From earlier this afternoon, the Raptors’ Paul Watson, their latest two-way contract player, has been named to the 2019-20 Midseason All-NBA G League roster. The squads for both conferences can be found here.

The NBA has greatly expanded its use of replay in recent years, this season even adding a coach’s challenge, whereby coaches can ask the referees to review certain calls made on the floor. But the complexity level on what officials can review and when has increased as new replay features are added. While the NBA has focused on preventing replay from dragging the games out too long, it’s kind of turned into a mess.

There were a few surprises to announce before Monday night’s Raptors vs. Timberwolves game. Kyle Lowry was in, Serge Ibaka was out, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was to get the start against the talented (and large) Karl-Anthony Towns. In theory, the new look T-Wolves, fresh off a satisfying streak-breaking win and welcoming aboard a healthy D’Angelo Russell, could have been considered the favourites. In theory. Instead, Toronto extended their win streak to 15 games — a new Canadian professional sports record — with a 137-126 victory. In retrospect: no surprise there.

The 2019-20 NBA trade deadline has officially passed and while teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat loaded up, the Los Angeles Lakers unsurprisingly decided to stand pat with their current roster.

Just before the Miami Heat’s current five-game road trip — one that Miami is currently 0-3 on — the Heat called up 2019 second-round pick KZ Okpala, who had been with the Sioux Falls Skyforce since December.

The Memphis Grizzlies are serious about making the postseason, and showed it at the trade deadline. There’s no better time than right now to jump on their bandwagon.

The Miami Heat (34-18) are currently riding its longest losing streak, at three games, and will be looking to take advantage of an injury-ravaged Golden State Warriors team. Both teams have only played one game so far with their remade rosters, with the Heat adding Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala to the rotation, and the Warriors trading away D’Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans, Omari Spellman, Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks at the deadline, and getting back Andrew Wiggins from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

D’Angelo Russell reminds me of Matt Saracen in the Friday Night Lights episode “Leave No One Behind.” Saracen is being berated by Eric Taylor, and he shouts at his coach that everybody leaves him. He asks his coach what is wrong with him that makes everyone abandon him for other people and places. Except in Russell’s case, he has no one person he can scream at for the fact that every team trades him.