There is a vacancy on the Raptors roster. It is a small space, like a guest room you do not really want to fill because then you have to buy a new duvet. Management is not in a rush to commit to anyone for the rest of the season, but they are looking at 10 day contracts.
A 10 day contract is a strange thing. It is essentially a professional audition that lasts exactly two hundred and forty hours. It is like being invited to a wedding but only for the cocktail hour and none of the expensive steak. We have the flexibility to bring someone in, even if it is just to see how they look in the practice jersey.
The Maple Mamba in the Fourth
RJ Barrett has the best fourth quarter plus-minus in the league right now. This is a very specific statistic that suggests when the sun goes down and the lights get bright, RJ is doing things correctly. It is a bit surprising because the fourth quarter is usually where dreams go to die in Toronto.
In a strange twist, Brandon Ingram has the worst fourth quarter plus-minus. Statistics are fickle like that. One man is climbing a mountain while the other is sliding down a very steep hill on a piece of cardboard. It happens to the best of us (and also Brandon Ingram).
The Road Ahead
The schedule makers have decided to be kind to us for once. According to the numbers, the Raptors have the easiest remaining schedule compared to the other teams fighting for a spot in the five to ten range in the East. It is like when you find out the teacher is grading on a curve and you realized you might actually pass the class.
Of course, an easy schedule for the Raptors often just means we lose to teams we have never heard of. We might lose to a team composed entirely of players signed to 10 day contracts. It is the circle of life, like a Jamario Moon alley-oop that somehow results in a turnover.
Art and Memory
Someone is out here sketching a picture after every single game. They are currently on sketch sixty seven out of eighty two. That is a lot of colored pencils. It is a commitment to the craft that I personally do not possess, as I can barely commit to finishing a bag of ketchup chips in one sitting.
Meanwhile, DeMar DeRozan had another big night elsewhere. It is nice to see him doing well, like seeing an ex-girlfriend who is now a successful orthodontist. You are happy for her, but you also remember when you used to share a mid-range jumper and a dream. Now we just have the mid-range jumper and a very easy remaining schedule.