WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Here the Mavericks are again, back where their braintrust vowed not to be this season following last February's public "losing is our best option" admission and $600,000 NBA fine incurred by owner Mark Cuban.
The reality is that losing again is Dallas' best option, now that it is eight games out of the Western Conference's last playoff spot with 19 games left.
And losing seems like an especially good idea for Wednesday night, when the Mavericks play at Washington, which has the NBA's seventh-worst record, just one game "ahead" of Dallas, the eighth-worst team.