MAVS NEWS: Luka Is Hurt, But is Trudging On | DLive's Mom Passes Away| Maxi OUT

[F Gump]

The funny part about this team tanking is that they're already doing it and don't realize it. The minute we went into this season with this roster, started an organic tank.

McGee as a starter? Chalk one up for team tank.

No Brunson replacement? We'll go with Facu Campazzo and move Dinwiddie to the starting role. Check.

Lets not start our new 20 point 10 rebound big man. Lets also let the coach throw shots at him in the media and mess with his head too. Good one.

Lets keep playing Powell, THJ, and Bullock? Yep they all work for team tank. 

So while i've argued that tanking would never happen in Mavs land. Not while Luka is healthy and walking. Looks like the tank job was on from the start.

While I don't quite buy into the way you have characterized the specifics, what you are saying is exactly my point. I doubt the Mavs planned for the season to go awry, and I don't think they have made player moves in any sort of deliberate self-sabotage manner.

But "tanking" can just be your fallback if things go off the rails, and it doesn't require everything be done in an all-in manner ... nor does it involve a sit-down with Luka necessarily, at least not until you are going to make deliberate moves that play for next season rather than today.

There's still a lot of development and progress that can be made during a tank, such as extra minutes being allotted for Green, Hardy, maybe Wright and Dorsey, maybe even Ntilikina. You can also experiment with Wood at C, at PF, and in various combos to see if you have anything of real value or not.

About Wood - I know some look at his scoring and think he's a star save for Mavs messing it up, which I find laughable. I am 100% convinced he has NOT been held back, but is rather wildly inconsistent and who's hard to rely on because of the huge flaws in his game, especially a lack of focus on defense. Yes he has some outstanding outings, but those get interspersed with plenty of junk too that gets willfully ignored by the conspiracy theorist among us. I am not anti-Wood -- I certainly hope they can find a way to make him dependable. That's exactly what I think is going on with the variations in his rotations and minutes and more (rather than the absurd idea that the Mavs hope to sabotage him). I also observe that Wood doesn't bristle at all over the situation, but instead is 100% positive. IMO he needs tough love and is getting it. Where his game ends up remains to be seen.