Lowry fit and fuelled for a rebound: Arthur | Toronto Star
“I know everything, I know every person who says something bad about me. But it’s part of the game, it’s part of the business, for me I don’t need the motivation from that but I just use it, I know who’s going to talk.” So, what did you think about what was written about you from February, Kyle? “It’s true, I know how bad I played. But at the end of the day, it is what it is. I want them to say those things, because they’re going to change their minds (from) early (last) year, and it was ‘Oh my god.’ Now I’ve got to go back to making them say ‘Oh my god’ again. That’s all that matters.” If Lowry is reading this right now, I’ll just say this: He’s a fascinating, complex figure. At his best he makes basketball look like a heroic exercise, because unlike the LeBrons of the world, his greatness doesn’t have a big margin for error. It looks hard.
‘Svelte’ Kyle Lowry impressive at Raptors Media Day | RAPTORS | Raptors | Sports
“You’ve got to change your body a little bit. And I’m not a young pup no more, but it’s just about the future for me, it’s about being healthy,” Lowry explained, saying he hired a new nutritionist “and just changed a few things that needed to be changed.” Now, “none of my pants fit.” When Lowry first told DeMar DeRozan about his weight loss earlier this summer, DeRozan had to see it to believe it. “It was a shock, it was a shock to everybody, it was a shock to me so I made him come see me in L.A. to make sure it’s real,” DeRozan said. “That takes a lot of discipline, when you play at a certain size your whole career in the league, to be able to drop that much weight … but he did it. So I think he’s trying to be more athletic, trying to play above the rim or something, I don’t know what he’s doing.”
Slimmed Lowry still has boulder-sized chip on shoulder | Sportsnet.ca
What prompted his off-season commitment to exercise and clean eating isn’t entirely clear. The easy answer would be that after a season in which Lowry experienced higher highs and deeper lows than a six-year-old overdosing on refined carbohydrates, it’s an acknowledgment that he needed to improve his fitness to be able to sustain the excellence he’s capable of over an entire season, but hasn’t quite pulled off yet. That a year that featured both his first all-star nod – as a starter, no less – and a strange second-half spiral the ended with a four-game beat-down at the hands of the Washington Wizards prompted him to dig deeper than he ever had in the off-season. Lowry is not one for easy answers, or at least obvious ones. “No,” he said when asked if how his season ended prompted his commitment to conditioning and diet program that made him lighter and leaner without sacrificing any strength. “I worked on my body because I wanted to work on my body. Honestly, that’s the truth. I wanted to be something different. I know what I can be.”
Slimmed-down Lowry hungry for redemption | TSN
Lowry didn’t spend much time on the court during the summer. While DeRozan believes the point guard is looking “a lot more aerodynamic” in pre-training camp workouts, it will be interesting to see how the new look impacts his game, mostly predicated on toughness and physicality. Will he still be able to bully his way into the lane, fight for loose balls and withstand the hits he takes around the rim? He’s confident that the weight loss did not come at the expense of his strength, boasting that he could still bench press a local columnist. He believes his style of play has more to do with a mindset, a mental toughness than the way his body is built. The hope is that this change helps him stay healthy and sustain a high level of play for a full 82-game season and, most importantly, into the playoffs.
While tales of weight loss and muscle building are a dime a dozen at NBA media days, seeing this particular point guard trimmed down turned heads. A photo of Lowry and some other NBA players after a workout appeared on Twitter this summer, and the Internet buzzed with chatter. Fellow backcourt mate DeMar DeRozan joked that Lowry is “more aerodynamic,” and says the photo was so surprising that he insisted Lowry fly out to visit him in Los Angeles. Patrick Patterson texted Lowry to confirm the picture hadn’t been doctored. “Then I saw him in the locker room and I was like ‘I’ve never seen this before. You’ve always been this short, chunky, bulldog fat kid that I’ve known since my first year in the NBA. To see you like this, it’s like the evil twin brother,’” Patterson said at media day, chuckling. “It’s so weird. I’m happy for him; he says he feels great, and I’m proud of him.”
