The magic has vanished. It seems as though the world has lost its sparkle, its enchantment, its wonder. What was once a place full of fantasy and charm has now become mundane and dull. Life has become a monotonous cycle of routine and responsibility. The mundane tasks that once held a whimsical air have now become burdensome and tedious. The once vibrant colors have faded to shades of gray, and the music that once played in the air has been silenced.
Another phenomenology book about pre-rational worldspaces. Not light reading but provocative:
http://www.amazon.com/Spell-Sensuous-Perception-Language-More-Than-Human/dp/0679776397/
posted by zeek321 at 6:26 AM on May 7, 2010
Perhaps this isn t the world becoming less exciting, but the glossy sheen of the world fading away to reveal a much deeper and more interesting core. It could just be that the magic of the world is still there, in abundance, but I m now recognising a part of it that I d always missed because it wasn t quite as shiny as the rest of it.
The once vibrant colors have faded to shades of gray, and the music that once played in the air has been silenced. Perhaps it is the weight of adulthood that has extinguished the magic. As children, we believed in the impossible.
Raptors’ developmental magic has vanished and it’s sinking them
TORONTO — We reached an important and reliably present road marker on the journey that is a disappointing season in professional sports on Wednesday night. Like all good Jeopardy! responses, it came in the form of a question.
Are you, Nick Nurse, on the same page as the Raptors front office?
“Yep,” Nurse answered, “a hundred percent.”
To seasoned Raptors observers, it brought to mind the fissure between Bryan Colangelo’s front office and Dwane Casey’s coaching staff when the team started 4-19 in the 2012-13 season. The two leaders eventually figured out how to get along, perhaps aware of the possible alternative — they might both wind up unemployed if they couldn’t work together. Casey ended up coaching five more seasons in Toronto under Masai Ujiri, while that was Colangelo’s last year with the Raptors.
It doesn’t appear we are anywhere near that point with this version of the Raptors. Ujiri, Bobby Webster and company have put together a roster they think is capable of more than this, while Nurse is using the strategies he thinks maximize that roster. There are surely some disagreements in both directions, but given the situation, the organization is far from the dysfunctional nadirs of other teams that have fared similarly in the past.
Besides, they know that they share the blame on many fronts, maybe no more than one that has been especially glaring lately: What happened to the Raptors’ vaunted player development program, which used to be known as one of the strengths of this franchise?
“They’ve got to be a lot more solid defensively, first of all,” Nurse said of his bench on Wednesday after the Raptors’ avant-garde loss to Milwaukee. “If they’re not going to score for stretches, they’ve got to make sure they’re not just giving it away quickly, like a little bit happened in Indiana (on Monday). But, Malachi (Flynn) has had some good games where he’s made some open shots. Chris (Boucher) has (and) needs to make a few more. Precious (Achiuwa) gets back in the swing of things (from his injury): I thought he had a couple of decent looks and drives and stuff that (he) needs to finish.”
We came into the year knowing the Raptors were undone, in part, by their over-reliance on their starters last year. Moves were made to address that: the signing of Otto Porter Jr. and Juancho Hernangomez, and the re-signing of Thaddeus Young and Boucher. The Raptors also hoped drafting Christian Koloko in the second round would contribute to some added depth, and it has.
Still, no NBA team relies as much on its starters as the Raptors. Pascal Siakam, O.G. Anunoby and Fred VanVleet are first, second and fourth in the league in minutes per game this year. The next most top-three-heavy team, Miami, has three players in the top-26. Scottie Barnes, meanwhile, is 38th. Last year, Siakam, VanVleet, Barnes and Gary Trent Jr. ranked first, second, seventh and 14th in minutes played per game. Anunoby, had he played enough games to qualify, would have been fifth on the list.
As of Thursday, the Raptors now have 40 instances of players logging 40-plus minutes in a game, appropriately enough. Against Indiana, the Raptors’ reserves scored seven points in 44 total minutes, compared to the Pacers bench supplying 54 points in 97 minutes. Even the Bucks, playing without Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, Joe Ingles and George Hill, got 34 points in 93 total minutes from their bench on Wednesday. The Raptors reserves, missing only Porter, had seven points in 51 minutes — in an overtime game.
Given Nurse employs some of the most taxing defensive schemes in the league and that lessening VanVleet’s minutes was a stated goal earlier in the year, this is an across-the-board failure. Player development starts with identifying and acquiring talent (the front office’s job), creating an action plan to get a player to reach his ceiling (a joint project) and providing the playing opportunities and individual coaching that allows a player to thrive (mostly on the coaching staff). For whatever reason, the Raptors have mismanaged that process.
