Game 36: HOU (21-10) @ DAL (12-23)

[DanSchwartzgan]

So, you think they were "stealth tanking" from game 1, then? 
 

Short answer...yes.  But, the goal was probably more about Nico than the W/L record at the very beginning.  I think Kidd gave the fans (and Dumont) the push that was needed for Dumont to do what he wouldn't do over the summer.

My pre-season position was this could be a 6th seed if everything went perfectly.  When AD went down, I talked about optionality...the same optionality that had them make decisions late in two of the last 3 seasons to prioritize picks over playoffs.  My focus was more about picks 10/11 than 6-8 then back then as I knew they'd need a runway to build up AD's value and that would cost us losses.

More recently I've noticed this pattern that seems to be keeping us more in the 6-8 range (plus it really caught my attention when Stein published his bit expose on what draft slots have done what since the flattening of the lottery odds).  

My biggest shift has probably been that I thought they'd go for it and try to make a run with Flagg, AD and Kyrie.  But, when they started running out the garbage lineups early on, it felt like something else was happening.  I just don't see how you can look at home wins against great teams and losses against the worst of the worst and come to a different conclusion.  Adding a top 8 pick this year is so much more important than window dressing wins and a short playoff run that will do nothing for Flagg in the long run.