Marcus Smart Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Marcus Smart Expected To Play In Game 5

April 24th, 2018 at 4:26pm CST by Luke Adams

4:26pm: Stevens said that Smart felt great after the morning shootaround and is expected to play Tuesday, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe tweets.

11:03am: The potential return date for Celtics guard Marcus Smart keeps getting moved up. After initially aiming to play in a possible Game 7 in the first round, Smart said over the weekend that he may actually be back for Game 6 against the Bucks. Now, it appears he could suit up for the C’s in Game 5 on Tuesday night.

As Taylor Snow of Celtics.com details, head coach Brad Stevens said Smart’s injured right thumb was re-evaluated on Monday and he has been given the OK to return, as long as he clears a few more hurdles leading up to tonight’s game.

“He still has to go through some things later this morning after our shootaround, and then we’ll see how he feels after that,” Stevens said. “If he feels good, then he’s been cleared physically to go. If he has any pain or anything comes up, then we’ll hold him out.”

Given how eager Smart has been to return to the Celtics’ lineup, it’s hard to imagine him not playing on Tuesday in Boston now that he has received medical clearance. If he’s able to play, it will be his first game since March 11 — he underwent surgery on March 16 to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb.

While Smart’s offensive numbers this season (10.2 PPG on .367/.301/.729 shooting) were modest, he’s one of the Celtics’ most important defensive players. And with Kyrie Irving sidelined, Smart’s return will help provide more depth in Boston’s backcourt, taking some pressure off Terry Rozier at the point.

Marcus Smart Hoping To Return For Game 6

April 22nd, 2018 at 9:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Marcus Smart hasn’t played since early March because of a thumb injury, but he hopes to only miss one more game for the Celtics.

“Right now, [a Game 6 return is] the plan and we’re still on the same track,” Smart said earlier today (via Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com). “I’ve been doing everything but contact, so I will be able to go and start that.”

Smart will have his thumb reevaluated on Tuesday in New York and he believes that he’ll be cleared to play.

“The surgery did its job,” said Smart.“Thumb is holding up well. I feel ready, I feel strong enough to get back out there. I’m just waiting on the OK.”

Boston lost the last two games against Milwaukee to bring the series to 2-2. Smart has been participating in shootarounds before each of the Celtics’ playoff games, in an effort to avoid being rusty upon return and being comfortable in the splint he will have to wear on his finger.

“Actually [the splint and tape is] real comfortable. It feels like nothing’s there,” he said. “To have that comfortability, especially in my dominant hand, my shooting hand, that’s a good feeling to have.”

Injury Updates: Smart, Curry, Hill, Turner

April 21st, 2018 at 4:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics guard Marcus Smart may be getting closer to a return, writes Marc D’Amico of NBA.com. Smart, who had surgery on his right thumb and has been sidelined since March 12, will be re-evaluated next week, coach Brad Stevens told reporters today.

“He’s doing everything in a workout that you can do,” Stevens said. “It’s just a matter of being cleared for live play.” He added that the Celtics intend to use Smart as soon as he is cleared for full contact.

Smart has been going through workouts with coaches, but is not permitted to do anything competitive until he receives medical clearance. Doctors are concerned with limiting the risk that his thumb will be re-injured once he returns to the court.

“I think it’s just a matter of you have to have that post-surgery healed enough to be able to take a hit even with a brace on it,” Stevens added. “That’s the hold up.”

There’s more injury-related news to pass on:

The Warriors welcomed Stephen Curry back to practice today, but have no intention to use him in the series with San Antonio, relays Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s coming along well, but don’t expect him to be Willis Reed tomorrow,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. Curry, who has sat out the past four weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee, completed several non-contact drills today without any setbacks. Doctors will re-evaluate him next weekend in hopes of a second-round return.
Cavaliers guard George Hill is questionable for Game 4 after experiencing back spasms Friday night, according to Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com. Hill had an MRI today after playing just 30 seconds in the fourth quarter because of back soreness. Coach Tyronn Lue said veteran Jose Calderon will probably start Sunday if Hill can’t play.
Evan Turner was able to start today for the Trail Blazers after having a titanium plate placed in his right shoe to protect his big toe, tweets Jason Quick of NBC Sports Northwest. Turner suffered a bruise in Game 2 when he was kicked in the toe while chasing a loose ball.

Playoff Notes: Leonard, Smart, Wolves

April 15th, 2018 at 3:36pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Spurs lost Game 1 against the Warriors without Kawhi Leonard‘s services at their disposal and coach Gregg Popovich was asked if could see the 2016/17 MVP candidate returning for this season’s playoff run.

