Yesterday I had a chance to speak with Jack Armstrong on the phone as he was driving home from a golf trip. I’ve transcribed the phone interview for you below. He had some interesting things to say about where the organization is headed, and in particular how he feels about Kyle Lowry.
Kiyan: Eric Koreen published an article recently where he drew similarities between this team and the team that won the Atlantic Division in 06-07′. The following season, they regressed and lost to Orlando in five games. Panic ensued and the Raptors made some acquisitions (JO -> Marion -> Turkoglu) that perhaps hindered their long term growth. Koreen stated the Raptors can’t fall into that trap again. Do you think there’s a parallel here, and if so, how can the Raptors avoid it?
Jack: Back then there was a greater sense of urgency as you wanted to hold on to Chris Bosh, and in order to keep a foundational player around, you’ve got to continue building a winning vibe. With all due respect to the guys they currently have on their roster now, there’s not a guy on the roster who’s as good as Chris Bosh. So I think that Masai at the trade deadline knew that this was far from a finished product, and decided to punt rather than go for first down. So I think he said ‘okay, let it breathe, let’s see how this season pans itself out, let’s see how this team performs in the playoffs, and then we’re open to any / all moves that come out’.
I think the approach taken was the right approach. You don’t want to start building on a foundation that you’re not convinced in or don’t believe in yet.
People forget that the assistant GM at the time you mention was Masai Ujiri. So again, he has a pretty good sense of what took place, and he doesn’t want history to repeat itself again. I think he has a pretty good sense of this roster, and as crazy as it sounds, I think what happened against Washington might end up being a blessing in disguise, because it gives you an even greater understanding that this isn’t a group to build on top of. There are some pieces that are good to keep, and there are some pieces that could potentially be hazardous for you.
I think it’s been a great two year run. It’s been a lot of fun. Yes, it was disappointing getting swept by Washington, but when you look at the totality of the two years, it’s time now, based on what you learned from that, to go in a different direction. Does it have to be dramatic? No. But I think you’re going to have a different team next year.
Kiyan: How drastic do you think the change will be?
Jack: I think we might see 5, 6, or 7 new faces.
Kiyan: Was it the right decision to keep building this team with Dwane Casey coming back?
Jack: I think #1, when you look at the day Dwane Casey was hired, then you look at it today, with this being his team still – is the Raptors organization in a better place now than it was prior to when he was hired? I would say: Absolutely. Is there still steps that need to be taken? Sure. But does the guy deserve to be fired for coming in and basically improving the situation every year?
When you look at the 20 year history of the Raptors, he’s the best coach they’ve ever had. So before you make that decision, I think you need to let the process breathe.
He’s done a really good job. Perfect job? No. But who does? I think what’s happened is, you’ve had an opportunity to reflect and say ‘okay, there’s things that you could have done better, but do you still believe in the Mayor?’. As a former coach, and having been around the Raptors on a daily basis, not only in Dwane’s time, but for 17 years, I see a good guy who’s a good leader, who deserves the benefit of the doubt.
Will there be modifciations to what he does, the staff, the appraoch, and things you need to improve on? Yes, absolutely. But at the end of the day, I think you’ve got to look at the entire picture and say ‘okay, we’ve got a contractual obligation to him for next year’, so if he was a strong enough leader 12 months ago, what has changed so dramatically in that time?
I do think that the defense has to improve, and there’s a lot of things that have to get better – no doubt. But when all is said and done they (Raptors management) still believe in him, and I absolutely believe in him too. And I’ll say this: I’m convinced that if Paul Pierce was on the Raptors and not on the Wizards, the Raptors are potentially playing game 6 tonight against Atlanta. I mean, that has nothing to do with Randy Wittman or Dwane Casey, that has everything to do with having the right veteran leader in the room, and it’s pretty evident to me – and was pretty evident to me for a few months during the regular season where I’ve stated this publicly on many occasions – the Raptors lack a veteran player in leadership, and that was pretty evident on the back end of the season. It’s not like Dwane Casey didn’t try to bang the drums and say ‘fellas, this approach is going to blow up on us’. But players think they have the answers, and there’s not a player in there that says ‘hey, you know what? Coach is right’. And that’s what Randy Wittman has that Dwane Casey doesn’t.
Kiyan: Why is there such a need for change in the assistant coaches? Is there something going on behind the scenes that we’re unaware of?
Jack: You know it’s pretty common stuff, it happens all the time. When you have a season where you get swept, you look at every area of the organization and say ‘this has to change, or that has to change. I need a different voice in this spot, or a different approach in that spot’. It happens. So does it point to a greater problem? I don’t think so. What it points to is that if there is a potential opportunity in the market to get people to help your organization because you feel that that’s what the team needs, then you go ahead and do it.
