Picks 'n Pops: Processing a slump, the best QB in New England, and unaware stars

Every week I gather some thoughts about the Celtics, the NBA, and beyond and dump them here. Because I need something to pass the time now that TikTok is getting banned.

- The way I see it, there are three steps to take to properly process this slump the Celtics are in: 

1. React - but don’t overreact: They don’t need major changes. Teams aren’t changing everything they do because of a January slump. I’m not saying don’t be mad, just understand that no team makes a major change in this situation, much less the defending champs who had a great start to the season. 
2. Give them the room they’ve earned: They are the champs, after all. They’ve earned the right to play through some of the lulls in their season. And remember, the wins over Minnesota and Houston were just two weeks ago. The first half of the OKC game was their best basketball of the season. This isn’t me searching for silver linings, it’s me reminding people that this ugly stretch isn’t a season-long thing. They should get the space to work this out. 
3. Don’t worry about the competition: People screaming about the Cavs got quiet last night when OKC got up 42 on them. The people screaming about OKC were quiet when the Cavs beat them a week ago. Those two teams are on their own paths, and each has been having a magical season so far. But remember that records get erased when the postseason starts and the playoffs are about matchups. I know it’s easy to get caught up in another team’s dominance, but championships are won in June, not January. 

There you go. That was your free therapy session. I hope I don’t have to do this again after these two games this weekend or else I’ll have to charge extra. 

- The second apron rules are not only making it impossible for Boston to do much of anything on the trade market, it’s probably making people nervous because they know key players are going away soon, so now is Boston’s best chance at another title for the foreseeable future. 

- It should be noted that the dominant San Antonio Spurs run was basically an every-other-year run. Even for a dominant team like that, repeating was hard. 

- Phil Jackson’s 40-20 rule is staring Boston in the face right now. His rule is that teams that win 40 games before losing 20 are officially contenders for the title. Since 1980, all but four champions won 40 before losing 20. Boston is 28-12, so they need to go 12-7 to get there. 

It seems like they should, but their recent struggles are enough to give some pause here. 

… and there you go, completely undoing the free therapy. You get what you pay for, I guess. 

- The third All-Star returns are in: 

Jayson Tatum is a lock. I’m betting Jaylen Brown gets in. Derrick White has no shot now. The Celtics included Jrue Holiday in their All-Star campaign but he never had a chance. They clearly did it so he wasn’t excluded from the reindeer games, but he was never good enough in any facet of the game this season to warrant an All-Star vote. 

- Tatum not taking any shots in the fourth quarter of the Raptors game (6:37 of play) is silly. 

- I don’t expect Jaden Springer to be here past the trade deadline. 

- The best quarterback in New England might actually be playing in Maine. 

What a laser by Baylor Scheierman. Perfect pass on the move to his left (he is a lefty, so it makes sense). And let’s not downplay the finish by JD Davison.

- Davison is playing great in Maine. He’s earned a look next season after the Celtics make whatever moves they're going to make this summer. But I’m still more afraid that he’s another NBA version of the quadruple-A baseball player … the guy too good for the minor leagues but not good enough for the pros. 

He’s still young and maybe a different opportunity will be better for him, but guys in this situation tend to have the most success internationally. Davison can make a lot of money playing basketball, and I’m not ruling out an NBA career. I just hope he’s willing to take advantage of his skills to maximize his money and consider offers everywhere.

- According to the Globe, there are four expected bids to buy the Celtics. Steve Pagliuca is among them, which everyone expected. He’s still the favorite in my opinion, but that's just my guess. 

- I’m excited for the new Unrivaled league starting tonight. It’s six teams of WNBA players playing full-court 3-on-3. The court is smaller and the fourth quarters will be un-timed Elam Endings. The target score will be the leading team’s total plus 11 points (So if a team is up 49-45, the first team to 60 wins the game). I think it will be fun. 

Beyond that, each player is getting $100,000, housing, a chef, high-end training facilities, and a rental car for the two months they are in Miami. 

- LeBron James’ agent Maverick Carter is advising a group looking to create a rival to the NBA. According to ESPN, “The group -- which includes multiple private equity funds -- is looking to form a league consisting of six men's teams and six women's teams, playing games around the world.”

