Life is mostly just waiting for things that might not happen. We wait for the streetcar, we wait for the water to boil, and right now, we are waiting to see if Scottie Barnes shows up in Chicago.
Michael Grange says Scottie was excused from practice for personal reasons. It is February, which is a month that feels like a long, grey hallway. We will find out tomorrow if he plays against the Bucks, or if we will just be watching the rim and hoping for the best.
The Question of Scottie
People like to ask what Scottie Barnes actually is. It is a strange question, like asking what a cloud is or why my uncle still wears a leather vest in the summer.
As we head into the stretch run, Scottie is a collection of possibilities. Sometimes he is a point guard, sometimes he is a freight train, and sometimes he is just a guy who looks like he knows a secret we don't. Determining his "identity" feels like trying to catch a pigeon with your bare hands. It is difficult and probably unnecessary.
Defensive Stoppage and Rookies
While we wait for Scottie, Ja'Kobe Walter is out here trying to become a defensive stopper. That is a brave choice. Most people want to score forty points and have a shoe deal.
Ja'Kobe seems content to stand in front of very fast people until they get frustrated. It is honest work, like being a lighthouse or a very sturdy fence. Sam Vecenie is also talking about Collin Murray Boyles being dynamic.
Dynamic is a good word, because it means things are moving. In Toronto, we like it when things move, especially if they move toward the basket. It beats watching the snow accumulate on a parked Honda Civic.
Shai and the Uncertainty of Existence
Someone on the internet asked if Shai Gilgeous Alexander will play against the Raptors. Her boyfriend really wants to see him. It’s hard to give a 1000 percent guarantee on anything in this life.
Shai is from Hamilton. I have been to Hamilton. It has a lot of waterfalls, but that doesn't mean a superstar will play basketball on a specific Tuesday just because we bought tickets.
We are all just guests in the NBA's scheduling department. If Shai is out, the boyfriend will just have to watch the Raptors. It is not the same thing, but it is what we have. We should learn to appreciate the absence of things, like the silence between whistle blows or a game where nobody mentions the luxury tax.