What Anthony Edwards' rescinded technical means for the Jazz

While the Utah Jazz's season ended some time ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves' is still very much going on. Last night, the Timberwolves almost caught a bad break when Anthony Edwards was given his 18th technical foul, which would have suspended him for the Timberwolves game against yours truly, the Jazz.

This could have ramifications for the Jazz because Edwards' absence takes the Timberwolves down a peg as a team, which opens the door for the Jazz to beat them, which could lead to them getting the second-worst record in the league which leads the NBA's second-best lottery odds.

The Jazz may not want to be in that position, as getting the best lottery odds also ensures that the worst-case scenario for the Jazz would be to wind up with the No. 5 pick. Luckily for all sides involved, Edwards' technical was rescinded.

What this means for the Jazz

Now that Edwards' technical is rescinded, he can play for the Timberwolves in the Jazz's season finale. The Timberwolves could potentially move out of the play-in the Western Conference if they win and the Golden State Warriors lose, so they have something to play for tomorrow.

Because the Jazz only have lottery odds to play for, it's in their best interest to lose if that's their emphasis. However, there's something else at play here.

As any Jazz fan knows, the Timberwolves owe them their pick this year. Because of the Rudy Gobert trade, the Timberwolves are in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. While they will likely make the postseason no matter what, the Jazz could help their chances of getting another lottery pick if they beat the Timberwolves.

Beating Minnesota would give them the No. 7 seed, which would put them in the play-in. The odds aren't high that Minnesota will lose out in the play-in, but there's still a chance, and that could lead to the Jazz getting another lottery pick in the process.

It would likely come at the expense of the Jazz giving up the best lottery odds, but they already have the highest odds for the No. 1 pick they could have possibly attained with the second-worst record in the league.

Utah will have their chance to have cake and eat it in this process, even if their overall lottery odds would get slightly worse. Granted, the odds of beating a playoff-caliber team when they have every reason aren't high, but it's not the worst idea.

Edwards' absence also would have helped the Jazz's chances of winning, but in all honesty, there's no wrong path for Utah here. That's the beauty of embracing the tank.