“You’ll have to ask Kawhi and his group that question…so far they say he’s not ready to go. So we can’t do anything until that happens. Then we would have to decide what’s going on from there. But that’s the first thing that has to happen.” Popovich said (via ESPN Now video link).

The coach added that Leonard is in New York rehabbing his injured quad and Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that the small forward still has not been cleared to play. Sources tell Haynes that there is no timetable for Leonard’s return, but he is being “examined routinely.”

Rumblings of his rift with the organization continue to linger over the team with veteran Pau Gasol recently telling the media that many of the San Antonio’s players haven’t seen Leonard in weeks. Several teams are keeping tabs on the situation and we learned this weekend that the Clippers will be among the teams with a trade offer should the Spurs put Leonard on the trade market.

Game 2 of the Spurs-Warriors series will be held on Monday. As the teams await the contest, let’s take a look at some notes from other playoff squads.

Marcus Smart said he hopes to be ready to return to the court for a potential Game 7 of the Celtics‘ opening-round series or Game 1 of a potential second-round matchup, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe relays (Twitter link). The combo guard, who is recovering from surgery on his right thumb, hasn’t played since early March.
Taj Gibson, who signed a two-year, $28MM deal with the Wolves last summer, played through pain during Wednesday’s playoff-clinching win and he’ll do the same during the team’s series with the Rockets. “No different, just got to play through it,” Gibson said of the pain he played through earlier in the week (via Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune). “There’s not much improvement. It’s just something thatâs going to have to heal up in the offseason and get rest.”
Jimmy Butler has played only three games for the Wolves since recovering from knee surgery earlier in the season. Still, he’s confident that the team, despite the injuries woes, will be able to compete in the franchise’s first playoff series since 2004, Zgoda relays in the same piece. “I feel good, well-rested to tell you the truth,” Butler said. “I’m confident in myself and these group of guys. Everybody’s locked in and focused. We donât have anything to worry about, just go out and play.”

Marcus Smart Eyes Late April Return

April 9th, 2018 at 4:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics guard Marcus Smart is expected to receive clearance to return to game action in late April, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets.

This is some much-needed good news for the snakebit Celtics, who will be without stars Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving during their playoff run. Hayward was lost during the first game of the season while Irving recently opted to have season-ending knee surgery.

Smart underwent surgery March 16th to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. He had the thumb reevaluated on Monday by specialists in New York and was given a timetable of six weeks from the surgery for a projected return to action, which would target his comeback around April 27th, Charania adds. That would mean he’d miss a few playoff games but might return later in the first round or early in the second round.

Smart has been cleared to begin light non-contact shooting. A good playoff showing by Smart could help his long-term prospects. The Celtics could make him a restricted free agent by extending a qualifying offer of $6MM this summer. Otherwise, he’ll be unrestricted.

Smart has appeared in 54 games this season, his fourth in the league. He’s averaging 10.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 4.8 APG in 29.9 MPG.

Celtics Notes: Irving, Outlook, Smart

April 5th, 2018 at 10:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics’ chances of making a deep postseason run were dealt a serious blow on Thursday when the team announced that Kyrie Irving would be undergoing a second procedure on his knee that will sideline him for four or five months.

As Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes, the Celtics knew when they acquired Irving from the Cavs last August that the star point guard had dealt with lingering knee pain and might need to go under the knife at some point. However, league sources tell Himmelsbach that the procedure wasn’t considered pressing, and the C’s crafted a plan to limit the “wear and tear” on Irving’s knee.

When Irving’s pain became more pronounced last month, he and the club attempted to address the problem with rest and then with a minimally invasive surgery. After team doctors recognized an infection in the knee that would likely require a second procedure, the C’s “aggressively” sought other options, sources tell Himmelsbach. Even though Irving reported that his knee was feeling better though, it was eventually determined that the second surgery – which will officially end his season – was the only viable path.

Here’s more out of Boston:

In spite of Irving’s injury, Celtics president Danny Ainge insists he’s eager to see how his young squad performs in the postseason, according to reports from Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald and A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston. “We’re not giving up on this. Absolutely not,” Ainge said. “We’ve played some fantastic basketball in spite of the challenges that we’ve had from a physical standpoint. So I like watching these guys play, and they’re going to fight.”
While the Celtics’ upside for this year’s postseason is limited, the franchise remains extremely well-positioned for the future and some bad injury luck doesn’t change that, writes Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Irving isn’t the only injured Celtics guard to keep an eye on — Marcus Smart is scheduled to have his thumb re-evaluated next week, and his recovery timetable could become more clear at that point, tweets Himmelsbach. The most likely scenario would see Smart returning for the second round of the playoffs, assuming Boston makes it that far.
Earlier today, we passed along word of the Celtics’ contract agreement with Jonathan Gibson, and asked you how far you expect the club to advance in the playoffs.