Kyle Lowry’s transformation on display at Raptors media day – CBC Sports – Basketball – NBA
“Sometimes you get older, you’ve got to change your body a little bit. And I’m not a young pup no more, but it’s just about the future for me, it’s about being healthy,” Lowry said. The 29-year-old, who’s listed at six foot one and 196 pounds, hired a nutritionist, and said he changed the way he ate. He wouldn’t say how much weight he’d lost, but it was a couple of belt loops at least. “None of my pants fit, I can tell you that much. Dead serious,” he said. The change was clear in his lean face, cut arms and narrow waist. “I feel faster, I feel a lot lighter, I feel quicker, I feel sharper. I still feel strong because when I go in the weight room, I still move the same weight I’ve always moved,” he said — then added to a reporter: “I can still bench press you.”
Raptors’ Casey: It’s time for Jonas Valanciunas to play in fourth quarter | CBSSports.com
“There’s been a lot made about JV finishing games,” Casey said at media day. “Well, he’s getting to the point of his career, with the experience, that he should be able to do that. I noticed they didn’t use him as much in Europe at the end of games, but we plan to use him, especially offensively, down the stretch. “Father time is a great teacher and developer of those kind of situations,” Casey added. Amir Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough and Chuck Hayes signed with Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively. If Casey is to sit the 23-year-old Valanciunas, there’s no longer a veteran safety net.
Raptors share how they spent summer to prepare for upcoming season | Toronto Star
“I think I’m a very unique individual,” the team’s most expensive summer free agent acquisition said. “I’ve been through a lot and I want to share my story with people and let them see how I live day to day. I’m an average Joe, just like you.” Well, maybe not since there aren’t a lot of shared experiences between a 29-year-old NBAer and a late-50s Canadian sportswriter. But he does just want to fit in with new teammates in some kind of “normal” way. “I don’t play the game for the media, I play the game for my teammate, I play the game for the fans that come and show up. At the end of the day it’s always good to get recognition but that’s not why I play the game,” he said. “I think I finally got my opportunity, that’s the big thing and taking advantage of your opportunity.”
However, it remains to be seen whether this will be an honest shot for Bennett to earn minutes as more traditional power forwards, Patrick Patterson and Luis Scola are definitely in front of Bennett. If Dwane Casey decides to use smaller lineups more often, James Johnson and DeMarre Carroll will need minutes at that position, too. While Bennett was the de facto centre with the Canadian national team this summer, that will not happen often in the NBA. “We feel like we’re a growing team and we can absorb a guy like that,” Raptors president and general manager Masai Ujiri said. “Was he (worthy of being) the no. 1 guy in the draft? We don’t know. It didn’t work out in a couple places. I think he’s moved past that. I think the experiences he’s gone through will help him.” Maybe they will, or maybe they will not. Regardless, it is time to stop judging Bennett by outdated expectations. Perhaps he will get an opportunity to change the conversation.
Done Deal: Raptors Sign Anthony Bennett | Raptors HQ
It’s important to temper expectations, as Bennett’s been mostly terrible in his two years in the NBA. Injuries, circumstances, and his lack of fitness haven’t helped things, but he’s got a long way to go before he becomes a valuable contributor for a playoff team. His strong performance for Canada at the Pan-Am Games and FIBA Americas was a good start and he’ll have to continue building on that.
Kelly: Anthony Bennett’s story could be great with the Raptors – The Globe and Mail
Asked what had changed in his game, new Toronto Raptor Anthony Bennett said, “Last year, it was just kind of a setback for me, but I’m just trying to put that in the past … I’m trying to have fun.” Bennett said that in 2014, during Summer League in Las Vegas. He was coming off one of the most roundly panned rookie seasons in NBA history. At the time, he was still a Cleveland Cavalier. Everybody, including Bennett, seemed excited about a second chance. Until Cleveland packed him as a makeweight in a trade to Minnesota. Minnesota was excited, too. Bennett said some nice things about new opportunities and being healthy for a change. Once he got out on the court, he was just as bad. Minnesota cut him a week ago, an unheard of ending for a No. 1 overall pick still on his rookie deal. Bennett agreed to give back $2-million (U.S.) in salary in order to escape. Clearly, both sides were desperate to be rid of each other.
