The Sacramento Kings were in town recently, and it appears they have done this to themselves. There is a certain kind of karma in professional basketball that usually involves trading away second round picks who eventually become useful players. The Kings traded the forty-fifth pick, and now we are here, looking at the results of that decision in the cold light of a January evening.
I am not entirely sure what the Kings expected, but then again, I am often unsure what I expect when I turn on the television. Basketball is a game of orange balls and hardwood floors, yet it mostly feels like a series of administrative errors punctuated by the occasional dunk. Sacramento seems to be dealing with the weight of their own history, which is a heavy thing to carry through customs.
The Medical Ward Updates
Jakob Poeltl is currently in Toronto to see a specialist about his back. It is a Thursday appointment, which is a sensible day for a specialist, because by Friday everyone is usually thinking about the weekend or what they are going to eat for lunch. We might get more insight tomorrow, or we might just get more vague descriptions of skeletal discomfort.
Collin Murray-Boyles has a sprained thumb, specifically the left one, and he is listed as day-to-day. A thumb is a small part of the body but very important for holding things, such as a basketball or a lukewarm coffee from the corner store. Meanwhile, RJ Barrett and Ja-Kobe Walter are lurking in the distance, perhaps returning during the upcoming road trip to Portland or Oklahoma City.
Personal Performance and Apparel Choices
Immanuel Quickley is coming off a forty point performance, which is a lot of points for one person to score. Some fans were predicting he would follow that up with at least twenty-five points tonight. It is interesting how we project our hopes onto professional athletes, expecting them to repeat statistical anomalies as if they are scheduled appointments.
In other news, there are Mo Bamba jerseys in existence. This is a fact that exists in the world now, and we all have to live with it. Someone had to program the machine to stitch that name onto the fabric. It reminds me of a backup center my uncle used to talk about, though I can never remember the name, only that he wore very high socks.
The State of the Game
Watching the Raptors these days is like watching a very long documentary about logistics. Everyone is moving around, trying to find a rhythm, but usually they just find another injury report. It makes you think about how we all just want to get through the day without spraining a thumb.
If the Kings are indeed responsible for their own misfortune, then we are all just witnesses to a very public display of regret. We will wait for the specialist to speak on Jakob Poeltl, and we will wait for the next game, because that is what we do. We wait, and we watch people in jerseys run across a shiny floor until the lights go out.