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Marcus Smart is Already Making Enemies

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Marcus Smart is already in midseason form.

The physical guard is notorious for his brash manner on the court, and Saturday’s preseason game was no different. While most Bostonians were watching the Red Sox game, the Celtics faced the Cavaliers in their final preseason matchup. While the Celtics were outplayed throughout the entire game, one moment stood out in particular: the fight between Marcus Smart and J.R. Smith.

What happened

Early in the contest, Aron Baynes and Smith were locked in a fierce battle underneath the hoop as Terry Rozier dribbled the ball on the perimeter. The contest between the two escalated and ended with Baynes and Smith spinning around with locked arms. Smith shoved Baynes hard in the back towards the hoop. As players came to break them up, Smart charged towards Smith and shoved him in the head. The two nearly came to blows before Ante Zizic came in between the two. Smart had to be quite literally tackled to the floor by both Rozier AND Jayson Tatum.

The Aftermath

Smart was ejected from the game, while Smith received just a technical foul. Had he been able to get away from Tatum and Rozier, he most certainly would have been suspended. It’s possible he faces sitting some games anyway, as he was clearly prepared to throw punches at JR Smith. After the conclusion of the game, Smith had a series of tweets directed towards Smart:

Marcus Smart then told the media his side of the story, saying “it is what it is” and telling Smith, “meet me in the back…You know where I’m at.”

Smith had words to say about that, too. He tweeted about the video, “Meet me on the street damn the back!” He then followed up with a third tweet, saying “better keep this s*** bout basketball”.

Smart has never been afraid to defend his teammates, no matter the opponent. Celtics fans surely love to see his competitive spirit out on the court, though it may sometimes lead to consequences for him.

The Celtics play the Cavs again on November 30th, folks. Mark your calendars for Smart-Smith round 2.

Where Are the 2016-2017 Celtics Now- Trades

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With the early success, and the new-look Boston Celtics have had, itā€™s easy to forget how the team looked a year ago. Eleven guys, from star player to the end of the bench, and everything in between, no longer wear the green. The 2016-2017 Celtics were full of overachievers. The team couldn’t afford to keep everyone. The roster overhaul was one for the ages. I felt it was necessary to take a look around the league to see how these former Celtics are doing in their new roles.

This will be a two-part article, first covering the players that were traded, looking at the management side of things. Then, a follow-up will focus on the players that left in free agency and where they chose to sign, since there was more choice and usually ends with more joy than pain. Letā€™s start with the pain.

Ainge Trades Heart and Soul

Isaiah Thomas was understandably shook up by the trade that sent him and Jae Crowder to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He finally felt like he found a home in Boston, and gave everything he had to the team and city. Isaiah played until he literally couldnā€™t run anymore. He fought through a hip injury to have some truly gritty performances in the playoffs. This included a 53-point game against the Wizards in the second round on his sister’s birthday. She passed away weeks before, and Isaiah didnā€™t miss a game. That game epitomized everything IT was talking about in this quote. Fighting like hell through a serious injury, and perhaps more excruciating, a personal tragedy.

“I might not ever talk to Danny again. That might not happen. Iā€™ll talk to everybody else. But what he did, knowing everything I went through, you don’t do that, bro. That’s not right.ā€

Itā€™s easy to sympathize with ITā€™s point of view, but Danny Ainge didnā€™t exactly throw him to the wolves. Actually, he made sure he set up all his former players nicely. At least, to the degree that he had control over it. He made some genius moves in the offseason, but what gets overlooked is how well he set up the players he was shipping out.

Isaiah Thomas

Thomas wanted to be a Celtic for life. What he accomplished in his short time in Boston surely wonā€™t be forgotten. But what he does in his next chapter as a Cavalier is what really matters for him now. He made his season debut on January 2nd, scoring 17 points in just 19 minutes. In his second game, he scored 19 points in 21 minutes. He is already showing he is ready to put the injury behind him, the last order of business before his separation from Boston is complete.

Seeing him playing for a different team was weird, but it was good to see him get in and contribute at a high level. He is in a perfect situation playing alongside LeBron James, something that will allow him to work with much more space than heā€™s accustomed to. There were times when he was triple teamed with the Celtics. Now, heā€™ll be shocked if he sees a double team at all. Heā€™s a perfect complementary star, and should thrive in his role in Cleveland. They will be a true force this year, and are still the team to beat in the East.

