Sixers vs. Bulls (8PM, TNT): When does our next win come?

[DuckyNinja]

Today, before the end of the reg season, playoffs, next November?

[Skates]

Tonight.  I think they go 42-40 overall.  Sadly some will call that an improvement.

[tk76-]

5 seed is all that matters.  Looking at the Heat's schedule they could also lose some games down the stretch, but the Heat now have the tiebraker.

This probably impacts the management and Comcasts willingness to be aggressive this summer.  If they make any moves at all (including re-signing Miller) they will be on track to be over the tax in 2010 (and then in good shape 2011.) 

I have a hunch that they are willing to take a risk of paying the tax (assuming they are stuck with Sam/Green/Evans) if they see themselves a a team that can go deep in the playoffs and start filling empty seats.  On the flip side, if they project to be a low interest one and done team they may go into a bunker mentality financially this summer and start trying to shed salary at the possible expense of wins.  Something like letting Miller walk and signing a stopgap one year back-up PG using the MLE, or even selling their #1 like Denver did last year at #19.

[anklebreaker]

Our remaining schedule makes the 5 seed look like a real long shot... those last 2 losses were killers. 

[Derek Bodner]

we'll see.  looks like the cavs have nothing to play for, and boston might not at that point either.

[anklebreaker]

Believe it or not, I think Boston will be our 2nd easiest game (2nd only to Toronto) remaining... and that's including tonight's game.. coming off a 2 game skid facing another team that's fighting for playoff position in their house. Chicago has a pretty solid mix of talent since the trade... when they show up they're no easy win.... especially when we don't have a Thad Young. 

[tk76-]

Am I a bad fan for wishing this team had missed the playoffs?

I also wish they had traded away Miller- especially if it was in a deal where someone took Evans with him.

[Derek Bodner]

Yeah.  I've just about lost interest in the playoffs.  The only thing that can give us a shot is if we:
1) Somehow get the 5th seed, which looks highly improbable now.
2) Thad comes back and carries us.

This team, right now, is just bad.

[DuckyNinja]

It's amazing just how bad this team looks without Thad.  They're not just bad, they're completely unwatchable.  They can't play offense, they can't play defense, they just totally suck.

[anklebreaker]

If we can't get the 5th seed (which seems pretty unlikely now), then I'd have probably preferred to miss the playoffs.  We all know the outcome of facing Boston or Orlando, and to me, that doesn't really constitute a successful season.  As it stands, it looks like we may win 1 or possibly 2 more games than we did last season.  Injuries to EB and coaching changes aside, that's a pretty small step forward from last year to this year considering we played the better part of this season with virtually the same line up as we had last year with extremely limited growth in the win column.  Chasing down the 5th seed and making a 2nd half appearance would have given us something to build off of next year, and would have ultimately been successful giving our young players the confidence to win a playoff series, and inch closer to the goal.  Thad's injury and this 3 game skid couldn't have come at a worse time. 

[tk76-]

Last year I asked people how many wins would last year's team would win this year, with no major additions.  With Brand's injury, it sort of played out that way.

The consensus was 46-48 games. 

[rickortreat]

I figured 50+ with Brand, in the 40's without him.  Considering we traded away a few players and lost one for the season (Smith) added one rookie and a couple of low-level FA's, where we are is where I expected us to be, with the hope that maybe Speights could give us some of what we hoped Brand would have.

Without Thad's injury, I think we'd be above 45 wins, and that is an improvement.

Frankly, this last week has killed my interest in the team. I'm fed up with the coaching staff.  Three starts by Evans, three losses in a row.  Only an idiot keeps doing the same thing and expecting a different result. And in truth, Evans has done a good job as a starter. It's the 2nd group that stinks. I think their problem is coaching, why does the offense disappear when the 2nd group comes in?  I think their talent level is comparable if not superior, but it rarely turns out hat way.  When the team was winning, the 2nd team was either producing or keeping the lead, but in recent weeks it's become a liability.

Could it be that taking Evans out of the 2nd group has killed the 2nd team?