Celtics guard Marcus Smart is on the upswing after a brutal case of viral conjunctivitis caused an infection in both of his eyes, sidelining him for much of December, writes ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Smart isn’t playing today in Toronto, but thinks he’s at “about 80 percent” and is focused on getting his conditioning back to its usual level. Mostly, he’s relieved that the worst of his eye issues appear to be behind him.
“I thought I was going to go blind for a while. I think it was the worst case of viral conjunctivitis that they’ve seen,” Smart said. “… I couldn’t see. I had outdoor sunglasses everywhere. Even in the dark I was wearing sunglasses. It was that bad. Just every morning I would wake up just having sticky discharge coming out of my eyes, sealing my eyes shut. It was really just gross.”
With Gordon Hayward back in their lineup today, the Celtics appear to be getting close to getting fully healthy. In the meantime, let’s round up a few more notes out of Boston:
- Although the Celtics look capable of vying for a spot in the NBA Finals, finding the one last piece to cement their place as a contender will be difficult, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe, who outlines why the club may not be able to make a significant trade this winter. We touched on a similar topic last week.
- Terry Rozier is impressed with how his former teammates Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum has looked this season, suggesting that the two young wings are “superstars in the making,” as Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald details. “I’m not just saying it. Them guys put the work in,” Rozier said. “They really care. They want to learn the game, and them boys can really play.”
- Celtics big man Enes Kanter isn’t taking today’s game in Toronto for granted. Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston explains why Kanter’s safety may be at risk when he travels outside the United States.
Perhaps instead of listing tangible obstacles/reasons as to why a trade for a star wont happen, maybe take a more philosophical stance to make your case. The team has been surprisingly great and has outperformed tempered expectations going into the season, this just isnt a team you want to scramble to trade for a star for. Theres no need for a “have to make a big trade” mentality when the current roster just simply is not a legit contender for the title. Capable of possibly sneaking into the finals? Sure. But to me thats their ceiling at its most peakiest peak. And thats totally fine when several of your core contributors are developing young players like tatum and brown. They need the meaningful experience in high usage roles to better gauge what it is you actually have in them (and of course to the betterment of their own game). A major move means minutes have to change at minimum, possibly even their roles on the court as well. Let the boys play and develop organically. To me a major win now move for a star is a sign that trader danny still believes in whatever nucleus he was trying amass when he signed heyward and traded for irving. Walker to replace irving hasnt been as bad as i made it out to be when he initially was signed, but that doesnt change that heyward wasnt pillar when healthy, and hes hardly ever healthy. Even if he continues his current level of production (which is addmittingly++ .cvx ff. — xx. Xz. X. x x. XXz. X. Zzz. X zz. X. Zx. Zz zz. Z. Z ZX. Z. Z. Xx zZ. Z. X. Z. X z z. X. Z. Z. Z z. Z. Z. ZX. Z. Z. Z zz. q. x. Z. Zz z. ZZ. Z. Z. Z z z. Z. Z. Z. Z. X. Z. X. Z. X. Z.the end i had something stupid typed but then i ate and this is what was written by the pocket. Celtics either need or need to know if tatum and brown are the all star caliber players to shoulder the 2/3 load on a legit contender. You cant stitch together with Walker in the Hayward are guys like that so any move now seems in vain their best chances are seeing what they have and brown and Tatum in gambling on what they’re upside is and then you can start talking about adding another piece
D+. Nice start but points off for the pocket segment, the wandering conventional theme, and the lack of paragraphs.
Possible summary:
Tatum & Brown > Walker & Hayward.
I definitely get all over the place but I’m always confused about the paragraphs and the TL DR stuff. Are you still do the short and quick stuff until I realized i ended up saying the exact same amount of words over the course a thread. Plus I’m a fan of the Celtics and the vast majority of fans love Ange so I definitely feel like I need to cover my bases when do voicing my critiques, good news is he’s making that less and less necessary between the clarity of the moves that were mistakes and the two decades with only one entitled to claim.
Yeah I assume the butt typing was going to be much longer than it was so in hindsight I definitely look lazy but at least it’s genuine so genuinely lazy if you will.
No one is saying to make a trade for a “star” like Kyrie who would be a bad fit for the Celtics roster. It’s to trade for a star that can fit their needs and make the team better.
This is just, in my opinion, the hardest part of being an NBA GM: at some point you need to consolidate your talent in order to become a legitimate championship contender, but the move(s) you make have to exactly fit. It can be done, but one wrong move and you can ruin team chemistry, hurt the progress of other players, etc.
Needless to say, patience is warranted, but a deal still has to get done eventually.
Correction: the media and irrational fans are basically saying to just trade for any star. I am not, at least.
If Marcus Smart says his eyes were “really just gross”, he will be believed. An amazing excuse for anyone.