Nets’ Garnett: I Respect Marcus Smart’s Effort

We have seen Kevin Garnett turn young players into a big old pile of mental goo with his in-game commentary which has drawn more than its share of players into a war of words they had no shot at winning. So when Boston’s Marcus Smart was able to corral a loose ball that had him and Garnett tangled at one point, you knew Garnett would say something. The words spoken by Garnett caught Smart off guard, to say the least.

“He (Garnett) started laughing,” Smart said. “He said, ‘good job,’ kind of joking around with me. It was crazy.”

But that exchange speaks to how Smart, while still learning how to navigate his way through the NBA, is quickly gaining the respect of his NBA elders.

“I admire the guy,” Garnett said after Brooklyn’s 109-107 win over Boston. “I admire the young guy (Smart) for … how hard he plays. They brought him in here and Danny (Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations) knows talent; just a good hustle play. A little pat on the back, ‘good play.’ Nothing more, nothing less than that.”

via A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN Northeast