NBA Notebook: Lottery reform won't cure tanking, but it will help right away

The chances of lottery reform actually coming to fruition got a major boost this week when the NBA competition committee (which includes Celtics head coach Brad Stevens) recommended the league proposals on changes to the lottery process.

We covered a number of these potential changes (and how they may impact the Celtics’ selections) earlier this week, but here’s a reminder of the main adjustments that will be instituted if passed by the board of governors later this month (75 percent of the vote required) as first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

• The most dramatic change would be that the three worst teams in the NBA would have equal odds (roughly 14 percent) for landing the No. 1 pick in the draft. Currently, the three worst teams have a 25%, 19.9% and 15.6% chance respectively to land the No. 1 pick.


• The odds of landing the No. 1 pick would decrease minimally (between 1-2 percent) for each remaining lottery team (4-14). For example, the fourth-worst team would have 12.5 percent odds, the fifth-worst team would have 11 percent odds, etc.


• Four teams would be selected during the actual lottery process, instead of the current three, before the rest of the draft order defaults to the teams with the worst remaining record. Essentially, this would mean that the team with the worst record could drop to No. 5 in the draft order (if four teams jump them during lottery). Currently, the lowest the worst team could fall is No. 4 (since only three teams are selected). 


• If approved, lottery reform would start for the 2019 NBA Draft.


• League sources tell Bostonsportsjournal.com that the rumored possibility of a team not being able to land top-3 picks in consecutive drafts was not part of the reform recommended to the board of governors.

• Former Celtic Jason Terry will re-sign with the Bucks on a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum. It's pretty incredible to think that the 40-year-old still has something left in the tank after an underwhelming stint in Boston during the 2012-13 season, but he remains a lethal shooter from beyond the arc (42 percent from 3 last year)


• Shabazz Muhammad landed back in Minnesota on a one-year deal as well. The Celtics were never in the running for his services (too much of a logjam at the wing to entice him to sign here in all likelihood), but the signing is still good news for Boston fans since Muhammad was reportedly looking at the Lakers as well. Any talent that stays ahead from the Lakers helps the odds of the C’s landing that 2018 pick in the 2-5 range.


• The glut of ex-Celtics big men on the open market diminished this week as Tyler Zeller (Nets) and Jared Sullinger (China) both found new homes. The Sullinger deal is a short-term pact (two months), so he’ll try to prove to NBA teams that he’s ready to play. Meanwhile, C’s fans can happily root for Zeller to succeed in Brooklyn with Boston owning no more future Nets pick.


• Celtics fans will probably be feeling a bit of nostalgia while watching the Pelicans this year after Tony Allen agreed to a one-year deal with them on Monday. Between Allen and Rajon Rondo, floor spacing may be a bit of an issue down in Louisiana though.


• New Celtics alternative jerseys are starting to leak after a NBA photo shoot over the weekend. I like them a lot more than the parquet pride ones. What do you guys think?

The #Celtics new alternate jersey ? pic.twitter.com/ZeMiXvUW1k

— Boston Blabber (@BostonBlabber) September 16, 2017