I suppose one could put it that way, since they are openly erring on the side of caution with players like Wheeler despite being in the middle of a fight for a playoff bid. I just don't know that I'd say they are "running away" from the 5th seed so much as I would that they are contenting themselves with making the postseason in any fashion (which of course for them, yes, has meant the 5th or final slot) without putting undue burden on some of their key cogs along the way.
Of course, having now typed that out it doesn't really seem a world apart from the way you put it. Tomato/tom-ah-to, perhaps, but I'm sticking with tomato. 
