The Kyle Lowry Mystery is Coming | Raptors Republic
There are a few ways we can estimate what it’s going to cost for the Raptors to retain Lowry. The first and obvious way would be to scale his true value, by using today’s salary cap, and projecting it out to next year linearly. Given DeMarre Carroll’s made just over $13M last year, one could make the argument Lowry’s true value was somewhere between $15-$20M (let’s just draw the line at the midpoint for argument’s sake).
$17.5M in 2015/2016 salary cap terms translates to (given the approximate 43% increase mentioned earlier) around $25M in 2016/2017 terms. Now that may not be max-level dollars for someone like Lowry, but it would occupy around 25% of your cap – that’s still a ton to be paying for a 31 year-old undersized point-guard, likely to be sloping down from his prime going forward. Granted some people said that about Lowry 2 years ago before his back-to-back all-star seasons, but this time, it’s more likely to be problematic. Given the minutes Lowry has been tasked with and the sheer reliance placed on him by the franchise, something is likely to give…or should I say, give out.
Having said that, with contracts equal to or in excess of $20M/year being handed out to the likes of Dwyane Wade, Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki, it’s clear that league salaries, seemingly on steroids, will only increase. That’s not to say Lowry isn’t going to be serviceable after next year (heck, he could still be an all-star), but to tie up significant portions of your cap long-term, is risky, short-sighted, and something Masai Ujiri doesn’t seem like the type to do.
Max-level money given to DeMar DeRozan, while questionable for other reasons, was at least done on the basis that DeRozan is a relatively young player, with the prime of his career likely still ahead of him. While you could argue the Raptors would negotiate on this basis, you’ve got to be thinking Lowry has the hometown discount of the past 4 years in his mind. With the Jose Bautista discussions from this past spring training, Toronto sports fans are more than aware
Raptors flay Kings in Summer League opener | Raptors Republic
Norman Powell and Delon Wright were nearly too good for this level last summer as green rookies. A year later, it’s clear neither of them has much business being here, and that each should be looking at a bigger role in the NBA next year. A summer ago, Powell was unstoppable and could only drive north-south. With added layers to his offensive game, he was confident zigging through traffic, making the right passes, and letting fly with his three if necessary. He somehow put up 13-7-5-2 in 23 minutes, and he’ll need to keep games closer to put up more stats if he wants the MVP award. Wright, meanwhile, sees the game at a different level than most, and while he didn’t shoot particularly well, his six assists were all of the “oh, nice” variety, creating easy looks for teammates. His constant gym-selfie-Instagramming isn’t paying off quite yet when it comes to creating space inside or finishing at the rim, and the big part of his game for unlocking more playing time – shooting – wasn’t on display. Still, this was a smooth showing.
“Our expectation was that they would lead the way for us, and they did,” head coach Jama Mahlalela, undefeated as a coach, said. “The two of them, they’re our leaders. They’re going to take us as far as we can go.”
Pascal Siakam was a beneficiary, getting out in transition and cutting to the rim aggressively to score 12 first-half points before leaving with a left knee sprain.
“I don’t think it’s anything bad,” Siakam said. “It’s just a little sore right now.”
His energy was infectious and reminiscent of the impact Powell had in the tournament in 2015, and he and Jakob Poeltl helped each other out nicely on the defensive end. Both were active and aggressive, and the other was behind them if they erred, particularly in ICE situations.
Pascal Siakam leaves Summer League game with knee sprain | Raptors Republic
Sigh.
Pascal Siakam left the Toronto Raptors’ Summer League opener against the Sacramento Kings on Friday and will not return. He’s dealing with a left knee sprain, something the team is obviously not going to push here on the first day of the tournament.
Prior to checking out, Siakam was the highlight of the first half, bringing a ton of the advertised energy and maybe a little more polish than expected. He was active defensively, helping intelligently off of shooters and still able to recover for contests, and he generally seemed comfortable with the schemes. He and Jakob Poeltl did a nice job backing each other up when the other was shaky, too. Offensively, Siakam was dangerous in transition and around the rim, scoring 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 15 minutes. He also had a pair of offensive rebounds, including a nice tip-in where he anticipated the play and read the miss incredibly well.
Recap: Raptors crush Kings to the tune of 88-47 in their first Summer League game | Raptors HQ
The real note of intrigue with the Raptors in this year’s summer exhibition is in their front court. Poeltl and Siakam played for their first time tonight in a Raptors uniform, and the results were positive. For Poeltl, the praise of his foot speed was well-earned. He looked extremely mobile on the court, and while he’s more slender than I realized, he was able to get in the mix and challenge shots, grappling at times with both Willie Cauley-Stein and Skal Labissiere of the Kings. On the offensive end, Poeltl’s touch around the glass looked extremely polished. He finished the game with six points, nine rebounds (including seven offensive!) and three blocks, while shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from the field.
