On June 28, 1989, the Boston Celtics selected Michael Smith from Brigham Young with the thirteenth pick in the NBA Draft. The pick came with much fanfare.
"He plays a lot like Larry -- I hope," was the infamous sound bite provided by one Red Auerbach.
At 24, Smith was older than anyone else in the draft because he had spent two years on a Mormon Mission in Argentina. Larry Bird was 22 when he joined the Boston Celtics.
Smith was ambidextrous. So was Bird.
Smith was a superb free-throw shooter. Bird, too.
Smith, second only to Danny Ainge in scoring at BYU, could make shots from anywhere on the court, just like Bird. Both Bird and Smith were excellent passers, Bird throughout his career and Smith at BYU. Smith and Bird were both slow afoot, and since Bird overcame that limitation, no biggie for Smith.
Right?
Smith’s career boasted two highlights. The first came on draft night, being compared to Larry Bird by Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach. The second highlight came on a West Coast trip during late February and early March of his rookie year.
Smith averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 30 minutes over six games as a starter for Jimmy Rodgers. He shot 50 percent from the floor (43 for 86), and the team was 4-2 in those outings. In one game Smith scored 17 points (7-of-10 shooting) and recorded 6 assists in just 21 minutes.
Yet as quickly as Smith was inserted into prime time, he was displaced again, returning to the bench as the Celtics began their next home stand. In the 13 games after the trip, Smith averaged 9 minutes and 4 points a game. By the end of March, the Celtics starters were averaging close to 40 minutes per game.
Heading into April, Rodgers made public what everyone else could have now surmised:
"We're counting on our key people as we get ready for the playoffs. Hopefully we banked minutes from early on so they will be refreshed. It's getting down to crunch time, and we'll do whatever it takes."
Translation: Rodgers planed to go with his horses down the stretch, which meant Kevin McHale and Bird at forward, not Smith.
The Smith saga stands as one of the strangest in Celtics history. Nobody was taking credit for him in November, December and January. Boston's first-round selection plucked splinters from his bony butt, and Red Auerbach, Jan Volk and Rodgers all said something like, "He wasn't my idea."
Any time a rookie starts for the Boston Celtics , you can be sure of one of two things: 1. The rookie is a superstar; or 2. The Celtics are in trouble. Michael Smith was not an NBA superstar. Michael Smith was starting for the Celtics.
By 1989, the Celtics had established themselves as a poor road team with a poor bench. Starting Smith and bringing McHale off the bench cured both ills for a single West Coast trip, where they surprised everyone by winning more games than they lost.
The worst mistake Smith made was that he came in totally out of shape," said Auerbach. "He tried to work hard, but he got hurt lower back and shin splints.
In a kindler, gentler NBA, Smith could have glided around to get his shot off. In this NBA, he was overmatched and overpowered. Kiki Vandeweghe always got away with his defensive and rebounding lapses because he could get the ball into the basket. To the end, Michael was merely a Kiki wannabe, unable to emulate the master.
Speaking of Kiki, as slow as Larry Bird might have been, he never would have let Vandeweghe blow past him three straight times on the baseline, including one time for an in-your-face jam. That happened to Smith in Madison Square Garden.
And Larry Bird would never watch a rebound come off the rim and opt to let it go out of bounds rather than try to grab it to ensure possession. Smith made that decision in Chicago Stadium, and while he watched the ball go to the sidelines, Bulls forward Stacey King retrieved it and started an easy fast break for his team.
In truth, Smith never seemed to grasp just how important the little things like defense and rebounding were to his future. He was a terrific shooter, but there is so much more to the game of basketball. Besides, his slow release and short arms made it difficult for him to get his shot off in the NBA.
The operative phrase when discussing Smith is "right player, wrong decade." Had he been around in the '50s or '60s, when the game was not played above the rim, he probably would have had a solid career.
Jimmy Rodgers later said he wanted to take B.J. Armstrong with the pick. Co-owner Alan Cohen, who had legitimate basketball smarts, lobbied for Tim Hardaway. But Auerbach, in a moment of weakness, thought that Smith could be a Bird-level scorer. Instead, they ended up with a slow-footed, short-armed forward with an infinitely blockable shot.
He lasted two seasons, averaged 4.9 points, played 29 games for the Clippers the following year, and had greater success on the professional beach volleyball tour.