RFA Rumors: Parker, Gordon, Exum, Smart, Randle

March 30th, 2018 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Only about a quarter of the NBA’s teams are expected to have meaningful cap room this summer, so restricted free agents hoping for a major payday could have a tough summer, writes Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Last week, we identified eight RFAs we believe have positioned themselves well for long-term contracts, and while we’re still bullish on those players, the RFA market may not be as active overall as it has been in some previous offseasons.

Within his latest piece, Kyler took a closer look at a few specific 2018 restricted free agents, so let’s round up some highlights from his breakdown…

Most NBA insiders believe the Bucks will ultimately retain Jabari Parker, according to Kyler, who suggests that – with a new arena on the way – Bucks ownership may not be as worried about the rising cost of team salary as you’d expect.
The Bucks and Magic may let the market drive the respective prices on Parker and Aaron Gordon, according to Kyler. With Orlando’s new management group looking to shed cap dollars, the team will be wary of overpaying Gordon. Kyler also notes that the Magic could be open to the possibility of a sign-and-trade if Gordon wants to play elsewhere. However, sign-and-trades can be particularly tricky to pull off for RFAs getting big raises due to the Base Year Compensation rule, so that may be a long shot.
The prevailing thought on Dante Exum is that he’ll be back with the Jazz, though likely not on a long-term deal, says Kyler.
In order to pry Marcus Smart away from the Celtics, it might take an offer sheet at least in the range of $12-14MM per year, per Kyler.
The Kings are worth watching as a possible suitor for Lakers big man Julius Randle, though many people expect the Mavericks to be the team “on Randle’s doorstep” when free agency opens on July 1, Kyler writes.
Clint Capela (Rockets), Zach LaVine (Bulls), Jusuf Nurkic (Trail Blazers), and Rodney Hood (Cavaliers) are among the RFAs considered more likely than not to stay with their current teams, according to Kyler. For more details on those players – along with an item on Suns guard Elfrid Payton – be sure to check out Kyler’s full piece.

Injury Notes: Smart, Love, Ingram, Wall

March 28th, 2018 at 1:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics guard Marcus Smart is making progress in rehabbing a torn ligament in his right thumb and hopes to be available for the second round of the playoffs, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe.

A cast on his hand was recently replaced by a splint with an opening at the top that allows him to move his thumb, and he has been able to do some light exercises with the injured digit. Smart tore the ligament earlier this month and underwent surgery March 16. His original prognosis had him out six to eight weeks, which sets a potential return about the time of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“Definitely right now, that’s what we’re shooting for,” he said. “The way it’s going now, we’re on the right path. Hopefully nothing happens where it gets delayed.”

There are more injury updates from around the NBA:

Kevin Love has been placed in concussion protocol and will miss tonight’s game, the Cavaliers announced on their website. He suffered a front tooth sublexation last night and experienced concussion-like symptoms at halftime.
After missing nearly four weeks with a strained groin, Lakers forward Brandon Ingram expects to return tonight, tweets Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum Sports Net.
Coach Luke Walton says Lakers rookie Josh Hart has looked good in three-on-three games and may be cleared to play Friday, according to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN (Twitter link).
John Wall, who has been sidelined since having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in late January, may be able to return tomorrow, according to a tweet from the Wizards. Coach Scott Brooks said Wall will participate in the team’s shootaround and a decision will be based on how the knee responds. He is officially listed as questionable.
Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari is targeting Friday to return from a fractured right hand, relays Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. “I hope to play a few minutes against Portland [Friday],” Gallinari said in an interview with Italian outlet Sky Sport. “The hand is not completely healed, but we’ll see how I can help the team in the games left in the regular season. I will try to bite the bullet for the playoff race. The franchise asked me to grit my teeth and play. I will try to do that.”
After re-injuring his right ankle Monday, Celtics forward Marcus Morris will sit out tonight’s game, according to a tweet from the team. He will probably return Saturday, according to Himmelsbach (Twitter link).
Celtics coach Brad Stevens provided an another update on Gordon Hayward, saying he’s still limited to the Alter-G treadmill and hasn’t been cleared to run on the court (Twitter link). “There will be nothing more exciting for him than being able to get back out on the basketball court,” Stevens said (Twitter link).
Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman may be cleared to return to action after a hip flexor injury. He tweeted an image of himself accompanied by the word, “finally.”
Jazz center Tony Bradley has cleared concussion protocol, tweets Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News.

