The NBA trade deadline is a strange time. People you were eating dinner with yesterday are suddenly living in Salt Lake City or San Francisco. It is like the rapture, but with more logistical paperwork and luggage.
Gradey Dick felt this recently when Ochai Agbaji was moved. He called Ochai a brother and noted how quick everything can change (one day you are here, the next you are gone). It reminds me of my uncle who once went out for milk in 1994 and did not come back for three days because he got distracted by a clearance sale on patio furniture.
The New Guy and the Old Guard
We now have Trayce Jackson-Davis. Most people think of him as a person who dunks the basketball, which is a fine thing to be known for. However, some highlight tapes suggest he can actually play defense. Seeing a Raptor move their feet on defense feels like finding a twenty dollar bill in an old winter coat. It is a pleasant surprise that you forgot was possible.
Then there is the matter of Chris Paul. People are asking what the downside is to keeping him for a retirement tour. He is a solid shooter and a veteran leader, assuming he wants to spend his final professional days explaining defensive rotations to teenagers in the middle of a Canadian winter. It would be a nice send off, I suppose.
The Art of the Blown Lead
The Raptors recently played the Jazz. It was a game where we threw away three different leads. We still won, technically, but it was the kind of victory that makes you want to stare at a wall for an hour. It gets to a point where you stop being surprised and start expecting the collapse.
Watching this team is a bit like watching a leaky faucet. You know the floor is getting wet, and you know you should probably do something about it, but eventually you just get used to the sound of the dripping. We barely beat a tanking team, which is the basketball equivalent of tripping on the sidewalk but catching yourself right before your face hits the concrete.
The Perpetual Injury Report
The injury report is also happening, as it usually does. It feels like the injury report is the most consistent starter on the roster. Players come and go, but the list of questionable hamstrings and sore knees remains eternal.
I often think about the 2007 Raptors bench. I cannot remember why, but I do. They had a certain way of playing that made sense at the time. Now, everything is just leads disappearing and families getting separated by trades. That is just the reality of the league, or so I am told.