We won a game last night, which means the Raptors are having a pizza party. Darko Rajakovic promised the team pizza if they won three games in a row back in the day, and apparently, we are still doing that. It is a nice gesture, though I wonder if the players ever get tired of pepperoni.
The win is good for the soul, but the roster is looking a bit thin for the upcoming game against the Thunder. Collin Murray-Boyles and Ja'Kobe Walter are both questionable (a word that could describe many things in my life). Jakob Poeltl is still away seeing a specialist, which is never the news you want to hear on a Tuesday or any other day.
The Problem With Names
Mark Mason, the public address announcer for the Portland Trailblazers, recently mentioned that the Raptors have the most feared names in the league to pronounce. He compared us to a hockey team. I once tried to pronounce a backup goaltender's name from 2007 and had to lie down for twenty minutes.
It makes sense, honestly. Our roster is a linguist's nightmare, or a dream, depending on how much they like a challenge. If you cannot stop a player, the least you can do occupies the announcer's mind for a few extra seconds.
Seeking a Big Man
With Poeltl out, people are starting to look at the trade market. There is a suggestion floating around about trading Ochai Agbaji and two second round picks for Jock Landale. Jock is averaging about 11 points and 6 rebounds.
He plays like he is constantly trying to remember where he parked his car (in a productive way). Two second round picks feel like a lot for a backup center, but in this economy, who knows. My uncle says we should just sign someone tall from the local Y, but he also thinks the three point line is a conspiracy.
Observations on Sabonis
Then there is Domantas Sabonis. People talk about his passing and his rebounding, but nobody really talks about how he just looks like he is working at a hardware store while playing basketball. He is very efficient.
We play the Thunder tomorrow. Without Poeltl, and maybe without the rookies, it might be a long night. But at least we had pizza. The grease marks on the box are a reminder that for one brief moment, everything was okay.