Picks 'n Pops: Brad's master plan, making Finals feel special, and lip syncing

Every week I gather some thoughts about the Celtics, the NBA, and beyond and dump them here. Because Greg rejected the Knicks' request to interview me for their open head coaching position.

- Every rumor and everything I’ve heard points to the same exact scenario for Boston this summer: Move Jrue Holiday and maybe Sam Hauser to cut costs. They’ll listen to offers for Kristaps Porzingis and, if one of those makes sense, they’ll do that too, but the preference is to push that to the trade deadline and see how Jayson Tatum’s recovery is going. Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard are not off the table, but any offers including one of those guys has to be a no-brainer for Boston. 

I’ll say it again: Brad Stevens wants to squeeze every ounce of championship contention out of this roster that he can. We can say on the outside that it’s time to do X, Y, and Z, but Stevens is going to follow a path that gives his team a chance to contend. He owes it to everyone in the organization, and to himself, to go into this season taking as few bullets as possible in order to put the best roster on the floor.

And if Tatum ends up behind schedule or out for the whole year, then they can adjust at the trade deadline. Trust me, using the urgency of the trade deadline to move some of these guys will work out much better for Boston if it comes to that. 

- I think bringing Porzingis back and extending him on a smaller contract is the best way to move forward. A two-year deal worth $30-$40 million makes the most sense to me, not just because Porzingis’ availability issues cut into his value, but because Boston will need a $15-$20 million contract on the books to facilitate trades. Having Porzingis on the roster in the 2026-27 season at $15-$20 million could make it easier to package salaries in a bigger trade … and maybe even go deep sea fishing for a big catch to extend Boston’s window. 

- White, along with Tyrese Maxey, Duop Reath, and WNBA legend Ticha Penicheiro, will be coaches at Basketball Without Borders in Singapore. The program brings together 60 of the top high school-age boys and girls from the region from June 19-22. 

- A trove of Bill Walton memorabilia was auctioned this week, and the big-ticket items were his UCLA jersey ($258,500), his Portland championship ring ($188,000), his MVP trophy ($176,250), and a Blazers jersey ($131,012). 

But just because some major items get sold in these auctions doesn’t mean there isn’t something for you or me to bid on. A handwritten thank you note to Walton from David Stern went for $225. A couple of his tie-dyed shirts went for $600 each. His signed postseason award ballots from 2001 sold for $600. 

I’m not saying this stuff was cheap, but there are little prizes in these auctions for people with some normal disposable income. 

- Charles Barkley nailed it when he said of the Knicks “You don’t fire no good coach like that and don’t have a plan.” 

Tom Thibodeau had his faults, but the Knicks firing him and then just calling around the league trying to poach head coaches is one of the most arrogant things I’ve seen in the NBA in a long time. Draymond Green should call the Knicks up and scream at them “they don’t love you like that, you thought you was the Lakers?”

- Thibs is a class act.

- It’s interesting that Joe Mazzulla made a stop to check out Nigel Hayes-Davis in Turkey. The 6-foot-8 Hayes-Davis is 30 years old and he shot 41% from 3 in Euroleague this past season. Maybe he’s worth a minimum-wage flier in Boston? 

Maybe he’d be willing to join the summer league team for a quick sort of tryout and camp invite. Or maybe he’s beyond that. I think he’s worth a look, and the exact kind of player Boston will have to take swings on. 

Finding diamonds in the rough will be critical in the second apron era. 

- I think Jaylen Brown is trying to tell us he used Rick Sanchez’s toilet 

I’m very curious to see if any BSJ readers watch Rick and Morty. I’m betting not many of you do. But trust me, this is a good joke. 

- Also, I have no earthly clue what Jaylen is actually doing in that photo. He’s really into a lot of connecting to earth through frequency kind of stuff, so this could literally be anything. 

- There's a lot of talk about how NBA ratings are down, which is something we expected considering the small markets involved. But I hope that word is trickling out about how good these games have been and that people will start to tune in. This isn’t the matchup we expected, but it’s a fun one. 

- I think talk of logos on the court is overblown, but the NBA could do more to make the Finals feel special. I think the presentation of these games has been subpar. I don’t think these teams are being celebrated enough. I don’t see any features on guys or anything to sell me on the special nature of what’s being accomplished. 

Give me an inside look at Tyrese Haliburton and his dad. Give me a Rick Carlisle piece on his journey starting in Boston. Why didn’t someone go to Montreal to get us something on Benedict Mathurin vs. Lu Dort? Why didn’t someone go to Toronto for a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-Andrew Nembhard piece? That used to be how this kind of stuff was done. Give us something other than Stephen A. Smith yelling at Kendrick Perkins all the time.

- What the Pacers did to SGA in Game 3 was classic “defending with your offense.” 

They wore him down and he got tired in the fourth. Beautifully done. 

- I’m looking forward to Spaceballs 2. 

- Special shout-out to my nephew Evan and his teammates on the Lincoln High School boys volleyball team. They just finished an undefeated season by winning the Rhode Island Division 2 State Championship.

The seniors graduated on Friday night and won the title on Sunday. I’m proud to say Evan gets to continue his volleyball career at Dean next year. 

- Congrats to Coco Gauff, who also had a similarly impressive accomplishment. 

- These dudes lip-syncing the Korean call of Haliburton’s Game 1-winning shot is one of the best things you’ll watch all week. 

Their whole feed is hilarious. If you’re looking to blow off work today, just dive down that rabbit hole. 

- The Stanley Cup Finals have been insane. 

- Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce discussing Rick Carlisle’s coaching is so good. 

Yeah, he doesn’t get his due … until now! Because he’s having the Best Week Ever!

I love this image because it looks like Carlisle is appropriately annoyed by the graphic. It captures his essence nicely.

- This week’s AI-generated image: Don’t worry about all the rumors. Brad Stevens knows what he wants to do. 

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