Lowry has arrived: a long ass Woj article....

[Uncle_Si]

Fantastic article. Well written and provided a bunch of insight into the back end side of the nba. Masai is brilliant, found a way to bring out the best from Lowry. The part where he discusses of Lowry is fiercely loyal give me hope that he will resign with us. Really enjoyed the article, not many of this quality come around about the raptors. Also e11even is a great restaurant. Just had. A great cheeseburger there after watching the leafs get beat up and the raps pull one out.

[Puffer]

(article about Lowry).....and a great one too.

Absolutely right...a great article, and it really holds open the hope that Kyle might willingly sign here.

[thead]

the raptors are the only team giving him the keys to the franchise...in Houston he will take a back seat to Harden and Howard an in LA, Kobe

[Charlie Brown]

Thanks for sharing, great article!

I didn't enjoy one part of that article:



I thought that Lowry/Houston bridge might be burnt. But since it's not, I think that makes them a major rival to sign him this offseason. They could easily clear the cap space by giving away Asik and/or paying someone to take Lin.

Lowry is an awesome fit for their system and a great fit next to Harden.

My guess would now be that Houston and the Lakers are the two biggest threats to steal him.

Yeah.. that was concerning.. Houston is a great fit for him

[BigCamB]

Depends. Toronto is the best fit for him as far as letting him play his natural game is concerned, it's his team and he has a huge impact on the result of the game every night. I get the feeling he thrives off that and loves it.

[mcHAPPY]

.....and a great one too.

BasketballInsiders.com (formerly HoopsWorld.com), chimes in on Lowry after Woj article:

The Raptors could’ve traded Lowry prior to February’s deadline, ensuring that they’d receive something back for the veteran point guard. Instead, Toronto decided to keep Lowry for their playoff run with the hope that they could re-sign him after the season is over.

But the Raptors will certainly have competition to ink Lowry. As Woj mentions, the Lakers and Rockets are two teams that could express interest in the stat-stuffing floor general. Houston apparently tried to trade for Lowry prior to the deadline, and L.A. could see Lowry as a piece that helps them return to the playoffs after this dreadful lottery-bound season.

League sources have also speculated that the HEAT could emerge as a potential suitor for Lowry, depending on what happens with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh this summer. If they decide to opt out and ink new long-term deals, it would create some cap space for Miami and the HEAT could make a notable free agent like Lowry an attractive offer. It might not be as much as he could get from other teams, but he may be tempted to play alongside the Big Three and have a chance to contend for a championship. Lowry would make Miami a much scarier team, giving them a significant upgrade over Mario Chalmers at point guard.

Read more at http://www.basketballinsiders.com/nb...agency-options

[BobLoblaw]

League sources have also speculated that the HEAT could emerge as a potential suitor for Lowry, depending on what happens with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh this summer. If they decide to opt out and ink new long-term deals, it would create some cap space for Miami and the HEAT could make a notable free agent like Lowry an attractive offer. It might not be as much as he could get from other teams, but he may be tempted to play alongside the Big Three and have a chance to contend for a championship. Lowry would make Miami a much scarier team, giving them a significant upgrade over Mario Chalmers at point guard.

That sounds ridiculously far fetched. They'd have to take massive paycuts. If Wade signs for 10 mil a year, Bosh takes 15 mil, and they give someone picks to absorb Haslem, they could make a competitive offer for Lowry. I think there's a better chance of Lowry signing with CSKA Moscow.

[Letter N]

That sounds ridiculously far fetched. They'd have to take massive paycuts. If Wade signs for 10 mil a year, Bosh takes 15 mil, and they give someone picks to absorb Haslem, they could make a competitive offer for Lowry. I think there's a better chance of Lowry signing with CSKA Moscow.

Ya there's no way he could play with the big 3, he could play if Bosh opts out and goes to Dallas or LA or something but I just don't see how you could make the salaries work for all those guys plus another 8-10 players to fill out the roster.

[Pong]

Been having issues accessing that article all morning. I'm guessing it's just me?

[rocwell]

Been having issues accessing that article all morning. I'm guessing it's just me?

read from google cache.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...sm=93&ie=UTF-8

[Pong]

Thanks.

A year ago, there were times Lowry would become so incensed with the young Lithuanian center, Valanciunas, that "it would take Kyle right out of what he was trying to do himself on the court. The thing was, Kyle would be screaming and I don't think J.V. understood what he was saying half the time anyway.

lol trying to picture this in my head

[slaw]

I am always skeptical of the "Player X is in the best shape of his life", "Player X has changed such-and-such and is ready for a break-out year", "Player X has turned the corner". 99% of the time it's a pile of crap.

Except, in this case, it actually appears to be true. Good for him.

[JimiCliff]

I am always skeptical of the "Player X is in the best shape of his life", "Player X has changed such-and-such and is ready for a break-out year", "Player X has turned the corner". 99% of the time it's a pile of crap.

Except, in this case, it actually appears to be true. Good for him.

It all seems very Billups-y. The timelines of their careers could be identical (if Lowry can keep it up...)

[white men can't jump]

Ujiri climbed out of his seat, marched across the room, lifted a binder from his desk and pretended to pass it into imaginary hands. Someday, Ujiri told him, this will be you walking up to NBA general managers at the Chicago predraft camp, trying to get a scouting job. They'll want no part of you, no part of your reputation. Ujiri told Lowry he'd be playing out his career on one-year deals on the low end of the NBA's salary scale.

Once and for all, Masai Ujiri told Kyle Lowry the truth.

Can't help but wonder if a similar conversation played out between Ujiri and Gay before the season started.

----

I still see the Lakers as the biggest threat. The Houston stuff is interesting, but they'd have to dump Asik and Lin to make a good offer. Doable, but not a given. Not sure any other situations are enticing enough...unless some crazy team offers him a close to max deal.

[Letter N]

Can't help but wonder if a similar conversation played out between Ujiri and Gay before the season started.

Gay would have to be a different sell because Gay already had a monster contract and even if he ends up being a journeyman for the rest of his career he'll still get paid $8M plus (on the low end) to do it. You'd have to sell Gay on doing what's necessary to win, not on doing what's necessary to having an NBA career.