Kawhi Leonard was in town recently, or at least his name was. He said some nice things about Toronto, which he usually does, in that way where you aren't sure if he's being sincere or if his software just updated to the "Polite Canadian Memories" patch. It has been several years since he left, but people here still act like he's the one who got away, even though he literally got away.
He led us to a championship and then looked at the parade, looked at the weather, and decided he would rather be stuck in traffic on the 405. You have to respect the honesty. Most people lie and say they love the cold, but Kawhi just is who he is. We all have that one ex we still check up on, except our ex has two Finals MVPs and massive hands that could palm a literal watermelon.
The Memphis Connection
The rumors are swirling again, and this time they involve Ja Morant. People are talking about a trade as if we haven't learned our lesson about playing with fire. Ja is very good at basketball, specifically the part where he flies through the air, but he also brings a lot of what my uncle would call "extracurricular activities."
The idea is that he would be a massive upgrade over Immanuel Quickley. Quickley is nice, he has a great smile, but Ja Morant is a supernova. Of course, supernovas eventually explode and destroy everything in their immediate vicinity, which is a very Raptors way to go out. Bobby Webster seems to be looking for a splash, and this would certainly be one, assuming we don't mind the water being slightly radioactive.
Staying Grounded, Or Trying To
Darko Rajakovic mentioned a while back that no one expected the Raptors to be winning like this. We had a streak in November that felt like a fever dream, the kind you have after eating too much street meat outside the Scotiabank Arena. We are a team trying to find ourselves, which is usually code for "we are one bad week away from a rebuild."
We still can't shoot particularly well, which is a problem because basketball is mostly about putting the ball in the hoop. We have misguided confidence, like a guy wearing a fedora to a dive bar in Leslieville. It might work, or everyone might just stare at us until we leave.
- Kawhi still likes us, allegedly.
- Ja Morant rumors are the new "Giannis is coming" rumors.
- The shooting needs to get better, or it won't.
- Pascal Siakam spins. We all spin.