THE UPS AND DOWNS OF THE NBA : Did Celtics Make a Mistake by Drafting BYU’s Smith?

The story is a familiar one in Boston. The rookie sits. The rookie struggles. The rookie learns. And maybe, just maybe, the rookie will blossom before he wilts.

This year, however, was supposed to be the exception. The Celtics had, for them, a reasonably high first-round draft pick, 13th overall. They selected Michael Smith of Brigham Young, a deadly shooter and crafty passer whom Red Auerbach likened to a poor man’s Larry Bird on draft day.

Much has happened to Smith since that day in June when he became the Celtics’ property--and little of it is good. To rate the pick as a bust is premature and unfair, although there was not unanimity in the organization regarding the selection. But to state the Celtics feel somewhat jilted and disappointed is by no means understating the situation.

“We are disappointed in his development,” General Manager Jan Volk said. “In his case, it has become a problem because of his preseason.”

Smith stumbled physically and diplomatically almost from the outset. He did not attend rookie camp, the explanation being that he was unsigned. He reported to training camp unprepared for the rigors of NBA life and promptly got injured, missing most of that critical stretch as well as a good deal of the exhibition season. One ailment, shin splints, came in part because he chose that time to break in a new pair of sneakers. He also hurt his back, necessitating a stint on the injured list.

While his two most visible assets, shooting and passing, remain intact, there are ongoing concerns about his attitude, his lack of speed and his ability to play NBA defense. Add that to the untimely injuries and the Celtics still have absolutely no idea if Smith will ever be an effective NBA player. All they’ve seen to date is a rookie struggling to survive who has played only 37 minutes.

“The only thing that bothers me about Mike Smith -- and I liked him as a college player and thought he definitely would have come through for us by now -- is that he came to camp out of shape,” said Auerbach, who led the pro-Smith forces on draft day. “Someone, maybe it should have been us, should have made sure he was in shape. If he had come to camp in great shape, I think he would have been able to help.”

Auerbach is willing to admit now that while Smith was his No. 1 priority on draft day, he would not be now.

“The only mistake we made, and it’s a simple fact. We should have taken (Vlade) Divac,” Auerbach said. “But we didn’t know he could play.”

They still don’t know that about Smith, either. Of the first-round picks, only Danny Ferry and Anthony Cook have played fewer NBA minutes -- and they’re in Europe. Coach Jimmy Rodgers simply doesn’t have the luxury of scrutinizing the nuances of Smith’s game with the team desperate to get untracked.

Thus, Smith sits. And even those 37 minutes are deceptive. Against Charlotte, for instance, he entered the game with 3.1 seconds to play. Against the Bucks, it was the final 28.1 seconds. Against the Lakers, it was the final 2 seconds. That’s 3 minutes for the stat sheet, but 33.2 seconds in reality.

Smith’s proving ground has become the practice floor. And, for the first time in an athletic life littered with honors, distinctions and awards, he must make believers. It isn’t easy.

“You have to give it your maximum in this league. You can’t coast,” Celtics assistant coach Chris Ford said. “He doesn’t know how to push himself day in and day out. He doesn’t know how to go full throttle. It’s a reality that now has hit him hard. If he ever wanted to prove people wrong, now’s the time. It’s up to him. He has to gain the respect’and admiration of his teammates and there’s no easy way of doing that.”

Both Ford and Rodgers say Smith is progressing. But with Bird and Reggie Lewis sharing the small forward position, there simply is no time available for the rookie unless an injury intervenes or a blowout materializes. So far, the Celtics have had little of either.

Smith knows he is the target of verbal slings and arrows (talk show callers are on his case) and a writer from Utah informed him Wednesday that the word around BYU was the Cougars think they are better off now that he’s gone. He offered no alibis.

“I could see people doing that (trashing him). People are entitled to their own opinion,” he said. “If you’re in this league, there isn’t much you can do about that. So be it.”

Asked about his playing time, Smith said, “I set a goal for myself this year to play 10 minutes a game. That’s what I wanted. But I’m realistic enough to know who I’m playing behind.

“I was given a chance and that way, it is frustrating. I’m rolling with the punches and trying to prepare to stay mentally and physically ready.”

Is there hope for Smith? Or did the Celtics make a monumental goof? The normal probation period for a rookie is three years, although the ones who pan out generally show signs of promise in the first season. Volk said the team still has high expectations for Smith, not to mention a guaranteed $2.25 million investment through 1993. Rodgers said, “the opportunity is going to be there somewhere along the line, but I can’t tell you when that will be.”

The Celtics didn’t select Smith out of a vacuum. The teams who picked 14th and 15th, Golden State and Denver, also had Smith on their dance cards. Orlando, which picked 11th, wasn’t interested while the Nets, who picked 12th, wanted a playmaker and got Mookie Blaylock.

“We interviewed him during the playoffs,” Warriors assistant Garry St. Jean said. “There were some in our organization who liked him and some who weren’t so high on his game. We weren’t 100 percent either way. But (Tim) Hardaway was our guy and we’re glad we got him.”

Another team that talked to Smith was Denver. The Nuggets took Todd Lichti, whom they rated higher than Smith.

Pete Babcock, the Nuggets’ vice president for basketball operations, cautioned against judging anyone after 24 games, noting that Blair Rasmussen played the fewest minutes of any No. 1 pick in 1985-86. Rasmussen now is averaging 14 points and 8.6 rebounds and just signed a seven-year, $17.5 million contract.

“We put Mike through a number of tests and he tested out well,” Babcock said. “We liked his shooting and passing ability. The only thing we saw as a downside was his defensive intensity and capabilities. We talked to him at length about how much he was willing to work. But it was more of a question rather than a negative. We were concerned. In college, he didn’t spend a lot of time working on his defensive skills. And you’ve got to play defense to play for Doug (Moe).”

In basketball, there’s a word for lack of defensive intensity: soft. Auerbach has heard the term applied to Smith and dismissed it. Or did he?

“He’s definitely not soft,” Auerbach said. “They said the same thing about Detlef Schrempf. They played soft in college but guys learn to adapt and adjust when they get to the pros. He (Smith) is one of them. He could adjust to that. I don’t see it as a problem.”