Battle of The Baddest

So, it has come to this.

A battle to be bad. The baddest.

And not bad in a good way.

Perhaps it’s beside the point, but this is truly not the NBA life to which Rockets fans have been accustomed. Heartbreak? Sure. Terrible luck? Absolutely. A bizarre, possibly supernatural, string of missed shots? Definitely. Anger, resentment, unrealistic expectations? You betcha.

Not this.

The Timberwolves, on the other hand, are old...paws at this. They have far more experience being bad. So much more experience. Unlike the Timberwolves this season, the Rockets are meant to be bad. This Minnesota team, meant to be decent, also boasts a nearly healthy team.

This was, bizarrely enough, an important game. A chance to solidify a bottom three finish, against a “competitor” for that spot. The Rockets had a crucial “advantage” though - continued awful injury “luck”.

For the Rockets, having a starter, and backup, at almost every spot, constitutes health this season.

Did the Rockets have this pseudo-health last night? Let’s see...nope. Not tonight. Missing were John Wall, DJ Augustin, and of course, Eric Gordon and Dante Exum, who may, in fact, be a ghost. No one actually has proof he exists, but he haunts the roster and injury report all the same. Rockets guards shot a bracing 3-21 (14%) last night.

Minnesota has had many top picks, including the 1-1 in the last draft. Their latest high draft pick, Anthony Edwards is starting to play pretty well, despite him thinking maybe he could be a football player (likely) an Olympic swimmer (less likely), a soccer player (sure, why not?), NBA ROY, and I don’t know what else, captain of Canada’s curling team, possibly. J-Lo’s next husband, or at least paramour potentially, also. Don’t believe me? Just ask him. Remember, though, he’s really, truly, just a kid. Interviews like that are a lot more fun that “I’m just here to help the team win, working hard everyday.” We should support this sort of interview.

It would be nice if Minnesota was actually good. It would be good if the sale of the team went through, not because the new owner would necessarily be better, but because the new owner would not be Glen Taylor, who may actually be cursed as an owner. Perhaps the only way for the long-suffering fans of Minnesota to recover from being savaged by the Timberwolves is if Glen Taylor goes. The bidders have promised not to move the team, but we’ve heard that before.

But where would it go, anyway? Seattle is the best candidate, but Minneapolis doesn’t deserve treatment like that, and likely, neither does Seattle. There’s nothing wrong with Minnesota, it’s a town that loves to support winners, and will doggedly stick with losers, to a point.

The only lessons the Rockets can learn from Minnesota are “Don’t make bad picks.” and “Try to fire a bad owner, if you can.” and possibly “Maybe a guy shouldn’t be a coach just because everyone likes him.” Not especially helpful at this point, honestly.

Anyhow, basketball. It happened. The NBA’s ROY (in our hearts), JaeSean Tate was great.

To say this game was insipid is to do disservice things that are limp, and unconvincing. The Rockets guards were putrid. The rest of the team was ok, but the Rockets accomplished the mission. They lost. Again. Hooray.