I really don’t know if any of the assistant coaches are leaving or not. I have a high degree of respect for all of them, and I hope they’re all back. If in fact, (only) one or two of them are back, then I’m sure it’s been determined that there was a need for a change for whatever reason. I sense though, that there is no issue in terms of a problem or a disconnect whatsoever.
Kiyan: You’ve stated publicly before that you did not like the way that Kyle Lowry handled himself in the post-season presser. Is he a problem?
Jack: I think he needs to mature.
I think he can be stubborn, They’ve (the organization) tried to find that middle ground with him, but there are certain people that you try to give the middle ground to, and they want more than the middle ground. There comes a point where (you have to realize) Kyle Lowry is not a good enough player to hire a coach, and he’s not a good enough player to fire a coach.
He’s a player, and he’s a good player. I think he’s been a tremendous positive story for the Raptors the last few years, and he’s been a tremendous positive story in the NBA. But we’re not talking Lebron James or Magic Johnson here. We’re talking about a good to very good player who needs to run the team and be a more positive voice of leadership in the room, and I was very disappointed in how Kyle handled the post-season press conference.
I’m sorry, I think there were a lot of times in the last few years that (speaking) as a former coach, I’m sure there were moments that Dwane Casey was not pleased with something that Kyle Lowry did or said, and was still publicly very respectful and supportive of him. And in my opinion, when your boss goes out of his way to always sing your praises and to be an advocate for you, I think in turn, you owe that the opposite way to him.
This is not a one-way street. There’s give and take.
I go back to what I said: He’s a wonderful player and I have a ton of respect for his game. At the same time, I think his job is to play, and play well – and he didn’t play well down the stretch.
His job is to be a positive supportive leader and a conduit – a point guard who is a direct reflection in a positive sense of what the leadership of the head coach is. And that to me has got to be a partnership.
All of us who have been in friendships and relationships, marriages or whatever know that nothing is perfect. But ultimately you’ve got to work through that stuff. I think it’s been a pretty good relationship and a pretty good marriage between the two. There’s going to be moments when it gets pretty testy, and I think that’s good, you need that. But in no way shape or form can you say ‘well, it’s more his fault than my fault’.
The organization gave you a long term contract, and the highest paid contract on the team, so much has been given, but much is expected. Your job is to produce. And you know what? You didn’t.
As great as things were a year ago, even though you’ve lost game 7 to the Nets, it was a love-in at the end of the season. But a year later, expectations change and things happen, but you’ve got to stay consistent.
Maybe there are times where I speak my mind too much.
I was very disappointed in how Kyle Lowry handled (the post-season presser). If I were his coach, I’d bring him in and rip him a new one.
I feel pretty confident that he’ll figure it out.
It’s not like you throw him out. He’s a terrific player, he’s the heart and soul of your team. He has so many good attributes. All I’m going to say is that you go through this, and it’s all part of the evolution and growth / maturity of a player. And he’s still evolving.
Should the Raptors write Kyle Lowry off? Absolutely not. These are things that happen as part of the whole process. Guys get frustrated with losing, they’re mad and angry. They claim to want to put it all on their own shoulders, but they’ll only put it on their own shoulders first to a certain degree, then they want to find other places to put it rather than saying ‘hey, it’s truly on me’. It can’t be lip service, you’ve got to walk your talk.
They need him to play better next year over the long haul of the season. And he was sensational in the first half of the season. He was not good, he was great. They need that from him on a more consistent basis, and he’s capable of it.
Kiyan: Out of all the broadcasters that work for the Raptors, you’re probably known most for speaking your mind. When Lowry hears these comments from you, does it affect your relationship with him?
Jack: It doesn’t bother me. I have a good relationship with Kyle. I think I’m a generally overwhelmingly positive person. If I’m saying 98% great things about you – and in my case it’s usually 99% – and if there’s a 1% where I state what I’m seeing, than I hope you’re man enough to say ‘hey, y’know what? Anytime I’m doing x, y, z; this guy’s going out of his way to give me credit for it, this is the reality of someone who calls it like it is’.
Would I want to coach a Kyle Lowry? Absolutely. And that’s my point. This is a temporary issue, and not a permanent issue – a temporary reaction to frustration and failure. I was disappointed with how he handled it, but when I look at Kyle Lowry and his time with the Raptors, it’s overwhelmingly good. So now it’s at a moment where you hope he learns / grows from it, the organization learns / grows from it, and he comes back and is prepared to have a full season that he’s capable of having.
