NBA Notebook: Celtics-Giannis smoke, Blazers layoffs, and new lottery odds

There’s a lot of ‘he said, she said’ going around in the NBA world. Specifically, when it comes to the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. And the Boston Celtics have found themselves right in the middle of it all.

Most of the conversation right now stems from Bill Simmons. On his most recent podcast, he said this: “I think Giannis wants to go to Boston, and I’m not sure Boston wants Giannis. And I think that’s the push-and-pull right now.”

Obviously, that first sentence got aggregated. It was everywhere. Hundreds of thousands of people saw it, retweeted it, shared it, and commented on it.

But as is always the case, the full context is important. Here’s the rest of his conversation with co-host Rob Mahoney:

Mahoney: “What makes you think he wants to go to Boston?”

Simmons: “I just think he does.”

Mahoney: “Aggregate it?”

Simmons: “I don’t care.”

Mahoney: “There’s your social clip. There’s your aggregated blog post. Let’s just run with it.”

Simmons: “I think he wants to stay in the East. And I think a certain guy on the Celtics has the same shooting coach as him. And I think there’s a lot of respect for the organization, and I just think that would be a team he would be interested in. But I also think Miami is another team he would want to go to.”

Maybe Simmons is playing coy. Maybe he really does have sources. But this could also just be Simmons sharing his theory. The point is, take everything with a grain of salt, especially when it comes to the Celtics.

That said, as I’ve said here many times, smoke means fire. And there is plenty of smoke swirling around the air in Boston right now.

Simmons didn’t mention the Miami Heat for no reason. Much like the Celtics, there have been plenty of rumors swirling about Antetokounmpo’s potential interest in Miami for years.

Should Antetokounmpo join either side, they would immediately become a top contender in the East. And it’s no coincidence that the two teams he may be interested in joining are two of the most highly-regarded organizations in the league when it comes to culture.

But the Simmons-Antetokounmpo discourse isn’t the only Celtics discussion being thrown around on social media. Brian Scalabrine also weighed in on Boston’s current positioning, noting that the team could choose to take a patient approach.

He noted that it was a “miracle” the Celtics were able to get under the tax this season, and followed it up with the following statement: 

"I know that if we stay under the tax for one more year, then I know that Brad Stevens, Bill Chisholm, and the Tatum-Brown situation is going to lead at least one, if not two, championships."

Quite the bold statement, especially with the current state of the league.

What would that even look like? What superstar will be available to trade for a year from now, assuming that is the caliber of move Scalabrine is hinting at? And how good will the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs be by then?

Probably still dominant.

There’s no such thing as a guaranteed championship in the NBA. Scalabrine can be as confident as he wants, but the Celtics are in a dangerous spot. Spending one more year getting under the tax while depending on the same Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown two-man combination that has struggled in the last two postseason runs is scary.

Antetokounmpo may be the Celtics’ best chance at substantial improvement while also finding a new way to generate offense in the postseason. But even with that potential idea, there are inherent risks.

What about Antetokounmpo’s injury history? The Celtics would have to be confident that he can stay healthy. What about the rest of the roster? How would they build it out with little trade flexibility (from a contractual perspective)?

All of this is to say that this summer may be the most important Boston has faced in a long, long time.

There are many potential moves on the table. A world of options staring Stevens in the face.

And unfortunately, even if he makes all the right choices, nothing is ever guaranteed.

1. ECF thoughts

The New York Knicks are up 2-0 on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it doesn't look like that lead is going to shift anytime soon.

Jalen Brunson absolutely diced up James Harden in Game 1, and when the Cavs upped their pressure on him in Game 2, he dished out 14 assists. Josh Hart caught fire from deep (5-of-11), and Cleveland had no answer.

There are some rumblings that Donovan Mitchell may be playing hurt, but regardless, he hasn't looked like himself in these playoffs.

Cleveland had Game 1 in the bag, then poof. It all went away in an instant. Now, New York owns all the momentum. 

2. WCF thoughts

A thrilling Game 1 has been cast aside after two straight Oklahoma City Thunder victories. They now own a 2-1 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs.

Much of the conversation in the series has surrounded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's flopping escapades. My thoughts? Two things can be true.

One. he can be the best player on the planet because of his innate shot-making abilities, clutch gene, and unstoppable offensive prowess.

Two, he can be a terrible watch.

It's not fun to watch Gilgeous-Alexander fall on the court and get calls. Whistles that would otherwise be swallowed are now being flipped into free-throw opportunities for the Thunder.

