It is February in Toronto and the sky is the color of a wet sidewalk. I saw a man outside Scotiabank Arena trying to eat a slice of pizza while wearing heavy mittens. This is the kind of perseverance Darko Rajakovic expects from this roster, though I am not sure if it translates to better free throw shooting.
The Raptors are currently 54 games into the season. Someone is sketching a picture after every game, which is a lot of drawings. I hope they have enough charcoal, because at this rate, the season might outlast our collective will to remain indoors.
The Chain and the Youth
Ja Kobe Walter received the player of the game chain recently. This is a heavy piece of jewelry that suggests you did something productive on the hardwood. It is a nice gesture, even if the concept of a chain as an award feels like something my cousin would try to sell me at the Scarborough Town Centre.
Darko continues to talk about development, which is a word coaches use when the present is cloudy but the future is theoretically bright. He has expectations for the growth of these players. It reminds me of when my uncle tried to grow tomatoes in his basement; there was a lot of light and talking, but eventually we just had a basement that smelled like dirt.
Observations From the Floor
Scottie Barnes remains the primary protagonist of this slow moving drama. There are moments where he looks at the court with a specific expression that says, are you seeing this. I often have the same expression when I realize I have left my laundry in the washer for three days.
We also have a Davis on the roster now. This is apparently the only Davis we need, which is a bold claim considering the history of people named Davis in this league. I remember Antonio Davis. He was very strong and once complained about the metric system, which is a fair thing to be upset about when you are trying to buy milk.
Searching for Meaning at 54 and 82
We have 28 games remaining in this schedule. It is a mathematical certainty that these games will happen, regardless of how we feel about them. The sketches will continue, the chain will be passed around like a communal snack, and the ball will occasionally go into the hoop.
I am not sure what the final picture will look like. It might be a masterpiece, or it might just be a drawing of a guy missing a layup in a very meaningful way. Either way, the pizza in the mittens guy had the right idea. You just have to keep biting, even if you can't feel your thumbs.