It is January in Toronto, which means the air is mostly made of ice and regret. I was looking at a photo of the sky earlier, but it might have just been a grey wool blanket my aunt left in the dryer for too long. In the middle of this, some things happened with the basketball team that plays downtown.
Chomche, or CMB as the internet prefers to call him, has been selected for the Rising Stars game. It is a game where young people run around and no one plays defense, much like a regular Tuesday at the YMCA, but with better shoes. It is nice to see him there, mostly because it confirms he officially exists and is not just a collection of tall shadows we imagined during the draft.
The Long Journey to Greatness
People are talking about Scottie Barnes and what he needs to do to become the Greatest Raptor of All Time. Someone suggested he needs a championship, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and maybe some more All Star appearances. This feels like a lot of work for one person, considering I usually feel accomplished if I remember to take the recycling out on the right day.
Kyle Lowry is the current holder of that title because he took charges and looked like he was constantly about to argue with a bank teller. Many people think Scottie could pass him if he wins a ring. Winning a ring is difficult, though, because other teams also want the ring, and they are usually quite rude about trying to take it from you.
Observations on the State of Things
Kevin Garnett said something recently about the team, and people are saying he is being straight up. Garnett always sounds like he just finished a very long race or is trying to explain the plot of a movie he only saw the trailer for. He has that intensity that makes you want to agree with him so he doesn't stare at you anymore.
The Raptors also broke some streaks lately. Breaking a streak is interesting because it means you stopped a thing from continuing, which is usually what my doctor tells me to do with my diet. We have a tendency to be the team that ends a winning streak for a good team or ends a losing streak for a bad team. It is a very polite, Canadian way to exist, helping everyone find their baseline again.
Minor Masterpieces
There was a photo from the last game that someone called a masterpiece. It had good lighting and everyone looked like they knew what their job was. Sometimes looking like you know what you are doing is half the battle in the NBA (and in life, generally speaking).
I remember a backup center from 2007 who used to do that. He would stand in the right spot and look very focused, even if the ball was thirty feet away and he was thinking about what kind of soup he wanted later. We are all just trying to be in the right spot while someone else decides whether to pass us the ball or not. It is a metaphor for something, but I am too tired to figure out what it is right now.