There is a certain comfort in the post player. They back someone down, they stop, and they look around like they just realized they forgot where they parked. The Raptors currently have two of the best at this specific type of geometry, which is nice because geometry is one of the few things you can rely on when the weather in Toronto is doing whatever it is doing today.
Living life through a basketball hoop means you spend a lot of time thinking about potential. Sam Vecenie thinks we might take Patrick Ngongba II with the twentieth pick. I used to go to a dry cleaner named Patrick who was very reliable with pleated pants, so I take this as a good sign for our interior defense.
The Health of Hinges and Thumbs
Scottie Barnes has a thigh bruise, which sounds like something that happens when you walk into the edge of a mahogany desk. Darko Rajakovic says he went through practice but remains questionable for the Knicks game. It is a strange thing to be questionable, but I suppose we are all questionable when you really get down to the physics of it.
Collin Murray Boyles is having a harder time. He has a thumb injury that is apparently making it difficult for him to catch a basketball. Catching the ball is generally considered the first step in playing basketball, so having that part removed is a significant hurdle. My uncle once tried to play through a jammed thumb he got while reaching for a remote, and he said the pain was similar to losing a civil war.
Magazines and Metropolitan Perks
Someone on the internet got their new SLAM Magazine featuring Scottie. It is a glossy tribute to the fact that we have a cornerstone, or at least a very talented person who likes to smile while doing dunks. I remember when SLAM magazines used to come with posters that you had to carefully remove so you did not tear the staples out of Reggie Miller's chest.
There is also mention of free pizza from a Maple Leafs game. I am never quite sure how the cross pollination of sports marketing works, but free dough and cheese is a universal language. It is the kind of thing that makes you forget, for a second, that the Knicks are coming to town and Scottie might just be watching from the bench in a very expensive tracksuit.
We spend a lot of time waiting for things to happen. Waiting for Scottie to heal, waiting for the draft, waiting for the pizza guy to arrive at the door. Eventually, the game starts, someone spins in the post, and we do it all again. It is a cycle, much like the rotating display case at the memorabilia shop, only with more thigh bruises.