Jack Armstrong was talking about Gradey Dick again last night. It is a familiar sound, like a radiator hissing in the winter or a neighbor using a leaf blower at an unreasonable hour. Jack has a way of making a Tuesday night in February feel like a very loud dinner party where everyone is shouting about Syracuse.
Gradey is out there running around, finding spaces, and shooting the ball. Jack notices these things because that is his job, but also because he seems genuinely fascinated by how much Gradey moves. He moves a lot. It is exhausting just watching him, honestly.
The Cost of Watching the Game
People are starting to talk about their season ticket renewals for next year. I heard about a person who has had seats since 2014, back when the world was different and we all thought Amir Johnson might play forever. Now, two seats in the upper level cost $6,100 (which is a lot of money for the privilege of sitting behind a net).
The prices go up but the resale value stays about the same, which is a difficult math problem I do not want to solve. You get a separate entrance, which is nice if you do not like looking at other people, but $6,100 could buy a lot of other things. You could probably buy a very reliable used sedan or several thousand loose grapes.
The Return of Scottie
Scottie Barnes is back on the floor despite a quad injury. It is good to have him back, though I sometimes wonder if anyone is ever actually 100 percent healthy. We all have something hurting us, whether it is a quad strain or just the general weight of existence. Scottie just happens to be very good at basketball while his leg hurts.
He played against the San Antonio Spurs, a team that exists mainly to remind us that Victor Wembanyama is very tall. Watching the Raptors play the Spurs is always an experience in perspective. It makes you realize that height is relative, although in Wembanyama's case, it is less relative and more of a geographical fact.
Thoughts on Greatness
Someone on the internet called a player the greatest Raptor to ever do it. People say that a lot these days. It is a bold statement, considering the history of this franchise includes Kyle Lowry and a very specific season of Kawhi Leonard.
It makes me think about my uncle, who once claimed the greatest Raptor was Zan Tabak because he liked the way his name sounded. We all have our own metrics for greatness. Some people look at points per game, while others just like a guy who moves well without the ball and doesn't make them too sad on a Wednesday night.