The Raptors earned their reputation for being a great developmental franchise. From 2014-17, the Raptors picked in the 20s four times, and turned those selections into a star (Siakam), a high-end starter (Anunoby), a rotation player (Delon Wright) and a bust (Bruno Caboclo). That’s a great overall outcome. Don’t believe it? The last 10 21st overall picks, to pick a number out of the ether: Christian Braun, Keon Jackson, Tyrese Maxey, Brandon Clarke, Grayson Allen, Terrance Ferguson, DeAndre’ Bembry, Justin Anderson, Mitch McGary and Gorgui Dieng.
Finding a strong rotation player in the middle of the second round (Norman Powell) and an undrafted starter/cultural touchstone (VanVleet) were both home runs, too. The Raptors also got the most out of Bismack Biyombo on a one-year deal in 2016.
The last of those acquisitions happened in 2017, though. Outside of bringing in Boucher on a two-way contract in 2018, the Raptors have not gotten much out of the draft picks they have made or the low-risk signings they have executed since then. Terence Davis provided one productive year for the Raptors before his legal situation and lack of defence expedited his departure. Juancho Hernangomez is the latest in a lengthening line of mid-career veterans to not move the needle, joining Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Bembry, Svi Mykhailiuk and others. Second-rounders and unsigned players such as Dewan Hernandez, Jalen Harris and David Johnson are out of the organization, as is Justin Champagnie. Dalano Banton and Koloko, second-round picks in the last two years, have both flashed, but have yet to carve out consistent roles for themselves. Oshae Brissett and Yuta Watanabe did the same with the Raptors, but are now filling actual rotation spots on better teams, playing 16 and 19 minutes per game for the Pacers and Nets, respectively. The Raptors’ last first-round pick, Flynn, has yet to prove he can be a reliable backup point guard in his third year.
None of those results are awful on their own — by definition, minimum-value signings and second-round picks rarely work out. Given that the Raptors lost four rotation players from the championship team for no return in two years and gave up a few picks to acquire Kawhi Leonard and Marc Gasol in the first place, they couldn’t afford to miss on all of them.
Without a deeper dive into the dynamics of the Raptors’ program, it’s impossible to say where the biggest problem is. In any case, the front office needs the coaching staff and the coaching staff needs the front office to fix it. In the interim, the player development failure is contributing to a sinking season.
(Photo of Nick Nurse talking to Khem Birch and Malachi Flynn: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Get all-access to exclusive stories.Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Try a week on us.
$\begingroup$ Kind of the opposite of what I'm aiming at. The whole idea is freeing humanity from external, non-human, factors that actively or subconsciously control them. $\endgroup$
We believed in fairy tales and happily ever afters. We believed that anything was possible, that dreams could come true. But as we grew older, reality set in. The responsibilities of life took hold, and the magic slowly slipped away. Or perhaps it is the relentless march of time that has stolen the magic. The years pass by in a blur, and we find ourselves caught up in the routine of everyday life. We are so focused on getting from one day to the next that we fail to see the beauty and wonder that surrounds us. The ordinary becomes extraordinary, but we are too blind to notice. It is easy to become complacent, to accept the mundane as the norm. But deep down, we long for that sense of wonder and awe. We yearn for the magic to return, to feel that sense of excitement and possibility once again. Perhaps the key to rediscovering the magic lies in embracing the present moment. We must learn to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, to appreciate the small moments of joy and beauty that exist all around us. We must find ways to infuse our lives with passion and creativity, to break free from the monotony of routine. We can seek out new experiences, explore new places, and meet new people. We can engage in activities that bring us true joy and fulfillment. We can reconnect with our inner child and allow ourselves to dream once more. The magic may have vanished, but it is not lost forever. We hold the power to bring it back into our lives. We just have to be willing to believe..
Reviews for "The Vanished Wand: Magic's Place in the Modern Age"
1. John - 1-star rating - The magic has vanished indeed! I was incredibly disappointed with this book. The plot was dull and predictable, with no surprises whatsoever. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth. I expected a captivating and enchanting story, but instead, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. The writing was also lackluster, failing to create a sense of wonder or transport me to a magical world. Overall, a major letdown.
2. Sarah - 2-star rating - Unfortunately, "The magic has vanished" didn't live up to its title. The story felt disjointed and lacked a central focus. The pacing was inconsistent, dragging in some parts and rushing through others. The world-building was underdeveloped, making it hard for me to connect with the setting. Additionally, the dialogue between the characters felt forced and unnatural. I had high expectations for this book, but it failed to deliver the captivating and enchanting experience I was hoping for.
3. Emma - 2-star rating - "The magic has vanished" was a disappointing read for me. I found the writing style to be bland and unremarkable, lacking that spark of creativity and imagination that is essential for a fantasy novel. The characters were forgettable, and their motivations weren't clearly established, leaving me feeling detached from their journey. The plot, although promising at first, fell flat and failed to deliver any meaningful surprises or twists. Overall, this book failed to capture my attention and left me longing for the enchantment that was promised.