Just posted this in the Chauncey style thread.... after the next 5 games (which are difficult) we have the easiest schedule in the league the last 20 games of the season. We legit could make a run at the playin. Look at this breakdown of the opponents we have to finish the last 20 games of the season:
7 games WAS IND DET HOU HOU OKC OKC - against tanking teams, we might even be more talented
5 games SAS NOP SAS SAS NOP - against fellow playin competition, wins effectively count twice
4 games MIN MIN ATL NYK - against flawed playin teams
3 games BRK DAL UTH - when good opponents might suck, Brookyln has lost 11 straight, Dallas and Utah are the last two games of the year so they may have nothing to play for and sit starters.
1 game out of 20 that is against a legit playoff opponent, at Utah March 9th
So we either suck at winning the above and keep our pick, or we make a run at the playin, get valuable experience for our players. We could potentially see Dame return for the postseason and clear up the pick we owe Chicago. Then we would be free to keep or trade any of our future picks.