Marcus Smart denies being a 'dirty player' after play that injured Stephen Curry

On Thursday, Curry was ruled out indefinitely. Early reports suggest that he likely won’t be available to return until mid-April at the soonest.

Understandably, Warriors coach Steve Kerr was livid about what had transpired.

“I thought it was a dangerous play. I thought Marcus dove into Steph’s knee,” Kerr said. “That’s what I was upset about. Lot of respect for Marcus, he’s a hell of a player, gamer, competitor. I coached him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game, we’re good. I thought it was a dangerous play, just let him know.”

Smart, for what it’s worth, after the game maintained that he wasn’t a dirty player.

“I know who I am, my teammates and my colleagues know I’m not a dirty player,” Smart said.

He also vehemently disagreed with Kerr’s assessment.

“Me and Steve have a relationship from USA basketball so he knows I’m never trying to hurt anybody. I hate to see any injury. I hope Steph’s alright,” Smart continued.

“I didn’t even see him, I just dove on the ball and tried to make a play. I’m really down right now about it. Unfortunately sometimes injuries happen. I’m sure I’m going to get called dirty. That’s their opinion.”

Prior to the outing, Smart offered an interesting message regarding guarding Curry to NBA insider Keith Smith.

“If you aren’t ready for a battle, don’t step in the gym. You know he’s going to make you work and run all over the floor.”

Smart is an intriguing figure. He is one of those guys who gets into beefs with his own teammates, so understandably many don’t give him the benefit of the doubt. That said, his response to the Curry injury seems to be very genuine.

It will be interesting to see where the Warriors go from here. They’ve been trending downward over the past couple of months already, and this is unlikely to help.

Will they be able to regain some semblance of momentum in time for the playoffs, hopefully right around when Curry will make his return?