There is a certain symmetry to a jersey swap that the league tries to manufacture, but sometimes the universe just provides one on its own. People are currently calling for a meeting between Gradey Dick and Derrick White.
It feels like the natural conclusion to a story that started when someone decided what to name their children decades ago. If this happens, I hope they both stare directly into the camera with no expression at all.
The Front Office and the Center Position
Bobby Webster is apparently operating on a level that most of us cannot perceive, which is a stressful way to live. One moment you are looking at a roster, and the next, you are wondering if he is seeing things in four dimensions while we are just trying to find a parking spot at the Scarborough Town Centre.
Speaking of things that are difficult to locate, Jakob Poeltl is currently questionable for Sunday. He went through a full practice, which is good, but now we are just waiting on his conditioning to return.
Conditioning is a strange concept because it implies that a professional athlete could suddenly forget how to breathe while running. I imagine Jak standing at the free throw line, wondering if he left the oven on back in Austria.
Shooting Stars and High Stakes
Scottie Barnes is set to participate in the Shooting Stars contest alongside Chet Holmgren. This is a choice that has been made by people who enjoy seeing very tall men perform tasks that require a lot of coordination.
Watching Scottie and Chet shoot basketballs together will be like watching two different species of birds try to build the same nest. It might be beautiful, or it might just be a lot of long limbs moving in directions that do not seem anatomically possible.
The Late Season Push
There is some chatter about Trayce Jackson-Davis potentially having a late season run similar to Sandro Mamukelashvili. If you remember Mamu, you probably spend too much time watching games between teams that are fourteen games under .500.
I find myself hoping for these things because the alternative is just looking at the standings. We are all just waiting for something to happen, even if that something is just a backup center playing twenty five minutes in a game that doesn't matter.
Basketball is mostly just a series of events that happen until the buzzer sounds and we all go home. Sometimes there are jerseys swapped, and sometimes there are just questionable hamstrings.