Jae Crowder

Another big piece in the trade that brought Kyrie to Boston has been playing for the Cavs since the beginning of the season. When he heard of the trade, he didnā€™t really have time to think about it because his mom passed away on the same day. He apparently got to tell her of the trade before she passed, stating that ā€œthey were going to Cleveland to win a championship.ā€ He took the news as an overall positive and didnā€™t foster any hard feelings as IT did.

Underwhelming to this point, Crowder was noticeably more active in ITā€™s first game back. He scored 17 points on 50% shooting and posted a full stat line.Ā It was perhaps Crowderā€™s best game this season, as he showed great chemistry with his old pal. This comes as no surprise to Celtics fans, as the two were staples in the starting unit for a close Celtics team last year. Crowder should continue to perform better with his old running mate back in the lineup. He should be back in the starting unit now. Right next to IT, where his value is maximized.

Avery Bradley

Avery to the Pistons was the first trade of the offseason for the Celtics. It was a move done to free up cap space to sign Gordon Hayward. The Celtics got Marcus Morris on a two-year value contract in return, so the deal wasnā€™t terrible for the Celtics. It wasnā€™t bad for Bradley either. He went to a team that saw him as an important piece to their continued progress. After missing the playoffs last year, they started off the season hot with Bradley. They are in the middle of the playoff hunt again this year.

Bradley has had a slow year thus far, with averages similar to last years, aside from averaging about 4 less rebounds a game. Rebounding was a strength of his on the Celtics, but Drummond takes up most of the boards on the Pistons. Bradley is really turning into a glorified 3 & D player in Detroit. He is shooting 40% from three which is a slight uptick from 39% last year. With Reggie Jackson out for extended time, he should see more touches offensively in the near future. Now is his time to show his new coach and team what he can do.

Looking Towards the Future

Avery Bradley praised the Celtics for helping him get his career started. He looks at his time in Boston as growth. Jae Crowder was equally grateful for the opportunity he got in Boston. At the same time, he looked ahead with wide eyes at the opportunity that awaited him in Cleveland.

Ironically, the man who was put in the best situation of all-Ā starring next to the best player in the world-Ā has had the hardest time accepting the reality of it. IT has said the trade hurt him, and it hurt us as fans. But when he realizes how well his new situation is for his future, that pain will start to turn to joy, as it has for us fans when we see how well off we are for the future. Something that wouldn’t be possible if it werenā€™t for the hefty contributions by these three, especially Mighty IT.

LeBron Knows the Answer to the Big Question About Kyrie

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ā€œ…I donā€™t have any advice for him now. I got no advice for him or any other people thatā€™s on any other team. Noooo.. Listen man we trying to win a championship here, I donā€™t have time to give advice to other guysā€¦ā€

LeBron seemed sincere in his opening press conference for the season, and itā€™s a fair point to not want to help players that arenā€™t helping you win a championship. The thing is, LeBron has been giving advice to all kinds of young players in a very public manner after games. We saw it with Lonzo Ball. The very next game against the Jazz we saw him and Dwayne Wade pull another rookie, Donovan Mitchell, aside and give him a short lecture. You might remember last year when he did the same thing with a rookie Jaylen Brown.

So, why does he have nothing left for Kyrie?

KYRIE IS READY

The answer is simple: he knows Kyrie is ready to win without him. Heā€™s already given his former protegĆ© more than he would like the leader of a serious contender to have. Kyrie is no wide-eyed rookie. Still, LeBron has established himself as a ā€œbig brotherā€ of sorts for young players around the league. The two have built a bond together. Now, he doesn’t have anything left to say to Kyrie. He can act like it’s everyone, but it’s not. It’s just guys he sees as a threat to his legacy, and that list now includes Kyrie Irving. His explanation of why he has nothing left for Kyrie seems inaccurate and pointed. If you ask me, he is legitimately worried about Irving and the Boston Celtics.

ā€œā€¦The only thing Iā€™m upset about is he took a lot of the DNA and the blueprint to Boston.ā€

LeBron has been to 7 straight NBA Finals. He knows what it takes to get there. He also knows Kyrie Irving knows what it takes to get there. Kyrie Irving is ready to be the #1 guy. LeBron may have been ready to give him the keys, as he said in his preseason interview. But Kyrie was tired of riding in the backseat. So he went out and found himself his own car. One that he could drive. And one that has yet to reach its top speed.

