Whether Mark Cuban could sell ice to an Eskimo remains an unknown but I’m not buying his “the Mavericks will NEVER actively tank”. Their 0-4 record this past week plays into my belief. Sure, Rick Carlisle would rather bite the heads off bats than lose and Luka sure doesn’t seem to enjoy losing either.
But, the reality is it behooves the Mavericks to tank especially if it gets them a top-four pick which is where the quality in this upcoming draft resides. I’ve previously outlined how the draft lottery revamping also benefits teams finishing in the 4th through 9th ranking in terms of increased shots to obtain picks in the top five. That seems to be the goal of the Mavericks — can’t say I blame them.
"In essence, a team like the Pelicans, for example, could finish eighth from the bottom but still have a 27 percent chance of snagging a top fourth pick and if they finish seventh from the bottom those odds increase to 33 percent. Anyway, keep an eye on teams like the Pelicans, Mavericks, Grizzlies and other trying to move down to seeds sixth through eight from the bottom to increase their odds of a decent pick."
Schedule particulars:
Tankathon rank for schedule strength of remaining games: 15th
Games Remaining: 16 | Home: 8| Road: 8
Versus top 10 offenses: seven
Versus top 10 defenses: six
Games facing teams over .500: nine
Last 10 games: 1-9
Back to back sets: three
Key Stats:
Offensive Rating: 21st (107.7)
Defensive Rating: 18th (109.6)
Net Differential: 24th (-1.9)
Record: 14th in WC
Home: 21-12 | Road: 6-27 | Back to back sets: 11
Versus the West: 14-25 |Versus the East: 13-14
Week 21, 0-4: Lost @Nets, @Wizards, @Magic, Rockets
On tap for week 22: vs. Spurs, @Nuggets, Cavaliers