Applying the "we have to go out and seek to win every game from the top down" approach to this game is just about the dumbest thing I've ever heard of given the structure of the draft and what is rewarded under the current NBA system.
Since the Suns will have won more conference games they would be left at 9th place..and the Rockets at 10th...to ensure this is the case..the Rockets should try losing tonight but then again...New Orleans is looking to lose too...this is going to be fun... Final prediction...Rockets will be forced into a win...76-67...lol
It doesn't really matter. Its an important game for someone like Morris, and coming away from a couple of practices this week, you would want the players to have taken it seriously. If the Rockets win, ehh... whatever. Good experience for Morris. If the Rockets loose....ehh... hopefully the Suns will win out and help the Rockets get a better pick. The Rockets have a wierd way of evaluating talent in the 10 to 20 range. I wouldnt be shocked if they pick a player at 14 that nobody was even thinking about regardless if its the 13th or 14th pick.
Typically I'm all about tanking, and I realize there is no benefit to winning and a possible benefit to losing. But this game is slightly different since winning guarantees a winning record and losing puts us at .500. I'd rather win so we can say we have been a winning team the last three years, even though we haven't made playoffs. It's all a mental thing that could possibly affect free agency, but probably just affects things in my head. The 13th pick isn't much different than the 14th pick, so the tradeoff isn't much for going for a win here.
Winning a no bearing game is a mental thing? Who cares if we finish 1 game over .500, really. It's about making the playoffs or not. I'd rather have a 50/50 shot at moving up one spot in the draft than winning a game that wouldn't mean anything.
The Hornets have been playing very well as of lately, and the Rockets are holding out pretty much half of their rotation players tonight, and claiming that guys like Morris, Fortson, and Diamon Simpson are going to be getting significant minutes. Morey cant run on the court and kick the ball out of bounds, but playing guys like Fortson and Simpson is about as close as Morey & McHale for that matter will ever get to tanking a game. They want to end the season on a "positive note" of course, and will tell the players they want them to go and play hard, but Morey and McHale for that matter of course understand that one meaningless win could cost them a slide in draft position. They aren't that dumb.
This might actually be a good game if the teams are allowed to score on there own goal while defending the other team from scoring on there own goal.
It's possible that it might matter, though. We had that with the Brandon Roy issue, right? I'd far rather have the 13th pick than win this game.