Meanwhile, Siakam’s debut was also encouraging. Despite not playing in the second half with a knee sprain (relax guys, I was told it was just precautionary), Siakam made his presence known everywhere on the court. In 15 minutes he shot 6-for-10 for 12 points, grabbed two boards and chipped in a steal. On the defensive end it felt like Siakam had a hand in on every drive; on offense, both Wright and Powell could count on Pascal to be running with (or ahead of) them on the fast break. Siakam may not have Bismack Biyombo’s shear size and presence yet, but he’s an active player with, as promised, a fantastic motor. (Let’s hope that knee sprain just needs a day or two of rest.)
And finally, now in his third year at Summer League, we get to Bruno. I’ll be honest with you: now in year three of his development, Caboclo remains as very much the same player we’ve seen for most of his career.
NBA Summer League 2016: Scores and Highlights from Friday’s Las Vegas Results | Bleacher Report
The Raptors needed to find a center who can step in to play right away after Bismack Biyombo left in free agency. Poeltl is an NBA-ready big man who has the size and toughness to play down low on offense and defense, giving the team a legitimate weapon inside with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan on the outside.
The Kings can just file this one away, never to look at it again. Virtually anything that could go wrong, did. Willie Cauley-Stein struggled on the offensive end, making just two of his 10 attempts, though he did tie for the team lead with seven points.
Skal Labissiere was the only Sacramento player to make more than two field goals. The Kings shot 28.3 percent overall, though they were a little better from three-point range (33.3 percent).
Raptors using Summer League as opportunity to grow stacked farm system | Sportsnet.ca
As Powell recently told me, the Raptors brass isn’t “looking for me to score 30 every night, because they already know I’m capable of that.” Instead, the team wants to see Powell, who started 24 of the 49 games he appeared in the NBA last season, work on harnessing his speed and ability to get to the paint in order to become an more effective drive-and-dish penetrator.
“We really want him to prove his assists,” Mahlalela says, “while not sacrificing his aggressiveness while attacking the basket. That’s the real focus for us- if we can get his assists up that’ll be a real sign of success.”
At Summer League last year, Powell averaged more than 18 points per game while shooting 51% from the floor, and stands to be one of the top players in attendance this year, on any team.
“For Norm, this is a chance to have another great Summer League and really put pressure on our two’s and three’s [on the NBA roster]. If you have a good summer it’ll help you come [into training camp] and earn minutes on the Varsity squad.”
What Our NBA Projections Got Right (And Wrong) Last Season | FiveThirtyEight
Similarly, CARMELO knew Kyle Lowry and Russell Westbrook were good, but it didn’t bank on them being quite so good.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHoDORJhK5S/
Raptors Youth: Lucas “Bebe” Nogueira – What’s his future? | Raptors Rapture
Nogueira hasn’t shown he can guard any big man at the NBA level. He is going to have some major competition in training camp with Poeltl who is a mobile defensive first centre that can give the Raptors a different look when Valanciunas needs some rest. I believe Nogueira will end up being used as a throw-in if the Raptors make a trade because he hasn’t shown enough NBA skills to warrant significant minutes on a conference finals team. I think it’s also not fair for Nogueira to be on a win now team when he needs more time and minutes to develop. That’s something the Raptors don’t have the luxury to offer him outside of the D-League. Nogueira can probably stick around in the NBA because he’s a positive in the locker room and still has the potential to be a rotation player.
With the Raptors now focusing on developing Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam (27th overall selection in this last draft), Delon Wright, Norman Powell, and Bruno Caboclo it may be time to cut bait on Nogueira if he as part of a package can land the Raptors a player that can help them win now. A potential trade offer could be Terrence Ross & Lucas Nogueira for Taj Gibson & Tony Snell. Gibson would give the Raptors another power forward, which they desperately need. Plus Tony Snell is a wing that could replace some of Ross’s minutes. It’s a deal that should help the Raptors in the short-term and with the East getting better it’s important to try to stay near the top of the conference.
Where Raptors Stand Against “new” East | Raptors Rapture
The Raptors have been the winner of the Atlantic division banner for the the past three years, but there ought to be a higher level of competition within the 5 teams this year. With the exception of the Nets, the Celtics, Knicks and Sixers have had a very effective off-season. Boston was a holder of multiple first round draft picks including the third overall, and landed free agent all-star forward Al Horford . New York can be considered by many among the winners of Free Agency. Even after trading for former MVP Derrick Rose and signing his teammate Joakim Noah, The Knicks signed guards Brandon Jennings and Courtney Lee. Philadelphia 76ers fans hope to finally see considerable progress after “trusting” former GM Sam Hinkie’s process for so many years. Ben Simmons is supposedly a generational player and their previous third overall picks Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor should be healthy and ready to dominate the post. Gerald Henderson and Jerryd Bayless were also signed by the Sixers which gives them more guard depth, something they have been missing for the past couple of years.
You joke, but in five years the DeRozan-Powell-Siakam-Valanciunas lineup is going to be lit.
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