“It should have ended with the verdict last week!”
No. The judges power over Trump is now many times what it was before the verdict. He can set almost any condition for probation. House arrest. No public appearances. No use of social media. etc etc. Those are all within his nasty little power. If he imposes a 20 year sentence and then suspends it pending Trump’s compliance with ridiculous probation conditions (see above), he has accomplished everything the ugly people in the ruling class have wanted.
If he does any of those, Trump has the urgency behind and appeals, such as the Supreme Court. If he just gives him a slap, probation, and similar, no urgency. If the judge wants to prolong his conviction before it is overturned, giving the Democrats more mileage, he’ll choose the latter. I don’t think it will help much as it is already backfiring. The gag order is the problem, either ending it or saying enough, and ignoring it.