That is the hope with this team — that the pieces fit together better — because the talent has not improved. Williams was a dynamic scorer, Vasquez a serviceable backup point guard and Amir Johnson, even when he was banged up, often kept the Raptors’ interior defence upright. Ujiri’s contractual bets on Carroll, Joseph and even Jonas Valanciunas are that they can produce more than they have in different roles in the past. In the case of Valanciunas, head coach Dwane Casey spoke of finally loosening the reins on him in the fourth quarter and trying to leverage his offensive ability better than the team has in the past. What he did not mention was adjusting the defence to allow Valanciunas to be less aggressive in guarding pick-and-rolls, which is just as sure to occur. As always at this time of the year, the only intelligent thing to say is: “We will see.” It is nice that Carroll is talking about the Raptors improving their ball movement, but the core of the team is the same as the one who could not, or would not, do so last year. We will see if Casey can abide by Valanciunas’s mistakes. We will see if Lowry can stay healthy and trim. We will see if DeMar DeRozan can finally improve as a three-point shooter and more willingly make the swing pass on the perimeter. And we will see about Ujiri’s beliefs.
Anthony Bennett decides joining Raptors ‘perfect situation’ | Toronto Sun
“I feel like it was the perfect situation for me,” Bennett said Monday, after admitting that putting on a Raptors jersey did feel a bit weird. “Coming home, playing in front of family, friends, fans, it’s just being comfortable. Comfortable and just going out there and playing with confidence.” Confidence is a key for Bennett, but he knows he won’t be handed anything. The team has told him as much. “This is a good place for him. It’s home,” said head coach Dwane Casey. “He should feel comfortable. But again all the time and everything else, he’s going to have to come in and earn it … that doesn’t mean anything is going to be given to him. And I don’t think he wants anything given to him. He’s a super young man and a young talent.”
Former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett signs minimum deal with Raptors | Toronto Star
With no full guarantee on the deal, Bennett fits into the same slot as a handful of unproven young players trying to catch on with a team that already has 14 guaranteed contracts and can only go to 15. Bennett, who has struggled to find or develop a discernible NBA skill in two seasons with Cleveland and Minnesota, will have to earn a spot against the likes of untried rookies Norman Powell and Ronald Roberts. Toronto could also waive one its players with some guarantees on deals — Lucas Nogueria would be on that list — to make room for Bennett, who will have to fight Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson, James Johnson and prized off-season acquisition DeMarre Carroll for playing time.
Five thoughts ahead of Raptors camp | TSN
Likely coming off the bench this season, it will be interesting to see how he handles the adjustment to his role and the types of opportunities he gets on a consistent basis. Biggest thing I’m looking for from him is for daily consistency. If he gives you good to very good distance shooting, improved ability to create his own shot and gets to the FT line and stellar defence, I know I’d sign up for that right now. It’s time. Major investment in minutes and experience have been given him by the organization and they need to see a return on that investment. He’s capable which is pretty evident; now you need it from him on a regular basis.
Three questions the Toronto Raptors face heading into training camp | FOX Sports
Where will the bench scoring come from? Lou Williams was seemingly the sole source of offense at times for the second unit last season, and after averaging 15.5 points in 25.2 minutes off the bench, he received the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award for his efforts. With Williams lost in free agency (by choice, because Toronto never made him an offer to stay), the team will now rely on newcomers Cory Joseph and Luis Scola to replace that level of production.
So the Raptors season begins with some questions to be answered | Toronto Star
This isn’t going to be determined until very near the end of the pretend games season but do they start Luis Scola or Patrick Patterson next to Valanciunas? I don’t know right now but Scola’s smarts and ball-moving skills might give him a leg up.
Casey is not committing to either Patterson or Scola as the starting 4 yet
Casey is not committing to either Patterson or Scola as the starting 4 yet
New Raptors like the city but not the traffic gridlock that comes with it | Energeticcity.ca
“The people here are nice. Wherever I go, people say ‘Hey, DeMarre.’ So it’s kind of cool, man, to have this many fans, have this many people who recognize you and understand what you did, and how much they love you.” Carroll joins the Raptors from Atlanta after stints with Memphis, Houston, Denver and Utah. Argentine veteran Luis Scola, who had previous NBA stops in Houston, Phoenix and Indiana, also spoke highly of his new home. “I think the city is amazing,” he said. “I thought the city was amazing before I got here and I’m actually even more impressed with the city. I think it’s probably the best city in the NBA to play (on).
