Good news: Sportsnet ONE is rescuing you Wednesday from having to choose between the Rita MacNeil or Rankin Family Christmas specials by bringing you Wednesday's Raptors-Pistons tilt from the ACC beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Bad news (potentially): Andrea Bargnani might sit again.
Call us logical crazy, but at what point do you begin to worry about the long-term health of a seven-foot, franchise player suffering from mysterious knee and ankle issues?
Granted, "issues" might be a strong term for someone that has only missed four games over the past three full seasons and has been as durable as Bargnani has been five years into his NBA career.
Still, there's no doubting the Big Italian has two factors clearly working against him: this franchise's star-crossed existence to date and the simple laws of physics.
Think about it: Recent NBA history is littered with tragic tales of talented big men who's legs simply give out under the rigours of professional basketball.
Greg Oden and Yao Ming are the most severe cases that jump to mind, but fellow giants such as Andrew Bynum, Amare Stoudemire, Zydrunas Ilgaukas and Marcus Camby have all missed significant time throughout their careers due to lower-body injuries.
We're well aware that the likes of Shaq, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard-and perhaps most significantly given their similar frames and style of play, Dirk Nowitzki-have managed to stay relatively injury free, but are they the exception or the rule?
So perhaps the question isn't if Bargnani will have to miss significant time during his career, but when?
The Raptors would only tell Sportsnet Tuesday that Bargnani is suffering from a "sore ankle," and that both he and Jose Calderon (foot) are "day-to-day."
What we do know for sure is that Bargnani is seven-feet tall and his athletic style of play can't be easy on those long legs.
So rest easy, big fella. And Jay, if you're reading this (and we know you're not) unless you're absolutely convinced Bargnani is 100 per cent healthy, tell him, "Merry Christmas, see you in 2011."
There's just no point in risking tomorrow-or next season-for today.
Stojakovic is injured injury…seriously.
So, it turns out Peja Stojakovic is legitimately injured, and not simply content to sit on the sidelines looking dapper while waiting for a buyout from the Raptors, as speculated here.
Doug Smith reports in the Star he's been back in New Orleans getting a second opinion on his knee.
Fine, but we'll still be shocked if he ever suits up again for the Raptors.
Hedo-nism
There are few things we love more than barking at Hedo Turkoglu for his single, gluttonous, disastrous year in T.O.
We made several cracks alluding to the Big Turk's girth in our Blockbuster winners and losers post, so you can imagine our surprise to see a slimmed down-looking Turkoglu take to the floor Monday for his Magic re-debut.
The dude looks like he's 15 pounds lighter (and like your average panhandler), so as infuriating as it was to see him in actual playing shape, it was equally satisfying to see him stink out the Phillips Arena in Atlanta with just eight measly points in 35 minutes.
Vince Carter is a comedian
That Vince Carter has a wicked sense of humour.
How else do you explain this statement, delivered with a straight face Monday at his introductory news conference in Phoenix:
"I feel like you can get better with age, you can learn the ins and outs of the game," Carter said. "Maybe you lose a step, maybe you don't jump as high as you did, but you can be more effective and that's what I've prided myself on, fine-turning my game each and every year."
Yes, the terms "better with age," "effective," "fine-tuning," and "pride" are what immediately come to mind when one thinks of Vince Carter.
That and "mommy."
Happy Holidays folks. Depending on how full of "holiday cheer" we get over the next few days, this might be our last post before the big day. Luckily, after Wednesday the Raps don't play again until Dec. 27 in Memphis.
And just in case you're still wondering why Melo wants out of Denver...
