Sunday, November 16, 2014

Wednesday Night in Mexico City

Well, I'm back for my (now) weekly blog post!

I watched the entire Rockets-T-Wolves game on Wednesday night. I did this for a few reasons:

     1. They are the 10th and 5th youngest teams in the NBA, respectively
The six youngest teams in the NBA, in order, are the 76ers, Bucks, Jazz, Celtics, Timberwolves, and Magic. What do all these teams have in common? They suck. And aren’t going to sniff the playoffs this year. Which makes sense, in today’s NBA where you want to load up on picks, and suck until you acquire enough young talent to make an actual run. But what a difference a few spots makes. At 9th youngest you have the Thunder, and then 10th youngest are the Rockets. Two teams with definite championship aspirations, which goes to show that there’s a point for every team where you have to stop leaning on the excuse of youth, and just go out and win a few games. But back to the point, this game was going to be actually interesting to watch.

  1. Dwight Howard may have the ugliest, yet most effective game in the world
As frustrating as Dwight’s offensive game may be to watch, if he’s put in the right position (like, say a regular season game played in Mexico City, where he’s the biggest star) it can be a real treat. He was egging on the crowd, goaltending, and generally acting a fool. Which we certainly didn’t get a glimpse of during his Lakers years.

  1. The Timberwolves have no idea what they are. But are still super fun to watch.
Now that Rubio’s out, Zach Lavine is attempting to run the point. The man is not a point guard. He’s a super athletic two, with arms, legs, and dunking ability for days, but not who you want running your offense. There were probably three plays a half where he made such an athletic play that maybe six other players in the league could make--going coast to coast through 4 guys, turning the corner into the lane, or just jumping over the rim--but every time he had no idea how to finish. It was like he knew what to do, and could barely believe that he was allowed to do it, but had no concept of how to finish elegantly. And to be fair, that upside (see also: The Brow) is so tempting if you’re a general manager. This kid has all the physical abilities, we just need to harness that energy. Every UCLA fan agrees, and that’s what made him such a frustrating player in Westwood, and will continue to frustrate Minnesotans for years to come.

  1. Andrew Wiggins. What did Minnesota get in return for Kevin Love? (I don’t count Bennett.)
Well, he’s not a great offensive player yet, but he could be a real lockdown defender, and with his athleticism, he could very easily become a Scottie Pippen/Shawn Marion-type for the frozen north. Check back in 4 years and we’ll see what he’s done, and if he's learned to score in the league.

  1. Did I mention that I had three players in this game in a daily fantasy game with $20 riding on it?
Oh yeah, that probably should have been reason number one. Turns out Isaiah Canaan is horrendous--Jason Terry outplayed him, and it wasn’t even close. The man can’t finish at the rim, or anywhere else on the court for that matter. Konstantinos "Kostas" Papanikolaou is my new favorite Greek (after the Freak, of course--that’s forever and always a lock). The man has a wet jumper, isn’t horrendous defensively, which is to say, he plays Houston Rockets basketball. But, I still pulled out the 50/50 because James Harden can get to the rim whenever he desires. Here’s a thought, NBA defenses: try to not hack his arms when he puts them out there for you to foul him. The man is always on the free throw line. We’ve seen this for five years. Whatever, I guess that’s why I’m not the next Thibs. And to be honest, I’m OK with it. At least I’m capable of a smile.


Follow Jon Getz on Twitter @jongetz09 where he’ll start to live tweet games, and then stop for no reason.

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