The All Star selections came out and Pascal Siakam is on the list again. It is always interesting to see how he reacts because he generally just looks happy to be there, which is a nice change of pace from people who act like they discovered fire. Norman Powell and Scottie Barnes are involved as well, making the whole thing feel like a family reunion where everyone actually likes each other.
Whenever I think about Pascal, I remember 2016. We drafted him 27th and everyone was upset because we did not take Skal Labissiere. People were making puns about drafting the wrong Skal, which is the kind of high-level comedy that keeps the internet running. Now one of them is an All Star and the other is a trivia question for people who spend too much time on basketball reference.
The Ghost of 2019
The 2019 championship team currently has six All Stars on its historical resume. It was a very stacked roster, though at the time it just felt like a group of guys trying to make sure Kawhi Leonard didnt leave. He left anyway (which is fine) but the pedigree of that group is starting to look legendary. It makes you realize how hard it is to actually put talented people together in the same room without them getting annoyed by each other.
Masai Ujiri has been doing this for a long time. In 2015, he traded for Norman Powell on draft day and got a future first round pick that turned into OG Anunoby. It is the basketball equivalent of finding a twenty dollar bill in a coat you haven't worn since high school. Sometimes it feels like Bobby Webster and Masai are playing a different game than the rest of us, or maybe they just have better scouts.
The Center Problem and the Money
There is some concern about the current roster construction, specifically the lack of a traditional big man. If we do not get a center soon, Rudy Gobert might turn into Shaquille O'Neal when he plays us. Nobody wants to see that, especially not on a Tuesday night in February. Watching a seven foot Frenchman dunk repeatedly because we are too small to stop him is a specific kind of physical pain.
Then there is the matter of RJ Barrett and his upcoming extension. Some people think we should play hardball and skip the maximum contract talk. The suggestion is an annual value around $22 million, similar to what the Bulls did with Josh Giddey. Money is a strange thing in the NBA because $22 million sounds like enough to buy a small island, but in basketball terms, it is considered a bargain.
Final Observations
We spend a lot of time worrying about cap space and trade assets. My uncle says we should just focus on whether the ball goes in the hoop, but he also thinks the three point line was a mistake. He might be right about both things. The Raptors are in a transition period, which is just a professional way of saying we are waiting to see what happens next.
I hope we get that center. I do not want to see Gobert looking like Shaq. I remember Primoz Brezec was on this team once, and for a few weeks, I thought he was the answer. He was not, but he had a very sturdy frame. We could use a sturdy frame right now, or at least someone who can stand in the way of a moving truck.