KYRIE VS LEBRON ON THE BIG STAGE

The Celtics are still a work in progress. They have cooled off a bit since their 16 game win streak at the beginning of the season, but they are still an obvious force. Even without Hayward, the general consensus is that there will be an Eastern Conference Finals rematch between the Cavs and Celtics. The biggest difference this time around would be the size of the storylines.

Kyrie will be trying to put the last stamp of approval needed to validate his move to Boston. Maybe more accurately, out of Cleveland. It would be truly epic to see Kyrie take down LeBron and end his Finals reign. Instead of LeBron handing Kyrie the keys, Kyrie will be looking to take them from him, head to head. We could see these teams clash in the playoffs for years to come. It seems inevitable the Celtics take the crown and reach the Finals.

THE MAKINGS OF A TRUE RIVALRY

For Celtics fans, perhaps watching Isaiah Thomas try to exact revenge on his old team and new rival will be the hardest thing to watch. It is tough not to root for this guy. It is tough to realize he could be heavily responsible for ending the Celticsā€™ season.

It would also be the 2nd year in the row the two play in the ECF, and could mark the start of a true rivalry. The Celtics are getting better every year and will soon be the favorites in the East. But until somebody knocks him off, LeBron holds the key to the Finals. As long as he is in Cleveland, they will be a force in the playoffs.

Eventually, there will be a team that comes along and beats LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Most would agree that team will most likely be the Boston Celtics. Even if LeBron isn’t willing to give Kyrie any more advice. Kyrie has everything he needs to succeed. Who knows, maybe we’ll see LeBron give the rookie Jayson Tatum some love Wednesday after the game. Or, maybe he’ll see him as a member of a team that is a serious threat to his championship aspirations and stay far, far away.

Isaiah Thomas: The 5’9 Giant

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Championship Mike Drop

The clock ticks down under 10 seconds. The game is tied in overtime. The Staples Center in LA is packed. Jersey number two in black is still dribbling calmly in place just past half court. The people closest to him know what happens next, as he prepares to show the rest of the world what he is all about. Isaiah Thomas starts to drive hard left. He gets inside the perimeter enough to sell the drive. He gets a sliver of space and then takes a step back with a distance comparable to that between Man and the Moon itself to get behind the line. Ā  A two-point victory wasnā€™t good enough for him. (It ended up being called a two but I dispute it to this day). You can probably guess what happens next: swish. ā€œCOOOLLDD BLOODED!!ā€ the announcer can be heard yelling over all the chaos.

Special Person, Special Player

That was the scene of the PAC-12 (then PAC-10) championship game on March 12, 2011, and the exact moment I became an Isaiah Thomas fan. You see, certain players bring more to basketball than just talent. IT plays with a fierce passion unmatched by most. You have to bring up the names of greats just to find somebody on his level in that regard. Then thereā€™s that smile. You can always tell heā€™s having a blast on the court, and for his teammates, itā€™s contagious. Complement these things with an unrealistic confidence and you have the makings of a special player. He is willing to say he wants to be the best player in the NBA, and he doesnā€™t care if you doubt him. As a fan, you have to love a guy like that. Especially when heā€™s able to back it up with top-five level play, which is right where he found himself in the MVP race at the end of last season. Say that again?

Down Draft

Speaking of doubt, let’s fast forward from that day at the Staples Center to a few months later at the 2011 NBA draft. Youā€™ve probably heard the story. Thomas was taken with the last pick, far beyond the point where a team can typically find someone worth a roster spot. Well, the Kings struck gold. Not only did he make the team, he averaged 11.5 ppg as a rookie. He jumped up to 20.3 ppg by his third year. Despite showing promise as a young player, the Ā Kings weren’t satisfied and dumped him for nothing in a sign-and-trade move with the Suns. He played in Phoenix for only half of the 13-14 season. Even though he continued to play well, they doubted Thomas and his role in their long-term plans. They viewed him as the third-best point guard on the roster.

Little Big Man

When I heard the Celtics landed Thomas before the trade deadline of the 2014-2015 season, I was ecstatic. Right away I felt we had the scoring punch we needed to maybe make a run at the playoffs, and he took us there as a mid-season acquisition. But he wasnā€™t satisfied; he won the starting role, and in the 2016-2017 season threw it in the face of his doubters and had himself an MVP caliber season.

Some of the things he did this past season literally brought me to tears. Thereā€™s the Miami game where he notched a career- high 52 points, and we needed every last one of them to win. The King of the Fourth came to play that day, breaking Larry Bird’s franchise record with 24 in the final period.

