Battier's Space Buddy

Having trouble making sense of the Rockets? You're not alone. They started as overachievers, then looked like they'd really discovered the NBA's answer to Moneyball, and now are dealing with a rough patch. That has everyone looking to stats-minded GM Daryl Morey for a clear, noise-free assessment of the situation.

However, forward Shane Battier prefers has his own take on this downswing. One that probably makes more sense if you're open to the possibility of life on other planets, or believe they already walk among us and are laying the groundwork to take over the planet while we're all busy wondering about the Rockets.

From The Houston Chronicle:

"You don't have perspective at this point," he said. "When you go through a tough stretch of basketball, you don't have the opportunity to have perspective of the entire year because you're in the middle of it. [...]

"If you're a Martian and you're visiting Earth for the first time, and you look at the Western Conference standings and saw where we were and looked at our schedule and the our circumstances, in a Martian voice you might say, 'not bad.' But as humans, we're in the middle of it, so our perspective is a little different."

If a Martian and earth person Battier met, say, in an elevator, I suspect there would be more than "a little [difference]" between their perspectives. I also like the notion that they'd only have to reconcile their views on the NBA standings, since of course, Martians have been playing the game of basketball for years. All kidding aside, though, Battier's definitely in the race for quote of the year, and we thank him for it.