The Toronto Raptors have waived Chris Paul. It happened. He was here, and now he is not, which is a common way for things to be. I imagine he is at the airport right now, looking at a departure screen and thinking about state taxes.
Our team is currently fourteenth in net rating. We are sixth in defense, which sounds impressive, but we are also sixteenth in offense. Over the last ten games, that offensive number has dropped to twenty first. It is like having a very expensive security system on a house that contains nothing but a single, half eaten bagel.
The Mid-February Limbo
We are entering the All Star break, a time when basketball players pretend to play basketball for people who are mostly there to see celebrities in the front row. Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram will be there wearing All Star jerseys. I hope they have a good time. I hope the hotel pillows are firm but not too firm.
Being twelfth in net rating over the last stretch is a very Raptors place to be. It is the basketball equivalent of a lukewarm coffee. It is not bad enough to throw away, but it is not really providing the warmth you were looking for when you started this journey.
Efficiency and Other Mysteries
Kirk Goldsberry released his latest efficiency landscape map. We are in a weird spot on the chart. It reminds me of that time Jorge Garbajosa used to stand at the top of the arc. You knew something was happening, but you werent always sure if it was helping or just occupying space.
Maybe the break will help the offense. Or maybe everyone will just come back tired from flying across the continent. My uncle says the air in airplanes makes you lose your jump shot. He is usually wrong about most things, but he might have a point this time.
Looking Ahead
The All Star Game is on February 15th. After that, we go back to the regular schedule of playing games that matter slightly more than the one in Indianapolis. We will watch the rankings and the defensive rotations and the way the ball movement stops for no apparent reason.
It is February in Toronto. The salt on the sidewalks is turning everything gray. The Raptors are sixth in defense and Chris Paul is looking for a new jersey. We just keep moving forward, mostly because there is no other direction to go. Over and over, until the season ends.