Jakob Poeltl is currently playing two on two with the development coaches. This is a thing that is happening while the rest of us are mostly just checking our phones or wondering if the local juice place is still open. Darko Rajakovic says Jakob has been cleared for contact, which is good news for Jakob, but we still do not know when he will actually play in a real game.
I sometimes wonder what the development coaches think about when they are guarding a seven foot Austrian man. They probably think about what they want for dinner (likely something with protein) or that one time they almost made the league in 2012. It is a quiet existence, playing basketball in an empty gym while people on the internet talk about moving you to Tennessee.
The Memphis Math
The Memphis Grizzlies have a twenty eight million dollar trade exception now. They got it from a trade involving a guy named Jackson, which is a very common name in basketball and life. This exception is like a gift card that expires, and apparently, they might want to spend it on Jakob.
If this happens, it would be to help the Raptors get Domantas Sabonis from the Kings. Sabonis is very good at basketball and his father was also very good at basketball. It is a family business, like being a plumber or a guy who owns a bunch of dry cleaners.
Lemonade and Logic
There is a lot of talk about strawberry lemonade and blueberry lemonade lately. I am not sure if this is a metaphor for the trade market or if people are just thirsty because the heating in Scotiabank Arena is set too high. It feels like every year we are looking for a true center, even when we already have one who is busy playing two on two with the staff.
My uncle says you can never have enough big men, but he also says you should always carry a physical map in your glove box. One of those things is definitely true. Whether it is Jakob or Sabonis, someone needs to stand near the basket and look tall. That is the job.
Looking Ahead
We are just waiting for Bobby Webster to do something, or maybe not do something. Sometimes not doing something is the hardest thing to do, but it does not make for very interesting television. We will keep watching the development coaches play defense and hope for the best.
If we get Sabonis, the lemonade will probably taste better. If we do not, we still have the memories of Rasho Nesterovic and that one season where everything felt okay for a few weeks in February. Everything is fine, mostly.