotta make tough decisions. The 2004 Red Sox traded Nomar, but it paid off in a World Series title. Hopefully this trade is the Celtics Nomar moment. From the looks of things, it doesn't feel like this is the Celtics final move. I wouldn't hate to see Dame Lillard in Celtics green! We don't need all these picks, we need players who are ready to win. Show us what else you've got in store, Brad!
P.S.
I wonder if this trade means the C's are open to keeping Pritchard? I'm not ready to give up on that feisty little fucker just yet. Double P.S. I've got a chiro appointment at noon and am exhausted from my fucked up sleep pattern, so I'm gonna try to get a little nap before I do that. Despite a low blog output so far this week, I'm proud of what I've written. Fuck man, I'm so bummed Marcus is gone. It's gonna be fucking WEIRD without him. Triple P.S. I wholeheartedly agree with Greenie here:
Quad P.S. (quite rare)
Siiiiiiiick.
1 Comment
Dozie
6/22/2023 09:42:45 am
Also I forgot to mention… yes it’s true, I was denied a photo opp with Marcus Smart outside of Dockside some time during the Summer of 2014 (after he was drafted..wow time is a bitch) because he was rehabbing and wasn’t supposed to be out Leave a Reply. |
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