BOSTON — Celtics coach Brad Stevens said the team has "moved on" from the disappointment he expressed in Marcus Smart on multiple occasions after the guard cut open his hand punching a glass picture frame in his Los Angeles hotel room three weeks ago.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the coach has dismissed what the act has cost the team through a stretch where it lost three of four games against top Eastern Conference [...]
BOSTON — Celtics coach Brad Stevens said the team has “moved on” from the disappointment he expressed in Marcus Smart on multiple occasions after the guard cut open his hand punching a glass picture frame in his Los Angeles hotel room three weeks ago.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the coach has dismissed what the act has cost the team through a stretch where it lost three of four games against top Eastern Conference contenders.
“We all had our own individual conversations and we’ll continue to do that,” Stevens said before Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. “Collectively, we’ve said the same thing [to him] that we’ve said publicly. Ultimately, we need Marcus to be really good for us. To not be available for the past couple of weeks has put everybody else in a tough spot.”
Stevens said the plan is still for Smart to return to full practice when the team reconvenes in Waltham after the All-Star break. Smart was out on the court going through extensive shooting drills Tuesday, but Stevens said he did not practice with the team.
“We feel good about him being ready to be a full go [next] Wednesday,” said Stevens.
The Celtics are scheduled to practice on Wednesday after the break before heading to Detroit on Thursday to face the Pistons Friday night.
“We’re looking forward to getting him back next week,” Stevens said. “Because we clearly need him on our team.”
Stevens said in the wake of the incident that he intended to meet with Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge to determine whether there would be further discipline for Smart. Stevens said on Wednesday those meetings took place, but declined to reveal if the club took any action against the player.
“All of that’s been handled internally,” Stevens said.
Smart, who has made himself available to the media just once since the incident, said last Sunday that he experienced “a relapse” when it came to controlling his temper on the day where he punched the picture frame and suffered a cut that took 20 stitches to close.
“You just have to be able to manage that,” Stevens said of Smart’s passion. “It’s part of his growth process. I think he’ll grow in that area. But, ultimately, you have to be able to manage that.”
Stevens said on Tuesday he also hopes to have Shane Larkin (right knee soreness) back after the All-Star break.
“I’ve felt over the past couple of games,” Stevens said, “that having another ball-handler, whether it’s Shane, Marcus, whatever the case may be, it helps take some of the load off Terry [Rozier] and Kyrie [Irving].”
Rivers on Red
Former Celtics coach Doc Rivers was back in town for the second time in four days after he was a speaker and special guest of Paul Pierce during his No. 34 retirement ceremony on Sunday.
“I thought Doc did a great job in the ceremony,” Stevens said. “I thought it was really cool that he took the time to come in the middle of the season. [Rajon] Rondo took the time to come in the middle of the season. That’s not easy — especially in between games – but it shows you the impact that Paul had on them.
“I have a ton of respect for Doc. Following him here, that was not an easy guy to follow.”
Rivers said he only had one regret after the ceremony.
“It was really nice,” he said. “I just wish — me, Paul, probably everybody — didn’t do a good enough job mentioning Red [Auerbach]. Because Red is the originator of all of this here. When anyone talks, he should probably be the first thing to come out of your mouth.
“You can’t get do-overs. But if you could get one, I think that would be the one thing that was missed a little bit.”
Rivers sat courtside with Rondo and Kevin Garnett for Sunday’s game and said he tried to contain himself when Rondo was talking about how difficult young players can be in the league.
Asked if he ever wanted to “choke” Rondo when he was young, Rivers said: “Oh yeah, definitely. And vice versa, by the way.
“But it never stopped our relationship. I don’t think people understand that I don’t mind that. It’s good to have that and then get over it. That’s the most important part.”