Lowry hires new agent | Oshai (spelling) latest low cost signing | Nurse adds assistants to team Canada coaching staff
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pp2mDv_wIDA%3Fstart%3D351
We are so excited to welcome @Klow7 to the Priority Sports family! pic.twitter.com/bFt9u6uL2K
— Priority Sports (@PrioritySports) July 22, 2019
Toronto Raptors All-Star guard Kyle Lowry, who will become an unrestricted free agent after this season, has hired agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports for representation.
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 22, 2019
The Raptors weren’t done there, either, despite those moves putting their roster above the regular-season limit. Teams can have up to 20 players on their roster in the offseason, and Toronto opted to take one more upside flier and use a partial guarantee to do so, signing Cam Payne. His deal contains a partial guarantee in the first year (a few hundred thousand, I’m told, though I don’t have an exact number) and a non-guaranteed second year.
This gives the Raptors 15 players with at least some guarantee. They also have Malcolm Miller, whose deal guarantees on Wednesday, and Jordan Loyd still on his two-way deal. That’s 17 players for 15 NBA spots unless they waive Miller and/or are committed to a second year of Loyd on a two-way. It’s possible the Raptors and Miller negotiate a later guarantee date, and he receives a partial guarantee for agreeing to it. That would give Miller some financial security and allow the Raptors to keep a player they like through the summer while punting on an actual roster decision until after training camp. (I’m torn on Loyd. I dislike that two-way deals can even be for two years, but the Raptors can’t be criticized for taking advantage of the system and having a player who should have graduated from a two-way in that role.)
That hasn’t quite been their approach in recent years. Normally, the Raptors have filled their last few spots with players trying out for a final spot or two, with finance-free decisions since most of the contracts were similarly non- or lightly guaranteed. That’s much more of a consideration when a team is close to or over the tax. For the Raptors, who sit a few million below the tax and aren’t at much risk of crossing that line, offering additional guarantees is a good way to use their money to create an even better camp competition. This season, guarantees might inform some of the decision-making, but even if they kept all 16 players on NBA contracts until final cut day, they’d be well below the tax.
This goes back to the logic of the midlevel usage, in which the team is spending a little extra now with the flexibility they have available in hopes of mining surplus value later. If one of the fringe roster players becomes a real rotation piece, the Raptors have either rights or team options or both. If not, well, the cost — real and in opportunity terms — was negligible. The cost of making bets like that on back-end players is significantly higher in tax or near-tax seasons, so it makes sense to take those small swings now.
None of this is groundbreaking, and the Raptors could very well waive Miller and render some of this moot. For the time being, the Raptors are operating as a team that’s willing to possibly eat some guaranteed money to get more players into their system for the summer, foster a more competitive training camp battle and gather more information to make the smartest upside bets for this season and beyond.
Raptors over Everything: Expectations for every key player – Yahoo!
Host William Lou is joined by Asad Alvi to discuss expectations for next season.
- Why Kyle Lowry remains the most important player
- Pascal Siakam’s next step
- The need for an improved Marc Gasol
- Can OG Anunoby and Norman Powell hold down starting roles?
- What to expect from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley Johnson
Raptors guard Kyle Lowry hires new agent as free agency looms – Yahoo!
ormerly employed Miller), Marc Gasol and Fred VanVleet all set to become free agents, he will have to assess whether he would like to finish out his career in Toronto or pursue a new challenge elsewhere.
The 13-year-veteran finished the 2018-19 season averaging 14.2 points, 8.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds and closed out the Raptors’ title winning run in style with 26 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds and three steals in the NBA Finals clincher over the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena.
He managed this despite an injury to a tendon in his left thumb, something that required a procedure last week, but isn’t expected to keep him off Team USA for the FIBA World Cup in late August.
Anthony Davis and Draymond Green are the names that will lead the free agency class of 2020, while Lowry’s best friend DeMar DeRozan could also be a free agent if he opts out of his player option for the 2020-21 season.
Does the league need to investigate the Clippers’ pursuit of Kawhi? – Video – TSN
OverDrive host Bryan Hayes and Mike Johnson are joined by Rod Black to discuss if there will be any fallout from around the league following rumours that Kawhi Leonard’s uncle got money on the side to help complete the Clippers signing.
While all of that may be true, Stephen A Smith believes the Raptors and Lakers have nothing to complain about, despite not landing the biggest free-agent prize this summer.