I can tell you up front that this league is going nowhere for a few reasons: 

• Old habits die hard. The league might be facing some ratings issues so it could feel like they're vulnerable, but they are not. They are fine. 
• Players want to play in the NBA. I’m sure this new group will be looking to some sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East for what feels like unlimited cash, but it would take a lot of money to lure these guys into this new league. They make a lot of money to be here at home, so even if you threw two or three times the money at some guys, is that enough for them to leave $50 million a year and life in the United States with their families? Guys would have to be offered nine figures to make the jump. And while I’m sure some of these super-rich entities have that kind of money, what kind of return are they getting on their investment?
• What time will these games be played? American fans aren’t going to be tuning in at noon to watch a 7 p.m. tip in Athens. 

The best-case scenario for us American fans is that this thing gets off the ground, comes up with some cool ideas for the game, the NBA steals those ideas, and this other league fizzles because the league was scared into improving. 

- The Clippers beat the Nets 126-67 on Wednesday. Let’s have some fun with these numbers!

• The Clippers scored their 69th point with 1:48 into the second half, which means they could have gone scoreless for the final 22:12 of the game and still won. 
• Instead of going into the half up 58-35, the Clippers could have forfeited all of their first-half points and they still would have won 68-67.
• The Clippers actually trailed in the game, 25-24, early in the second quarter. That means they outscored the Nets 102-42 over the final 34:07 of the game.

- This passage from a new ESPN piece on the Jimmy Butler situation is killing me. It details Miami bending over backward to make Butler happy after acquiring him: 

“That meant letting Butler, who was 30 at the time, color outside the lines that had long defined ‘Heat Culture.’ They hired his trainer, Armando Rivas, onto the staff -- a common practice for other superstars on other teams but not for the Heat. He skipped team Christmas parties and trolled the NBA media with eclectic hair styles at media days. He was allowed to fly privately or stay at a different location than the team on road trips. During the 2023 Finals, sources said, he stayed some 30 miles away at a mansion in Boulder, Colorado, while the team stayed in downtown Denver.”

I’ll say it again, loud enough for the people in the back to hear: Butler is nothing more than a super-talented A-hole who has blown up every situation he’s been in. He’s older now and always hurt, but his ego is still fully intact, so he wants monster money for what he used to be able to do because he thinks he can summon it at will. 

He can’t, but that doesn’t matter to Butler. It always has been, and it always will be, about Jimmy first and everyone else second. He’s immensely talented, but his best days are far gone, and even those were never good enough to win a championship. 

No one should want him on their team. He’s the worst kind of aging superstar … a me-first guy who doesn’t realize how far he’s fallen. 

- Speaking of messes, the Sixers announced today that Joel Embiid’s foot strain has healed, but the rehab caused swelling in his knee again, so he’s out another 7-10 days. 

They're two games out of the play-in right now and their season has been a complete disaster. Meanwhile, the Clippers are thriving without Paul George, which raises an eyebrow, for sure. 

I think we’re officially at “pull the plug” time for the Sixers this season. I resisted that call earlier, but we’re halfway through the season and nothing is getting any better. 

But hey, at least Embiid has the gold medal that he … cough … “earned” with Team USA. 

No wonder Embiid loves Butler so much. 

- Shout out to the Thunder for keeping their youthful playfulness going this season. 

I thought it would suffer this year after last year’s fun leap, but it hasn’t. They're still having more fun than anyone. 

- I enjoyed sharing this Jaylen Brown post-championship story: 

- I had the ultimate thrill of being part of the ceremony to honor my college coach, Hank Smith, as Emerson College named their basketball court after him last weekend. 

Smith, now a scout for the OKC Thunder, was instrumental in my development not just as a player, but as a human being. To borrow a line from Shawshank Redemption, Smith was the hardest screw ever to walk a basketball sideline, but he knew how to test someone’s limits. 

I’ve been asked about how I’ve found some success in this business, and my answer is always “I’m too stupid to quit.” But the real answer is Hank Smith taught me how to handle adversity, fight through whatever was thrown my way, and always find a path to success. 

So congrats to him on this great honor. 

And since we’re here, I’m going to give Hank an even greater honor … of having the Best Week Ever!

- Here’s this week’s Bing AI-generated image: the nightmare to end all nightmares

- Your current NBA Belt Champion: The OKC Thunder!

- Here’s my latest podcast, if you’re bored