Celtics Notes: Smart, Irving, Morris, Thomas, McCarty

March 20th, 2018 at 4:51pm CST by clarkcrum

As indicated in previous stories, Marcus Smart is expected to miss about six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The plan is for Smart to return to action should the Celtics make it to the second round of the playoffs and, per Chris Forsberg of ESPN, Smart is supremely confident that he will be able to return this postseason.

“I am confident [I’ll be back for the playoffs],” Smart said Monday night. “I had one of the top [hand] doctors do it. The surgery was a success… I’m real, real, real excited and eager to get back out there, whenever that is, hopefully it’s sooner than later, like I said. Hopefully the team can and, like I think they’re gonna do, is handle their business and have me back [in the postseason].”

Smart originally thought his injury was only a sprain, and even after further testing revealed more extensive ligament damage, he weighed non-surgical treatment options before finally deciding on having the surgery when doctors told him he risked further complications that might force him out of action for a longer period of time should he have tried to play before undergoing the procedure.

“The first [thing] was could I damage it any more?” Smart said. “When we went to get the second opinion, they said the same thing: The ligament is torn completely. There’s nothing else you can do. Then there was, ‘OK, could I possibly play with it and get the surgery afterwards?’ That came into play and when she said — the doctor pretty much said, ‘If it was me, I would get this now. The longer you wait, the harder it [will be] and cause more complications. So just get it over with and then there’s a possibility you could be back sooner than you thought.'”

There’s more out of Boston:

All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving plans on obtaining a second opinion later this week for his ailing left knee, tweets Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports.
Marcus Morris was fined $15K for “verbal abuse of a game official,” it was announced today by the NBA. The incident occurred at the conclusion of the Celtics’ 19-point loss to New Orleans on Sunday.
Former Celtic and soon-to-be free agent guard Isaiah Thomas is willing to return to Boston next season, reports NBC Sports Boston. Asked on Twitter whether he would consider a reunion this offseason, Thomas tweeted, “Anything can happen.”
Celtics assistant coach and former player Walter McCarty will interview for the head coaching vacancy at the University of Evansville, writes Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Born and raised in Evansville, IN, McCarty is looking to become a head coach for the first time after also having spent time as an assistant at the University of Louisville and with the Pacers.

Atlantic Notes: Fultz, Hornacek, Rozier, Smart

March 18th, 2018 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Markelle Fultz has made progress in fixing his shot, but the Sixers are uncertain if he will play again this season, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Fultz is looking better in pre-game shootarounds and his release point is almost back to where it was in college and summer league. However, conditioning is a concern for a player who hasn’t appeared in a game since October.

“He understands where the team is at, and he understands where the NBA is pretty tough in March and the race to the playoffs is real,” coach Brett Brown said. “I think whenever the decision comes out, we will act accordingly. I can tell you personally, I do look forward to coaching him.”

Fultz hasn’t been a full participant at practice since he was first injured and has done his work mainly in three-on-three scrimmages with teammates. Brown expects the decision to be made soon, and Fultz will have input on whether he plays or not.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek has been going along with the rebuilding plan in New York, even though it has resulted in a won-loss record that might cost him his job, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Hornacek hasn’t talked to anyone in the front office about his future with the team, but he knows that conversation will happen soon. “At the end of the season I’m sure we’ll sit down with [president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry] and figure out what we’re doing,” he said. “As a coach you’d like to know if you’re going to be here next year. But our job right now is take the guys that we have on this team and try to get them better.”
Celtics guard Terry Rozier is hoping Marcus Smart can return in the playoffs and promises to help convince him to stay in Boston this summer, relays Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Smart is expected to miss about six weeks after surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and could return for a second-round series. He will be a restricted free agent this summer. “If I’m part of the plan in recruiting Marcus to stay here, then that’s what I’m going to have to do,” Rozier said.
In a St. Patrick’s Day column, A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston examines the ways that good luck that has touched the Celtics in recent years. Examples include the emergence of Rozier, the availability of Kyrie Irving and the Hornets’ refusal to accept a parcel of draft picks in exchange for their ninth selection in 2015 when team president Danny Ainge wanted to draft Justise Winslow.