Smith, second only to Danny Ainge in scoring at BYU, could make shots from anywhere on the court, just like Bird. Both Bird and Smith were excellent passers, Bird throughout his career and Smith at BYU. Smith and Bird were both slow afoot, and since Bird overcame that limitation, no biggie for Smith.
Right?
Smith’s career boasted two highlights. The first came on draft night, being compared to Larry Bird by Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach. The second highlight came on a West Coast trip during late February and early March of his rookie year.
Smith averaged 16.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 30 minutes over six games as a starter for Jimmy Rodgers. He shot 50 percent from the floor (43 for 86), and the team was 4-2 in those outings. In one game Smith scored 17 points (7-of-10 shooting) and recorded 6 assists in just 21 minutes.
Yet as quickly as Smith was inserted into prime time, he was displaced again, returning to the bench as the Celtics began their next home stand. In the 13 games after the trip, Smith averaged 9 minutes and 4 points a game. By the end of March, the Celtics starters were averaging close to 40 minutes per game.
Heading into April, Rodgers made public what everyone else could have now surmised:
"We're counting on our key people as we get ready for the playoffs. Hopefully we banked minutes from early on so they will be refreshed. It's getting down to crunch time, and we'll do whatever it takes."
Translation: Rodgers planed to go with his horses down the stretch, which meant Kevin McHale and Bird at forward, not Smith.
The Smith saga stands as one of the strangest in Celtics history. Nobody was taking credit for him in November, December and January. Boston's first-round selection plucked splinters from his bony butt, and Red Auerbach, Jan Volk and Rodgers all said something like, "He wasn't my idea."
Any time a rookie starts for the Boston Celtics , you can be sure of one of two things: 1. The rookie is a superstar; or 2. The Celtics are in trouble. Michael Smith was not an NBA superstar. Michael Smith was starting for the Celtics.
By 1989, the Celtics had established themselves as a poor road team with a poor bench. Starting Smith and bringing McHale off the bench cured both ills for a single West Coast trip, where they surprised everyone by winning more games than they lost.
The worst mistake Smith made was that he came in totally out of shape," said Auerbach. "He tried to work hard, but he got hurt lower back and shin splints.
In a kindler, gentler NBA, Smith could have glided around to get his shot off. In this NBA, he was overmatched and overpowered. Kiki Vandeweghe always got away with his defensive and rebounding lapses because he could get the ball into the basket. To the end, Michael was merely a Kiki wannabe, unable to emulate the master.
Speaking of Kiki, as slow as Larry Bird might have been, he never would have let Vandeweghe blow past him three straight times on the baseline, including one time for an in-your-face jam. That happened to Smith in Madison Square Garden.
And Larry Bird would never watch a rebound come off the rim and opt to let it go out of bounds rather than try to grab it to ensure possession. Smith made that decision in Chicago Stadium, and while he watched the ball go to the sidelines, Bulls forward Stacey King retrieved it and started an easy fast break for his team.
In truth, Smith never seemed to grasp just how important the little things like defense and rebounding were to his future. He was a terrific shooter, but there is so much more to the game of basketball. Besides, his slow release and short arms made it difficult for him to get his shot off in the NBA.
The operative phrase when discussing Smith is "right player, wrong decade." Had he been around in the '50s or '60s, when the game was not played above the rim, he probably would have had a solid career.
Jimmy Rodgers later said he wanted to take B.J. Armstrong with the pick. Co-owner Alan Cohen, who had legitimate basketball smarts, lobbied for Tim Hardaway. But Auerbach, in a moment of weakness, thought that Smith could be a Bird-level scorer. Instead, they ended up with a slow-footed, short-armed forward with an infinitely blockable shot.
He lasted two seasons, averaged 4.9 points, played 29 games for the Clippers the following year, and had greater success on the professional beach volleyball tour.
But he did get enshrined in BYU's Hall of Fame.
3 comments:
6 All-Stars were drafted after Michael Smith. In particular Shawn Kemp who went after him could have made the Celtics championship contenders in '91 and '92. He might have been the worst pick in Celtics history.
And not to nitpick but Bird was 22 when he first played for the C's in October '79.
22? What did I say?
Got it. Corrected. Thanks.
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