He delayed the intial prosecution of trump by the first team who recommended indicting trump, then he finally went through with it months later, only to win decisively, now to not stand up for sentencing on the hard-won convictions.What the hell is he thinking?

trump is not that intimidating. He should be the one intimidating trump by recommending to the judge to sentence the orange turd asap.

Option 1: Jail time before the election martyrizes trump, would be called election interference

2: Jail time but begins after the election: tRump would use it all over the places calling it election interference

** 3: Jail time but handed down after the election. Fits given "delay" in sentencing. Most likely scenario by my reading of things.

4: No jail time: no good reason to delay sentencing since tRump could not make hay out of it since he is already convicted.

We keep hearing he plans on "pardoning himself..."

Merchan can sentence a president-elect to prison after the election without it being called election interference. Whatever problems it causes thus are somebody else's problems, not his.

Merchan could order him to begin serving the instant sentencing is finished and lasting until the day before Inauguration Day, if he thought it just.

... the delay was a strategic move to keep the grotesquely corrupt Supreme Court majority from getting their grimy paws on the case before the election.
Conceivable, but not guaranteed accurate.