Has anyone else ever thought about how weird it is that the Raptors continue to be tethered to the Kings much in the same way Canada is tied to its own, clunky monarchy? We continue to pay them dues in the forms of salary dumps of problematic starters (though the Rudy Gay era is now officially done there, too) and send them tributes of aging dignitaries to offer leadership and new, but not radical, guidance (Vince the prince, anybody?)
Or is it that Sacramento is more of a black hole in our orbit, sucking in the castaways of the Raptors universe and spitting them out in some alternate dimension where Rudy Gay plays the way he was supposed to all along.
It’s a mystery, to be sure, and once that up until a week ago could still bring a nasty loss down on the Raptors that smarted. But the win last week was a little like what happened when Toronto broke the Bulls curse. It showed that while a team is still going to take their licks, it doesn’t have to mean anything when they do. Beating the Kings was a little like a farmer admitting the almanac doesn’t particularly need to mean shit.
Sacramento isn’t a particularly good team and hasn’t been for a while but it’s also a team eerily similar to the Raptors. The makeup is young, a real mixed-bag of experience and talent but hungry and willing to try some things. The difference is they lack a real veteran—they now have it in Vince, however-you-feel-about-him Carter—to guide them into keeping what works, ditching what doesn’t, and leading by example when they can’t seem to tell the difference. The Raptors have a lot of these veterans, and within that pool have a good mix of those from within the organization, who know its workings, and those from outside.
Anyway it’s a Sunday matinee game so if you’re going you should also know there will be thousands of children more than usual, and also some players will be hungover and hopefully bouncing the ball off their own feet.
To round out my singular viewpoint that Sacramento is a gravitational off-loading zone for ex-Raptors, I asked Bradley Geiser of Sactown Royalty some stage-setting questions for today’s matinee.
What’s the topography of Sacramento?
Sacramento has two rivers and a whole lot of farmland. And for those who are feeling adventurous, they have the smallest mountain range in the world (or maybe just the USA, I’m too lazy to check) an hour north of it in the Buttes!
Do you like Vince Carter?
It may sound dumb saying this about a 40-year-old averaging three points a game, but Vince may be my favourite King. It is so fun seeing a player with his history on the Kings, and he has been everything I want in a veteran leader. Plus he’s had a couple amazing dunks!
Can we agree Buddy Hield is an angel?
Definitely! Buddy is like JR Smith and Dion Waiters had a child who was the purest form of both of their games.
Do you find it strange that the King seem to be a vortex that ex-Raptors find themselves in, like some massive supernova that draws them over?
I never really thought about that! I feel like every team has another whom they are always passing players on to. The Rockets have always been that way for the Kings.
Describe Bogdan Bogdanović in three words.
Croatian Oscar Robertson.
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Raptors updates
C.J. Miles and Lucas Nogueira are both listed as injured. Miles’ sore left shoulder will likely be a game time decision but honestly he is probably so tired from now living with a newborn baby. It’s been noticeable in his playing but like, can you blame him? The baby? You’re not a monster. It’s fine if he sits this one out. And the Raptors very own newborn Bebe still has a strained right calf. It’s a Sunday afternoon game close to Christmas at the ACC so you have to ask the really big question: Is it going to be Super Dogs performing at the half?
PG: Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Norman Powell
SF: OG Anunoby, Alfonzo McKinnie
PF: Serge Ibaka, Pascal Siakam
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Jakob Poeltl
OUT: C.J. (maybe) Miles, Lucas Nogueira
Kings updates
Not too much more to say other than Buddy Hield better get some minutes.
PG: George Hill, Frank Mason
SG: Garrett Temple
SF: Vince Carter???
PF: Skal Labissiere
C: Zach Randolph
OUT: D’Aaron Fox
