Zach Lowe's thoughts on the ASG. Lots of relevant raptor material, but click the LINK for the rest of Lowe's thoughts, he's the best NBA blogger/journalist out there right now.
2. You want a real snub? Travel east to the league’s weaker conference, and take a gander at Kyle Lowry. His omission is one of the worst I can recall, and it’s safe to assume the league’s coaching fraternity is punishing Lowry for his well-chronicled run-ins with just about every coach he’s come across in Memphis, Houston, and even Toronto. Lowry is second among all Eastern Conference guards in PER, and considering the tiny gap between Lowry and the top guy (Dwyane Wade), and Wade’s 13 missed games, you could easily argue Lowry has been the best guard in the conference. John Wall, a deserving All-Star, is right there, but he’s really the only other guy in the discussion...
3. DeMar DeRozan over Lowry is probably the wrong choice, but it’s at least semi-defensible in a weak field. DeRozan is still a poor shooter — 43 percent overall, 30 percent from deep — but he has made big strides as a defender and a passer, and he’s getting to the line a ton in a career season. He soaks up a huge load of possessions for a team that needs a fulcrum in a post–Rudy Gay world. I took Afflalo over DeRozan for my team, and I still would today, but I’m not throwing a fit about it. Johnson is the guy who doesn’t belong.
4. It’s funny, by the way, how three of Bryan Colangelo’s key decisions in Toronto don’t look so bad now. DeRozan’s contract extension took widespread criticism, including here, and it’s still a bit too long and pricey for my taste. But if he keeps improving, he’ll live up to it, and Toronto could easily find a home for him via trade. Colangelo got Lowry for a pick that became Steven Adams, though of course a pick that juicy has larger value that just Adams; Houston used it as the key piece in the James Harden deal. Amir Johnson’s contract looks downright good now.
None of this erases the Andrea Bargnani stain, the Gay trade, or the insane Landry Fields contract. But the record is mixed, not one of total failure, and the record of almost every GM regresses to “mixed” over time.
3. DeMar DeRozan over Lowry is probably the wrong choice, but it’s at least semi-defensible in a weak field. DeRozan is still a poor shooter — 43 percent overall, 30 percent from deep — but he has made big strides as a defender and a passer, and he’s getting to the line a ton in a career season. He soaks up a huge load of possessions for a team that needs a fulcrum in a post–Rudy Gay world. I took Afflalo over DeRozan for my team, and I still would today, but I’m not throwing a fit about it. Johnson is the guy who doesn’t belong.
4. It’s funny, by the way, how three of Bryan Colangelo’s key decisions in Toronto don’t look so bad now. DeRozan’s contract extension took widespread criticism, including here, and it’s still a bit too long and pricey for my taste. But if he keeps improving, he’ll live up to it, and Toronto could easily find a home for him via trade. Colangelo got Lowry for a pick that became Steven Adams, though of course a pick that juicy has larger value that just Adams; Houston used it as the key piece in the James Harden deal. Amir Johnson’s contract looks downright good now.
None of this erases the Andrea Bargnani stain, the Gay trade, or the insane Landry Fields contract. But the record is mixed, not one of total failure, and the record of almost every GM regresses to “mixed” over time.
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