I’m not sure how much there is to watch for, in the sense that, as we’ve seen: you are what your record is in totality, much more so than whatever hot steak you go on to finish up a season. How you play over the second half of a season doesn’t necessarily translate to how your team performs to start the next- we’ve just been first-hand witnesses to this.
If we miss the playoffs, and that’s increasingly looking like the looming reality, the season is a failure, full stop. Nothing else really matters. In that sense, the only way to salvage this from an entertainment perspective is a solid streak that legitimately gets us back in the hunt. While that is very unlikely now, especially considering the teams in between and not just the points gap, it’ll be that happening that drums up interest again from this viewer. And, frankly, drums up viewing in general from this consumer.
However, I think I’m at the point where I’m ready to shelve the anger (considering this was such a critical season for the rebuild heading in) that has arisen. It’s been shockingly disappointing - but it hasn’t been so bad so as to make me back down from my long-held stance that the GM should get a second shot at making the dance after failing once. It’s looking like try 1 failed, yes, but I don’t see much happening this season yet that necessarily has to put a damper on Adams’ ability to shift this into a playoff roster for next season.
Not saying he does it, and some pessimism admittedly arrises from pondering his ability to pull it off, but optimism arises from the fact that in a league where half the teams makes the playoffs, we absolutely have the necessary pieces in place to the tune that anyone with even mediocre competence could right the ship for next season.
Playoffs this year are a lost cost barring something exceptional, but playoffs next year are imminently attainable if we grab the bull by the horns.
Frankly, KA needs operate as if he’s on the clock right now re: the moves he’d presumably be looking to in the offseason. Use all this runway from now until then to shift this team into something real for next season. Whatever moves can be found. Next year is year 5. He should be desperate. He should be managing for his job.