MAVS NEWS:

[F Gump]

I think the organization is SHELL SHOCKED by this poor start, and the GM is being fired right now, at this very moment, specifically because they all expected the team would be in contention this season....

Will they tank NOW? Possibly, but ...

You're generally saying almost exactly what I'm saying. Whether they have reached that decision point remains to be seen, you say. I agree. You don't think it has happened yet. I think it might have. Without being in the mind of the Mavs decision-makers, we can't know. It's just a guess. 

"I think the organization is SHELL SHOCKED by this poor start, and the GM is being fired right now, at this very moment, specifically because they all expected the team would be in contention this season." -- With all due respect, I think that's nonsense. 
 
Ownership didn't care about the W/L record of the moment. Not a bit. Their issue was Nico. If they are shell-shocked, it was by the utter lack of public support, and by a total loss of faith that Nico had any clue in how to deftly navigate the tricky path forward after jettisoning the face of the franchise. It was never going to be easy to move forward in a good way. It will take an expert. That's not Nico.

FWIW whether or not they have been tanking up til now, imo that's over except for the ongoing effects of choices already made. I don't think Nico getting fired determines anything. I think a new GM - if a skilled experienced one such as Lindsey is obtained soon - will be tasked with independently figuring out the path forward and will have the final word. Cuban says he's trying to get Lindsey in the job, and I sure hope that happens. I would also guess both ownership and Cuban may explore Cuban having some say again, probably as an advisor to Dumont, as a safety net if nothing else.