Need a day off? The very next game, he recorded a career high 15 assists behind 29 pts, and it started to seem like he could do anything. Just two games in the line of a franchise-record 43-straight, 20-point games. And in the playoffs, when he bested his 52 with a gritty 53-point performance on a bad hip, on what would have been his sisters 23rd birthday. She passed away in a car accident weeks before. If you werenā€™t a fan of his after that game, you didnā€™t have a pulse.

He fought through that personal tragedy for the rest of the playoffs and beyond. The missing tooth game, the game winner in Atlanta, I could go on and on. We were witnessing greatness out of ā€œthe little guyā€ every single time he stepped on the floor. He fought so hard for everything, and he finally felt at home. He was in a good situation where his coach allowed him to be himself and it was paying dividends. Even the doubters where starting to diminish. Imagine that, it took an MVP level season for most to realize this guy is pretty darn good.

…Another, New, Era?

What happens next, well, is simply heartbreaking. As Iā€™m writing this, Iā€™m torn between excitement for the future and borderline depression that the hard nosed Celtics led by Thomas will never step on the floor together again. While the culture remains, the fact is this is a much different team led by a different floor general. Isaiah wears a Cavaliers jersey now. And get this; reports reveal the Cavs didnā€™t care much about Thomas being part of the deal, but were more enamored with Crowder and the Nets pick. Two great assets, sure, but the message was clear; we donā€™t think he can do it again. Definitely not after the hip injury. They even demanded more out of the deal after it was agreed upon when concern was expressed about their results from Thomasā€™ physical. IT’s newest team has become his latest doubter.

Is the hip a concern? Yes. Is he shorter than your roommate, who thinks he would’ve made it to the NBA if he was taller? Thereā€™s a pretty good chance. The concerns have always been logical, but does it really matter? I answered that question for myself the second the ball left his hands in the final seconds of that OT game on March 12th 2012 in the sold out Staples Center. It didn’t matter whether it went in or not; I had seen enough to know this kid had guts. The fact that it dropped was the proverbial icing on the cake.

Cleveland Doubts Thomas

Certain players, certain people, defy logic with their craft. Coincidentally enough, some people call it the ā€œITā€ factor, and the man whose initials and most popular nickname is I.T. has “IT.” Ā Magical might be a more appropriate word than logical when talking about Thomas. He has defied logic time and time again, and you wonā€™t find me giving any reason why he canā€™t do it once more. So when it was reported that Isaiah was really just the icing on the cake for the Cavs, the only reasoning I can come up with is that their front office is full of odd individuals who only eat the icing.

P.S. I wanted to help direct ClevelandĀ here, as they will almost certainly be needing this service in the near future. You earned it IT!!

Isaiah Thomas said when asked about his looming payday next offseason that they better bring in the Brinks truck, and took it a step further with these. Ā Here’s a clip of the shot in the 2011 Pac-10 title game. Stat line: 28-5-7. COLD. BLOODED.

The Cavaliers Playing Dirty

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The Cavaliers are playing hardball. In my opinion, they are playing dirty. In trade talks between the Cavs and Celtics, Boston was reportedly forthcoming with all medical information on Isaiah Thomas. The two teams agreed to a trade. Ā The Celtics would send the Brooklyn Nets first-round pick next season along with Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and Ante Zizic to Cleveland in exchange for Kyrie Irving. The two teams forged the agreement based on the understanding of the health of Thomasā€™ hip.

During Game One of the 2017 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 17, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Faulty Memory?

A couple days after the trade, news leaked that the Cavaliers had concerns with Isaiah Thomasā€™ hip. Reports said they might ask for more compensation in the trade. They already had the information when they agreed upon the above deal, which, come on, is quite a nice haul.

This is where I believe the Cavaliers are playing dirty, using the media to their advantage. They knew the condition of Thomasā€™ hip when they made the deal. They decided to go through with the agreement and then leak this information to the media a few days later to put pressure on the Celtics. The Celtics fan base was stoked at bringing Kyrie Irving on board. What would happen if the trade didn’t go through? Cleveland knew they would have Danny Ainge in a bind. Hence my opinion that they planned to squeeze as much out of the Celtics as they could.

In the end, the Celtics should not cave. They canā€™t let the Cavaliers bully them into adding more to a trade that was already incredibly fair. If adding a second-round pick will do it, thatā€™s okay. Reports of Cleveland wanting Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum added to the deal belong in the circular file.