It is late February. The air in Toronto usually smells like damp pavement and salt this time of year. My uncle used to say the Raptors only start playing real basketball once the snow turns into that grey slush that ruins your boots.
Scottie Barnes has a right quad contusion. He got it late in the game, which is usually when things happen to us. He is questionable for the game against San Antonio tomorrow. A quad contusion is essentially a very expensive bruise, the kind you get when you walk into the corner of a coffee table, but with more medical staff involved.
The Defensive Milestone
Before the bruise occurred, Scottie was doing things. He has reached 91 blocks on the season. This is more than he had all of last year, and he did it in fewer games.
Ninety one times, a person tried to put a ball in a hoop and Scottie said no. It is a lot of rejection. I remember Hedo Turkoglu once tried to block a shot in 2010 and I think he just ended up staring at the sun. Scottie is more proactive than that.
Victor and the Void
The problem with Scottie being questionable is that Victor Wembanyama is coming to town. Victor is very tall. He is so tall that he makes other tall people look like they are just visiting from a smaller planet.
If Scottie does not play, we have to face the French giant with a rotation that feels a bit thin. Looking at our bench lately is like looking into a fridge at 3:00 AM. You know there is stuff in there, but you are not sure if any of it makes a full meal.
The Gradey Question
Then there is Gradey Dick. People are starting to ask questions. He played five minutes tonight. It is his third year, or half way through it, depending on how you count time.
I remember when my cousin tried to learn the accordion. By the third year, we knew. But basketball is different than the accordion. You do not have to wear as much velvet.
Some people are out on Gradey. Some people are still in. I am mostly just tired. Being a Raptors fan is like watching a long movie where the plot is just a series of people being questionable for tomorrow.
Final Thoughts
We will see what happens against the Spurs. If Scottie plays, he might get block number ninety two. If he does not, we will watch Victor reach things that shouldn't be reachable.
Everything is fine. It is just basketball. My boots are still wet from the slush outside. We all spin, in a way, just like Pascal used to. Now we just wait for the injury report to update.