A Few Thoughts On Mavs 107, Hawks 111

[mavsluvr]

What seemed so incongruous, is that a day or so after Coach Rick alerted the players, including the two stars, to keep a watchful eye on "the standings" and the possibility of moving up to enhance a playoff run, Carlisle all but forfeits a winnable game

Yes, it makes you wonder what they are trying to do. Before we even get to the on-court lineups and tactics, I think we have to look at the overarchingly more impactful decision to rest both Luka and KP, said to be for sore ankle/knee recovery. We don't have a lot of info on how serious these lingering injuries are, and I assume the decision was at least partly informed by the medical staff. 


I am making a guess (which could be wrong) that their joints are sore, but they could have played if the game had been deemed important. If so, that would seem to mean that the organization has made a managerial decision to prioritize conservative injury management for Luka and KP over winning every game during the stretch run. Presumably to maximize their stars' chances of staying healthy in the playoffs.

I don't necessarily have a problem with that approach for this season, and it was too bad that the absences piled up in this match. But if the ankle/knee are in fact turning out to be chronic nagging injuries that are bothersome even if they don't prevent Luka and KP from playing, I think that is at least somewhat concerning.