That said, it feels like Victor Wembanyama still has a step to take on the offensive end. He and the Spurs still haven't fully figured out how to best deploy him on that side of the ball.

Meanwhile, Game 3 was dominated by none other than Jared McCain. He had 24 points off the bench, and Jaylin Williams chipped in with 18 on 5-of-6 shooting from deep.

The Philadelphia 76ers should be regretting that deadline deal right about now.

As for the physical antics throughout the series (primarily in Game 2), some of it needs to be policed better. But playoff basketball is supposed to be physical. It just needs to be consistent.

3. What are the Blazers doing?

The Portland Trail Blazers just had mass layoffs, affecting roughly 70 employees. This is what Blazers president Dewayne Haskins told The Oregonian about the moves:

“Today, as part of our plans to position the organization for the future, we made the difficult decision to restructure several areas of the business,” he said. “These changes impacted talented people who have helped shape the Trail Blazers over many years. We are deeply grateful for their contributions, their leadership and the care they showed every day for our team, our fans and the Portland community. Our focus now is supporting those affected through the transition and positioning the organization for long-term success.”

Staples of the Blazers organization were let go, including Rahsaan Gethers, the team’s VP of Basketball Communications. Marc Spears noted on social media that he was well-liked by players, coaches, and media.

Casey Holdahl, the team’s digital reporter, who was with the organization for over 18 years, was also let go. The fanbase was very upset on social media, with media and former players even chiming in.

It was the latest in what seems to be a discouraging trend in Portland, ever since Tom Dundon took over as the new owner.

During the playoffs, it was reported that Dundon refused to pay for late checkouts at hotels and didn’t pay for two-way players to travel with the team (though he half-heartedly admitted that the last one was a mistake).

Now, Portland is in the midst of searching for a new head coach. Thiago Splitter, who led the team to the playoffs after being named the interim leader just one game into the season, is likely not in consideration.

Everything that has come out of Portland since Dundon took over reeks of a guy who shouldn't have bought an NBA team. Those who have followed his tenure as owner of the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL seem to like him well enough. But he's off to quite a brutal start in the NBA.

4. New draft lottery proposal

By now, most have probably seen the new NBA Draft Lottery proposal.

Instead of percentages that will then be assigned to Ping-Pong balls, teams will get a direct number of chances in the lottery.

And, in an attempt to reduce tanking, the worst three teams in the league will effectively get two Ping-Pong balls. The next seven -- to round out the top 10 -- would get three.

Then, 11-14 would get two, and 15 and 16 (the two losers of the 7-8 Play-In games) would each get one.

Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports wrote a detailed analysis of the new proposal the league submitted for a vote.

There are a bunch of details in the article, but the one that stands out most is how these new lottery odds could hurt teams that have already traded for other teams' picks.

Here is one example O'Connor provided:

"Imagine if the Milwaukee Bucks miss the playoffs again next year. The swap rights to their 2027 first is owned by the New Orleans Pelicans and the swap rights to the Bucks’ 2028 first is owned by the Portland Trail Blazers. On 2027 lottery night, if that pick lands first, that means the Pelicans are awarded that pick. Under the current proposal, that would mean in 2028, the Blazers can’t receive the first pick — despite making that trade in 2023 when Damian Lillard was sent to Milwaukee."

Based on the new lottery proposal, teams would not be able to land the top pick in consecutive years. In addition, teams will not be allowed to select in the top five in three consecutive years.

But again, this will affect more than just teams with their own picks. What about the teams that have already traded for picks?

Again, O'Connor provided a perfect example:

"The top-five pick rule will date back to 2025. The Utah Jazz picked fifth in 2025 and second in 2026. Under the new rule, they can’t land in the top five in 2027. But the Jazz traded that pick to the Memphis Grizzlies in February for Jaren Jackson Jr., which means Memphis won’t be able to receive it since streaks will be triggered by the original team, not the team holding the pick."

The new lottery is bound to be confusing for the first few years (at least), should it be voted into existence. And some potential problems are already popping up.

5. NBA All-Defense Teams

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team. Despite a disappointing playoff run, his defensive impact during the regular season was still wildly impressive.

Alongside Neemias Queta, he anchored Boston's defense -- as a guard -- which finished seventh in the NBA in defensive rating.

Here's a video I made on the subject when the regular season came to a close:

White was joined on First Team by Wembanyama (the NBA's first unanimous DPOY), Chet Holmgren, Ausar Thompson, and Rudy Gobert.

The Second Team was comprised of Scottie Barnes, Cason Wallace, Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, and Dyson Daniels.