Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“Words can’t express nor is there enough time in the world to tell u how much I love and miss u,” Smart wrote. “So until we meet again, I say R.I.P. to the strongest woman I know, Camellia Smart, my mom.”
In April, Smart revealed Camellia, then 63, had been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome — a form of cancer caused by abnormalities in the blood-forming cells in bone marrow. Smart spent much of the offseason in Texas to spend time with his mother, telling reporters in June his family, not his contract, was his No. 1 focus.
When Smart and the Celtics reached an agreement on a four-year, $52 million deal in July, he said the new contract brought “a little joy” to his family and lightened up a situation that was “really dark and gloomy.”
I love you, Mom. pic.twitter.com/kmpyBlsJnP
— marcus smart (@smart_MS3) September 18, 2018
Sports are a distraction. Even if you’re a Cleveland Browns fan. Players come and go, but if you’ve got a team you cheer for, that team is–or is supposed to be–there year after year. And things are always getting a fresh start in sports. Every year, every team starts off the with the same record, 0-0, and every game starts off with the score 0-0. Players get old, but the game doesn’t.
Sports have rules–arbitrary and often poorly enforced rules, but rules nonetheless. There’s a separate little world within the framework of the games we watch, and that little world is supposed to be shielded from the big messy ugly world outside.
Unfortunately, the larger world cannot be shut out completely. Over the past year and a half, the Celtics have seen quite a few tragedies. First there was Chyna Thomas, then Jae Crowder’s mom, and then Jaylen Brown’s friend Trevin Steede.
Marcus Smart’s story has been well-told; when he was nine he lost his brother to cancer, and now, at 24, he’s lost his mother. Our hearts and thoughts are with him.
Page 2: Jabari Bird’s hospital stay included a psychiatric evaluation
It was first thought he was dealing with his own injuries, but it’s been confirmed he was undergoing psychiatric evaluation from the time of his arrest until his arraignment last Thursday.
People around Bird have been aware that he recently had been experiencing, according to one source close to him, “panic attacks and things like that. It wasn’t a long-term thing, but everyone knew. The Celtics knew there was something going on and he was being treated.”
Sorry to keep the downbeat tone of today’s Dump going, but Steve Bulpett’s article in today’s Herald adds a new dimension to Jabari Bird’s domestic violence incident.
What Bird did was unacceptable, regardless of his mental state. However, it would be inappropriate to overlook the extent to which it may have influenced his actions. From the extended hospital stay and evaluation, to the protective measures taken during his initial appearance, it was clear there was more to this story. And if Bird suffered a psychotic break, that’s something the Celtics have dealt with in the not-so-distant past.
Everyone probably thought that I had lost my mind. Everyone except for Avery, Rajon, Danny, Doc and my wife, Natosha. Sometimes a look says everything, you know what I mean? Sometimes a look means more than words.
Avery, Rajon, Danny, Doc, my wife … they all gave me the same look. In their eyes, I didn’t see judgement or fear. I only saw kindness and confusion. They just wanted to help me, because they knew that something terrible must have happened to the man they knew.
You are trapped in a nightmare. You are a caged animal now.I will never forget that feeling of support. It saved my life. They kept saying, “It’s gonna be O.K. Let’s just get you some help.”
Be good to others. You don’t know what they’re going through.
Finally: “Scary Terry” is more marketing than anything else
“People don’t know that I don’t really like the name Scary Terry,” Rozier told GQ. “I like it when the fans call me it. But outside of basketball, none of my friends call me Scary Terry. But I don’t want nobody to think it was just for that year. I feel like it’s kind of my name in the league now.”
As Rozier notes, fans who call him “Scary Terry” are still in the clear (which makes sense — a nickname that profitable can only put a player in a good mood). But if you see Rozier out in public and are hoping to become pals with the Celtics guard, referencing his NBA nickname probably isn’t the way to go.
We do have a bit of lighter news to end today’s Dump. Terry Rozier is apparently fond of being ‘Scary Terry’ only on the basketball court–and of course, on his merch.
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