This is the first time in eight years the Toronto Raptors won’t have representation at All-Star Weekend. Having that presence on one of the league’s biggest stages has typically felt like validation for the Raptors, who don’t spend a lot of time on the tip of tongues at TNT or ESPN. This season, though, that validation doesn’t mean much of anything — sending everybody home for a week of rest sounds a whole lot better.
The Raptors are finished the first half of the season and it’s safe to say they’re reeling.
Tonight, the team was once again missing 60% of their starting lineup — OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam — along with Malachi Flynn, Patrick McCaw, Nick Nurse, and five more members of their coaching staff due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.