‘Cause it’s all in my head, I hear this rumor over and over again…
Toronto has shown significant reluctance to part with Kyle Lowry, preferring to make a playoff run with him, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 12, 2014
So who you got? Are you with the Chad Fords, Marc Steins, Chris Broussards and Ken Bergers of the world? Or are you in Woj and the “hugs for friends” camp?
UPDATE (4:07 PM)
Alright, I feel compelled to spit my two cents on the matter, so here’s my #hotsprotstake: we win either way.
Let’s just face facts — this rumor won’t die until Lowry either gets dealt, or until the trade deadline passes. As far as the NBA hotstove goes, this year is barely cracking tepid. No obvious superstar is on the move — no Carmelo vs. the Nuggets, no Deron Williams to the Nets — which has led some reporters to cast their nets into smaller ponds. That’s not to say that they’re being disingenuous — there’s no Season Five of The Wire going on here, I hope — but as Omar Little would say, “fish gotta swim, you know what I’m saying?” This is their livelihood, and when nothing’s cooking, the Broussards totally credible reporters of the world need to light ’em mup (mup, mup).
I’m not implying that their reports are baseless. After all, how can you question the validity of “multiple sources with knowledge of the information?” There’s just nothing else going on out there, and Lowry’s an easy target. Here are the relevant facts about the situation, and I want you readers of RR to use your critical thinking skills and form your own conclusions:
- Lowry is an impending unrestricted free-agent
- Lowry is in the midst of a career year
- Lowry is only owed 6 million dollars this season, meaning that contenders likely won’t have to cough up a rotation player to acquire him
- Lowry plays point guard
- The Knicks have a gaping hole at point guard
- The Knicks want to make the playoffs this season because they have no first round draft pick and Carmelo can opt-out of his contract with the Knicks
- The Knicks front-office leaks like a sieve
- The Raptors front-office, especially under Ujiri, has a reputation to be tight-lipped
- The Knicks play in New York City, which just happens to be the media capital of the world
Did you lean back in your chair and put the pieces to the puzzle? Was my last sentence a reference to Fat Joe and the Terror Squad? Are the “multiple sources” making things up?
And that’s not to say that Lowry definitely won’t be traded. Anyone in the NBA be had for the right price (except Durant and Lebron, because there isn’t a right price for either player), but at this point in the season, with the Raptors sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference (and therefore no realistic shot of tanking), Ujiri is happy either way. If a team blows his socks off, Ujiri gives Lowry a hug and wishes him farewell. If not, Ujiri stands pat and garners accolades for taking this team to the playoffs for the first time in six years.
So what I’m saying is this: if Lowry gets traded, we win. If he doesn’t get traded, we still win.
UPDATE (4:59 PM)
Adds an executive with a team that’s been a suitor of Kyle Lowry, “We’ve heard it from (Toronto) that he won’t be moved.”
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 12, 2014
(h/t: commentor sitnonDfence)
