VanVleet returns to his old stomping grounds
Injury will keep former Raptors star out of action
TORONTO — Fred VanVleet understood the realities that came with his injury. He had accepted the rehab plan. He had been around the NBA long enough to know that as maddening as the timing of his strained leg muscle had been, he had few choices.
Then on Friday, he walked into Scotiabank Arena where the championship banner he helped the Raptors win hangs from the rafters, and for a few moments, he forgot all that.
“I thought I was going to be all right,” VanVleet said before the Rockets would face the Raptors in his first game in Toronto since leaving as a free agent last summer. “Obviously, I played hurt enough in my career to know myself a little bit. I fought with the training staff a little bit. But ultimately, it doesn’t make sense for me today. And I was OK with that until I got here this morning. So, I’m a little bit sad.”
He said to not be able to play “sucks” and is “heartbreaking,” sentiments he said Friday morning that could be eased with a Rockets’ win.
VanVleet strained an adductor muscle Sunday against the Timberwolves, forcing him to miss Tuesday’s game in Indianapolis and to be out at least until Wednesday’s game in Memphis, the Rockets’ last one before the All-Star break.
If he plays that game, he will have a week to recover. If he sits out, he’ll get an extra week of rehab.
“It’s my job to do my rehab and get myself ready to play, and their job to think about the big picture and my health and all of that,” VanVleet said. “I’ve never been considered the smartest guy when it comes to playing with injuries and through injuries. I just go until I can’t go and play through stuff.
“(Rockets coach Ime Udoka) was hoping for Memphis. I was hoping for today. Ultimately, my body will tell when I’ll be back.”
He could not predict when that would be, any more than he could guess how he would feel during the reception he was sure to receive during Friday’s game. The Raptors had put up an enormous video board in Maple Leaf Square outside of the arena with the words, “Welcome Back Champ” along with ‘NBA Champion,’ ‘NBA All-Star’ and ‘G-League Champion.’ A tribute video was planned for a timeout during the first quarter.
Though there could be reason for the Raptors to spend other reunion nights recalling the greatest season in franchise history, with only Chris Boucher (who played just four minutes in that postseason) still on the roster, VanVleet had become an especially popular figure. He went from an undrafted free agent who spent most of his 2016-17 rookie season in the G League to a key contributor to the 201819 championship.
That included defending Steph Curry in the Raptors’ box-and-one defense and setting a Finals record for 3-pointers off the bench with 16 in the series, including the screaming 3pointer in Game 6. He even received a vote for Finals MVP from coaching and broadcasting legend Hubie Brown, with the other 10 votes going to Kawhi Leonard.
“We’ve done some amazing things in here, and I was a part of some amazing times, made great relationships with people and ultimately, we made history here,” VanVleet said. “So, it’s nice to see that kind of celebrated.”
It was also difficult for VanVleet to guess how he would feel. He said he would only focus on the Rockets’ “need to get the win.”
“Hopefully, I don’t get too emotional,” VanVleet said. “I’m not a big crying type of person, but I’m worried that it might creep up on me. Hopefully, not.”
VanVleet said he still checks Raptors boxscores and still watches their games, though that is at the insistence of his four-yearold son, Fred Jr., who has also been celebrated in Toronto because of the way his father’s play took off in the postseason after his son was born.
“We watch games on a daily basis, and he still has all of the memories of being here and he loves the mascot,” VanVleet said.
VanVleet said he was not surprised by the Raptors’ overhaul, with seven players traded during the season.
“I think it was time to turn over a new leaf,” he said. “I think they’re making all the right moves to head in the direction they want to go.”
Even seeing former Raptors teammates Pascal Siakam in Indianapolis and OG Anunoby in New York was, he said, “weird,” but part of the NBA.
“There’s a different reunion game once a week now,” he said.
He said he has adjusted to the change in his career, though he added “Houston, Texas is a different world, a different world for sure.”
“Ultimately, it’s the same thing for me,” VanVleet said. “Nothing really changes. I’m going to come to work, work my butt off every day, play my heart out, and try to create bonds. I have a different crew here with this group. I was going to come in and step into as a leader and help these guys out. I’ve been enjoying that process.”
The return to Toronto in addition to taking teammates out and hitting favorite restaurants and shops brought a reminder of where that process can lead. He was a younger player starting his career when the Raptors won the title. By his final season, he had become a veteran leader, preparing him to be a mentor with the Rockets.
“I think I’m just in a better situation now to be myself,” VanVleet said. “What I bring to the table is what they needed at the time. These guys wanted a leader, they needed a leader. It’s been a perfect fit.”
Toronto and the Raptors will always be special to him. He knew that before the Rockets’ charter crossed the border. He felt it again when he was back in the site of so many happy occasions.
“I didn’t know what to expect but I was obviously excited about making the trip,” VanVleet said. “It’s good to visit people and spend some time in some of my favorite places. It’s definitely one of my favorite places in the world. Good to be back here.”