Kevin McHale, the newest head coach of the Houston Rockets, returned to his former coaching residence in Minnesota last night, where, at the time, he left a burgeoning All-Star in Kevin Love. The Timberwolves also have a new coach this season in Rick Adelman, whom the Rockets let walk after four seasons on the sidelines. There were many hellos and general chumming around from the two sides before and after Houston used big scoring outputs in the first and final quarters to beat the Wolves, 107-92, extending their winning streak to seven games.
Adelman’s tenure with the Rockets can probably be summarized as continually short-handed yet constantly professional. His teams were usually playing without tragic figures Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, but through maximizing their skills and abilities, the Rockets took the eventual champion Lakers to seven games in the 2009 Western Conference Semifinals. A year earlier, Houston won 22 games in a row in Adelman’s first year as head coach. The Rockets became known for maybe not doing more with less, but doing what they could with what they had.
Things haven’t changed much now that McHale is running the show. One could say Houston is playing without Pau Gasol, who was thisclose to landing with the Rockets as Chris Paul flew over to Lakerland, until David Stern decided, uh, otherwise. The Rockets do not have a bad mix of players; at the same time nothing jumps out and screams Western Conference contender, either. They are, in the best sense, a group of pro basketball players. Luis Scola, the crafty, hard-nosed Argentinean forward; Kevin Martin, the scoring machine everyone knows but doesn’t really think about; Kyle Lowry, who dropped a triple-double last night, showing signs of turning a career corner. This is their Big Three (because everyone needs a Big Three, you know), surrounded by interesting, yet short of buzz worthy, role players. The Rockets have won seven games in a row, where along with Minnesota they’ve beaten the likes of the Spurs and Trail Blazers, and nobody bats an eye. So it is in Houston.
The Timberwolves, on the other hand, are probably the trendiest early season League Pass must-watch every night. Full of athleticism and Kevin Love stat lines (Last night: 39 points, 12 boards), the T’Wolves wanted so badly to bring flash to the Upper Midwest. When Ricky Rubio finally landed on American soil in the offseason, the excitement begun; with the young Spaniard showing up and being exactly what he was advertised as, the bandwagon crowded quickly. Now, Rubio, Love, first-round pick Derrick Williams and a bunch of guards and forwards covering the flanks run every night, throwing lobs and behind-the-back trailer passes for open threes, and, of course, it’s awesome.
They’re also wildly inconsistent. In the month of January, they’ve had three two-game losing streaks as well as two and three-game winning streaks, respectively. They’re 7-10 in what will be a brutal Western Conference postseason race, with the Lakers and Trail Blazers currently sitting directly above them in the standings.
Whether they make the playoffs or not, though, doesn’t matter quite yet. The Timberwolves have created a buzz and a product. They’ll need to drop some serious cash on Love’s doorstep, to be sure, but they’re changing from a bunch of dysfunctional pieces to a stylish youth movement; each guy looking to leave a mark on the game in his own way. That Minnesota will be talked about in NBA circles for the entire season because of how they play, regardless of the outcome, is a win in itself.
It will be the steady Adelman guiding Minnesota along as their popularity grows, as more eyes tune in to watch, while in Houston, former T’Wolves brain-trust McHale and the sum-of-the-parts Rockets will keep trying to notch wins towards a playoff berth. Everyone’s winning, but they aren’t playing the same game.
