Marcus Smart opens up about hand injury, thinks he'll be back after All-Star break


It's been a tough couple of weeks for Marcus Smart.

After punching a glass picture frame in a California hotel room, Smart sustained a laceration on his hand that required twenty stitches. He hasn't played in a game since. 

Most recently, his name has been tossed around in trade rumors, as he's been mentioned in exchanges for just about every available player on the market. 

For the first time since January 24th, when the injury occurred, Marcus spoke to the media about the details of his injury, his thoughts on trade rumors, and when he expects to be back on the floor.



In regard to his ailing hand, Marcus revealed that the stitches are out and that everything is healing just fine. The cut is on the top of his hand, near the pinky finger. On his motivation for hitting the picture frame, Marcus said:
I was just frustrating myself. That run where we lost a few games, I think four in a row, to teams that we feel we should have beat, you know, being a competitor and missing the last shot (versus Lakers), you kind of get upset with yourself.

This is the shot that he's referring to. In the four game losing stretch, the Celtics fell to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Orlando Magic, and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Marcus has been a character in trade stories for four years now; since his first season in the NBA. He didn't seem worried about a potential departure from Boston, and also didn't think the rumors had anything to do with his unfortunate hand injury.
I've been in trade rumors since I've been in the league. It happens. It's business. Nothing's written in stone until it happens. We just kind of see how it goes, but I'm not worried about it. I don't think the trade rumors is because of my hand or anything like that.

And finally, when asked about his return to the court, which Marcus seemed confident that it would be in a green jersey, he said:
I think I'll be able to play again sometime after All-Star break. Just got to give it time.

I, personally, hope that Marcus returns after the break still a member of the Celtics. These four month rental propositions just don't do it for me when Marcus is the piece being moved, because while players like Tyreke Evans and Lou Williams will surely be able to help the Celtics put the ball in the hoop, they won't be able to do all of the things that Marcus does strategically offensively and defensively every night.

The Celtics are the best defensive team in the league for a reason, and Marcus is a factor in that.

And there's always that slight chance that he re-signs for a team-friendly deal. It'd be nice to have Marcus as the team's sixth or seventh man for years to come. With the his signing, depth would be guaranteed.

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Photo: USA Today
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