As part of their year-long image reclamation project, the Toronto Raptors honoured another of their notable turncoats at Friday night's game.
"If the [Raptors] organization was the way it is now back then, there's no way I would have left," Tracy McGrady said.
Presumably, this penetrating insight was reached after months of solitary reflection in a Himalayan ashram.
You expect fans – especially Toronto fans – to be front-runners. Watching the pros do it is a new twist.
After a short video montage, the crowd gave McGrady a perfunctory ovation – 'Yeah, yeah, thanks for coming. You can show yourself out, right?'
A few minutes later, they gave Magic Johnson – who was sitting courtside – a far warmer welcome.
I'm not sure whether to be amused or bemused by all the guys who couldn't wait to abandon this franchise and are now trying to weasel their way back in.
The crowd has chosen the route of generosity, but you can tell their hearts aren't in it. McGrady wasn't here long enough to understand that wooden politeness is the most hurtful sort of Canadian insult.
Luckily, while the organization continues mooning about a glorious past that never existed, they're still playing basketball in the present.
A few people have noticed.
Magic Johnson on Toronto: "They're a powerhouse. No more of the Raptors we once knew. It was, like, two wins, you can mark those down right now."
Those would be the Raptors teams they insist on reminding us of. Maybe Johnson can get an artist's residency in the MLSE marketing department and spray-paint that quote on the walls. People can view it accompanied by a laugh track.
Buried somewhere under there was another sizable signpost in the season.
This was always going to be a big moment on the calendar, and it was. But not in the way you'd suspected.
If it had happened two years ago, Friday night would have been about the Cleveland Cavaliers. These days, it's about the Toronto Raptors.
This may have been the first time LeBron James has rolled through town and wasn't the panting focus of attention.
Between an event honouring the first anniversary of the death of Nelson Mandela, and the general euphoria surrounding the team, the NBA's best player was a bit player on the evening.
And then the game started.
James is not yet the fulcrum Cleveland hopes, but he's egoless enough to make mediocre personal nights work to the advantage of the collective. Throughout the first half, he drew a steady series of double teams, freeing up space for everyone else.
Cleveland's hydrocephalic Sideshow Bob, Anderson Varejao, used that freedom to repeatedly abuse Jonas Valanciunas under the basket.
Cleveland built up leads as large as 14 early. Once again, the only thing keeping Toronto close was Kyle Lowry's will, abetted by one other standout performance. Lowry's sidekick changes nightly.
On Friday, it was Amir Johnson. His 17 first-half points kept Toronto in the mix, down 51-44 at the break.
While the team continues to try and create an identity independent of the injured DeMar DeRozan, they have to be cut some slack on the results front.
Two weeks ago, the Raptors ran roughshod over Cleveland in Cleveland. Last night, Toronto was a four-point favourite.
But without DeRozan's cutting intelligence, they could not reliably unsettle the Cavaliers on defence.
Forced to the perimeter, they started chucking. No one could properly calibrate the artillery.
You do get the sense that Toronto lives on its luck most nights. That's a pretty decent philosophy in the Eastern Conference. It's still not going to work with the best teams in the league.
When they last met, Cleveland was a basket case. Now the Cavs look like the class of the conference.
There's no shame in finding yourself struggling against this group while missing your first-choice offensive weapon.
DeRozan came out pregame to talk about his groin tear.
Given his herculean work-rate, you expected him to be a twitchy mess.
He actually seemed far more laid back than usual – which is pretty laid back. Apparently, contemplation is a balm for the athletic workaholic's soul.
Asked to describe a typical day, DeRozan said one word: "Couch."
Somehow, he made it sound as if that could be a bad thing.
There is still no official timetable for his return. The team's head medic, Alex McKechnie, described the rehab approach as "conservative." Internally, the team believes he should be recovered in three weeks.
It says a great deal about the general confidence in this group that no one seems to be in any rush to get DeRozan back. He'll be able to play when he's able to play.
In the interim, Toronto is still muscular enough to compete with the very best.
This challenge will end up paying dividends later in the season, and into the playoffs.
This is already a confident group. McGrady sees it, and it makes him nostalgic. Magic Johnson sees it, and he feels the opposite.
This is a team without a past, but one hell of a present. The only montages necessary in the ACC these days are the nightly highlights.
Cathal Kelly