Death, Taxes and Mediocrity

Trading away your only All-Star for three first round picks and a player you immediately waive is not something you do with a view towards winning a lot of games in the upcoming season. Doing so after managing to squeak out just thirty-odd wins for the third year in a row before losing in the first game of the play-in tournament for the second year in a row is a pretty obvious attempt to trip yourself up, fall down, and get shot off the back of the treadmill of mediocrity. The San Antonio Spurs’ timing could not have been better. The prize at the top of next summer’s draft is the answer to the question, “What if Tim Duncan was crossed with a gazelle who could shoot threes?” — and everyone who bought a Powerball ticket in the last month can relate.

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