The trade deadline is a strange time. It is a period where grown men sit in front of computer screens waiting for a middle aged man in an expensive vest to tell them their life is moving to a different zip code. Yesterday was that day, and now we are here, looking at a roster that feels slightly tilted.
The Raptors beat the Chicago Bulls 123 to 107. Brandon Ingram had 33 points, which is a lot of points for a person to score in a single evening. Immanuel Quickley added 24, and the team moved to 31 and 22 on the season. It was a productive night, but the air felt heavy with the scent of pending faxes and digital signatures.
New Faces and Old Pizzas
We have a new player named Trayce Jackson Davis. Some people call him TJD, because we are all very busy and three syllables is a lot to ask in this economy. He comes to us as part of the trade deadline festivities (if you can call them that). My uncle once told me that a trade is just a way for two people to agree that they are both tired of what they currently have.
There is a promotion for a free slice of pizza because the team won. I was thinking about the concept of a free slice earlier today. It is a small triangle of dough and cheese that serves as a reward for professional athletes running back and forth for forty eight minutes. It feels like an uneven trade, but I will probably still go get one.
The Waiting Room
The trade deadline does something to your brain. You spend hours refreshing a feed, waiting for news about waivers and backup centers. It is like waiting for a bus that might not exist, or a bus that might show up and tell you that your favorite neighbor has been sent to Utah. Keith Smith is posting about waivers, and the internet is trying to make sense of it all.
Looking Ahead
- The record is 31 and 22.
- Brandon Ingram is playing very well.
- The Pacers are coming to town on February 8th.
- We have more big men now.