NBA Draft 2014 Rumors: Marcus Smart Suspension Will Hurt Value, Texas Tech Fan Denies Racial Slur

The 2014 NBA draft value of Oklahoma State star Marcus Smart may take a hit after his suspension for shoving a Texas Tech Fan. Some NBA front office executives believe Smart's outbursts on the court will make the guard a lower pick in the upcoming draft.

Smart received a three-game suspension for shoving a vocal Texas Tech fan on Saturday. Regardless of whether the fan made a racial slur, which Smart alleged, some executives in the league think the incident will make teams wary of drafting him with a high pick.

"His stock is going to take a hit," one NBA general manager told Yahoo Sports. "He has shown in the past few months that he is prone to outbursts. He kicked a chair (against West Virginia). He's under a lot of pressure. The team is not doing well, struggling.

"Fans say things in the NBA every day. He has a history of letting people get under his skin. The NBA fans will test him."

One NBA assistant general manager thinks the incident will give Smart a reputation that NBA teams don't want to be associated with.

"Unfortunately for Smart, there is going to be a fall out after this," the assistant general manager told Yahoo Sports. "His reputation has taken a hit. That is all people and the media are going to want to talk about with him before and after the draft. Some teams won't want to deal with that."

Other NBA executives don't think Smart is a big enough talent to take look past his newly-acquired reputation for being a hothead.

"[Smart is] a pretty good player, a solid player, but there is a lot of hype," a general manager told Yahoo Sports. "But by no means is he a superstar player."

Another general manager said: "He's not a 'can't-miss' talent. He doesn't shoot the ball well enough."

Smart apologized for his actions on Saturday. The Texas Tech fan, Jeff Orr, also apologized to Smart but denied using a racial slur.

"I regret calling Mr. Smart a 'piece of crap' but I want to make it known that I did not use a racial slur of any kind," Orr said in a statement released by Texas Tech. "Additionally, I would like to offer my apologies to Texas Tech fans that have been embarrassed by the attention this incident has created."

Orr reportedly has a history of harassing opposing players.

Real Time Analytics