Marcus Smart would like to clear the air about a few things.
The Boston Celtics guard currently is sidelined with a lacerated hand he injured by swiping at a picture frame in a Beverly Hills hotel the day after a Jan. 23 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
A report later that week suggested Smart was upset about an off-court, personal issue, which led to him punching the glass frame. But the 23-year-old denied that report Sunday, insisting his anger was caused by missing the potential game-winning shot in that Lakers game.
“Off the court had nothing to do with it, which a lot of people probably think it was but it really wasn’t,” Smart said before Boston’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, via ESPN.com, in his first public comments since the injury.
“Frustration with myself and everything that was going on — it got the best of me,” he added.
The fourth-year guard also has found himself at the center of some trade buzz, as it was reported the Celtics could move him ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline in exchange for a first-round pick. Smart doesn’t seem concerned, though.
“I’ve been in trade rumors since I’ve been in the league. It happens. It’s business,” Smart said. “Nothing’s written in stone until it happens. We just kinda 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.”
Speaking of that hand: Smart told reporters he expects to back on the court after the NBA All-Star break, meaning he’ll likely be sidelined for Boston’s next five games.