Kiyan: Where are the Raptors in the rebuild process now? Does the playoff sweep mean the Raptors have relapsed further into a rebuild, and does having the all-star game in Toronto next year force Masai to build a good team for next season?
Jack: That’s an interesting question, that I don’t know the answer to. I think the benefit that Masai has is that they’re in the Atlantic Division. So whatever they do, they can still maintain a relatively competitive standing in the division that they’re in.
I’ll say this: Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are in the primes of their career. This is not a young team. I don’t buy into that whatsoever. Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross are going into their fourth year, they’re the only two guys that are young and even play.
These guys (Lowry and DeMar) are in the prime of their career, I can’t see a rebuild with those two guys. DeMar DeRozan has lost enough in his career, he wants to keep going.
Bottom line is – and I think I’ve said this enough times and I firmly believe it – they need a starting small forward, and they need a starting power forward.
And I’m not saying Terrence Ross can’t be a good player, I think he can be, but I don’t think he’s a starting three man in the NBA right now. I think he’s (better suited) to be on a really good team coming off the bench.
I think Amir Johnson has given them some great years. At the same time, I think he would again be better suited to be on a really good team coming off the bench. If you wanted to keep Amir Johson and he’s your starting four man, then you absolutely have to improve what you have at the three spot.
You can get away with a Matt Barnes because you’ve got Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, a shot-maker in Reddick, and a shot-blocker / rebounder in DeAndre. But if you don’t have ‘off the charts’ guys in two or three spots, then you have to have a better player in that spot.
I think they know exactly where their holes are, now they have to decide how they’re going to go about putting it together. I feel confident in Masai and Dwane, that they know their issues, and now it’s about how many of them you can address.
Kiyan: I think it’s clear what the holes that need to be filled are. Having said that, since you said we may see 5-7 new faces, do you have any hints or names of players going out or coming in?
Jack: The reality is that you have a bunch of guys who are free agents. That’s why I’m saying there’s a potential for change in the roster because of that. But in terms of potential names out there, so much of it is going to come down to how you plan to utilize the draft and things like that. So to me, I think it’s a lot of moving pieces that we’re not really going to have a sense of until late July.
But for me to project if they’re going to go after Paul Milsap or Draymond Green, or this guy / that guy, who knows? A lot is going to depend on budgets and how they decide to use their money, what is the priority, or if you can even get a guy. It’s one thing to have money, it’s another thing to be able to get a guy. In particular, with the way the labour agreement / tv deal is going to unfold, everybody is going to have money. So you can manage your cap beautifully, and think you’re going to be in a good position market-wise to throw money around, and now suddenly your competition for those players is a lot more steep than what it would’ve been. So the recruitment part gets a little harder.
They have some areas that have to be addressed. But the good thing is they’re coming off back-to-back franchise record seasons…. They’ve totally recaptured their fan base, and they’re in a positive position… And they do have the all-star break coming in. So I think they’re in a really good position to recruit, and I think they’re in a really good position to keep a guy or two. They’re in a better position now than they were maybe in past years.
Kiyan: Do you have any input on the rumour that would potentially land Monty Williams in Toronto as an assistant coach?
Jack: I have no idea. I’m sure Monty is going to want to see if he can kick the tires in Orlando, Denver, Chicago. I think he’s going to want to exhaust every opportunity as a head coach before he even considers an opportunity as an assistant. I think Monty did a really good job in New Orleans. He’s coaching in a tougher conference and had a significant amount of injuries. I don’t think there’s a lot of guys in the NBA calling their agents asking to be traded to New Orleans.
He had more losses than wins, but I think he had a tougher job than others. I think he did a pretty job there and I feel pretty confident that he can get another head coaching job in the league, and I think he feels that way as well. I’m sure he feels a lot like Dwane Casey did when he got fired after a 20-20 start in Minnesota. And from the day Dwane Casey was fired until now, what have they done as an organization? Have they ever again been 20-20? My point is, you look at the job Dwane Casey has done in his four years with the Raptors, being given that second opportunity, I think the people of Minnesota know now they actually had a really good coach that they gave up on too soon. I think that Monty will have another chance somewhere else, and he’ll carry himself the same way. He’ll prove that he’s really good at what he does.
Sure, if you’re an organization like Toronto or wherever, and a guy like that is available and is not a head coach at that time and he’s looking to stay on the bench, then I’m sure there will be a lot of teams that are interested in Monty Williams.
It’s like when you look at Nate McMillan, Sam Mitchell, Lawrence Frank, Alvin Gentry – guys like that that have been head coaches – there’s so many guys like that that are on good benches.
