The New Orleans Pelicans came to town on Wednesday night, and I spent most of the evening wondering about the nature of point guards. It is a strange position. You have to be the boss, but also the person who gives everything away. I once held a door open for three minutes at a Lawrence Avenue Tim Hortons, which felt like a high assist game, but nobody gave me a contract.
A debate has been brewing lately about Fred VanVleet and Immanuel Quickley. Someone on the internet suggested VanVleet is the superior point guard, while Quickley is the better overall player. It is a confusing distinction, like saying a certain brand of bread is a better loaf, but a different brand is better food. Fred used to bet on himself, which is a lot of pressure if you really think about it. I usually bet on the weather being grey, and I am right quite often.
The Problem With Losing on Purpose
There is a segment of the population that wants us to sit Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes for the rest of the season. They want us to tank, which is just a sports term for being bad on purpose. My uncle tried that with his landscaping business once, and now he just sits in a lawn chair looking at weeds. He says it is a rebuilding phase, but the weeds are winning.
If we tank, Scottie has to watch his peers like Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley play in the playoffs. That seems rude. We spent all year saying the goal was to make the postseason, and changing your mind now is like deciding you are a vegetarian while you are halfway through a steak. It just makes the table feel awkward for everyone involved.
Media Relations and Pondering
Russell Westbrook has some feelings about the media lately, and it makes me think about how we all perceive each other. Players look at reporters, reporters look at players, and I look at the guy at the arena who sells the expensive popcorn. We are all just noticing things. Sometimes the things we notice are just reflections of our own exhaustion.
I saw an interview earlier where someone looked a bit too relaxed, leading people to wonder about their state of mind. Maybe they were just tired. The NBA schedule is long, and occasionally your face just forgets how to look professional. I once looked so vacant in a grocery store that a woman asked if I needed an ambulance. I was just trying to remember if I already had mustard at home.
Moving Forward, Slowly
The game against the Pelicans happened, and the scoreboard did its job by showing numbers. We are on pace to do what we said we would do, which is rare in life. Usually, I say I am going to clean the garage and then I just end up looking at an old box of basketball cards from 2007. Primoz Brezec is in there somewhere.
We should probably just keep playing the games until they tell us to stop. Tanking for a draft pick is a gamble, and I already lost five dollars on a scratch-off ticket this morning. Let the players play. Let the fans worry about the lottery. I will be over here wondering if the mascot ever gets itchy inside that suit. That is a real problem.