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In Portland, the Trail Blazers are cutting deep on the business side. New owner Tom Dundon has initiated a significant round of layoffs across the organization's non-basketball operations, signaling a top-to-bottom reorganization. It's early in Dundon's tenure, and he's clearly wasting no time reshaping the front office in his own image.
Meanwhile in Dallas, Masai Ujiri is standing firmly behind the decision to move on from Jason Kidd. The Mavericks president told reporters Wednesday that firing Kidd was a very tough call, but one he owns entirely. No deflecting, no committee blame — Ujiri put it squarely on himself, and that kind of accountability from a team executive is notable regardless of where you stand on the move.
And out in the Western Conference finals, the Colorado Avalanche are already playing from behind before the puck even drops. Star defenseman Cale Makar will not suit up for Game One against Vegas on Wednesday. That is a massive blow for Colorado — Makar is arguably the best defenseman in hockey, and asking the Avalanche to open this series without him against a Golden Knights team built for exactly these moments is a steep hill to climb from the jump.
That's your play-by-play. Sports Desk, back to the booth.