“They got a lot of nerve,” Smith said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Monday morning. “In the case of the Toronto Raptors, let’s understand that Kawhi Leonard was traded there, he didn’t ask to be there.
“If you remember when he was in San Antonio, he was looking to go to L.A. So when Masai Ujiri decided to acquire him and trade away DeMar DeRozan and stuff, he knew that he was taking a risk – one year and done – and he was going to out of that, that was very very clear from day one.
“So Toronto has no reason to gripe. The man came there, spent one year there and delivered the first championship not just in the city but the country’s history.”
Priority number one was resigning Kawhi Leonard for the Toronto Raptors. They waited until the early hours of July 6th to find out Leonard wouldn’t be returning to the team. By then, most free agents were already in place elsewhere.
Raptors’ Kyle Lowry Changes Agents, Hires Mark Bartelstein Ahead of Impending FA | Bleacher Report
The 33-year-old Lowry is coming off a championship season, but his performance this upcoming year could determine whether he earns one last big paycheck. In 2018-19, he averaged 14.2 points, 8.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, shooting 41.1 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from three.
He remains an excellent playmaker and defender and is the type of point guard a contending team could target next summer.
For now, however, he remains a key figure in Toronto, joining Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby on a Raptors team that likely won’t be a title contender after losing Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green but should earn a playoff spot this year in the Eastern Conference nonetheless.
Struggle early, however, and the Raptors could have a fire sale, moving off pending free agents like Lowry, Gasol and Ibaka. At some point, a rebuild around Siakam and VanVleet is coming, and if the Raptors fall out of the playoff picture, it could happen before February’s trade deadline.
But with the Eastern Conference weaker than a year ago, expect Lowry to remain in Toronto for at least one more postseason appearance before potentially moving on in free agency next year.
Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry hires new agent – TSN.ca
Miller negotiated Lowry’s current deal with the Raptors (three years, $100 million) ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.
The 33-year-old Lowry averaged 14. 2 points and 8.7 assists per game during the 2018-19 regular season for the Raptors, who ultimately won the 2019 NBA championship. Last year marked the fifth consecutive season that Lowry was named an all-star.
Raptors news: Kyle Lowry hires Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports as his new agent – Clutch Points
Kyle Lowry just won his first NBA title. The five-time All-Star is once again the best player on the Raptors after superstar Kawhi Leonard’s departure. Lowry had thumb surgery after the NBA Finals, but he’s expected to be 100 percent for training camp.
This past season, Lowry averaged 14.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists while shooting 41.1 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from beyond the arc and 83.0 percent from the free-throw line. In the 2019 playoffs, Lowry put up 15.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. The Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals in six games.
The Raptors are said to be leaning toward keeping Lowry, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka despite Leonard leaving for the Los Angeles Clippers. Toronto won’t be title contenders in 2019-20, but they will surely be a playoff team with Lowry, Gasol, Ibaka, Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet leading the way.
A Victory That Transcends Basketball
The headlines building up to the finals series, and the final game proper, would probably be enough to draw the attention of basketball fans of all kinds, from those who are perhaps just relatively knowledgeable about the sport and have a little more than just a passing interest, to the most hard-core of fans who follow the game religiously. It’s really just a case of Toronto pretty much doing the entire country proud, with Canadians taking pride in the multiculturalism of the most populous city in the vast country to the north of the American border. It was these multicultural people in Toronto and beyond who showed the world just one more way to come together, this time though in support of their sole representative in the most prestigious basketball competition.
Local newsmakers in Canada might have started to believe that there could very well come a time when they’d be able to write about their beloved Raptors actually going on to win the NBA title, but it’s probably safe to say that there was a stronger sense of “Well, they’ve come this far and that in itself is a more-than-commendable achievement,” prior to the comparatively young franchise even making the finals. By then though their record-breaking season had many Canadians starting to really believe, with some who don’t even have an interest in basketball and the NBA lending some of their newfound interest along with their support.
2. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors won 58 games last season. They were 7.0 games ahead of the second-place 76ers and pretty much cruised to their sixth division title. Without Kawhi Leonard, everyone expects the team to take a step back, but should they? Leonard missed 22 games last season and the team didn’t miss a beat.
If you want to talk about the team not being able to go deep into the playoffs without Leonard that makes sense, but this is about the regular season the team should still be fine.
Defensively they’ll be solid night in night out and that should keep them at or around .500 on the road. Toronto has always had a great home-court advantage and if they can come close to the 32 wins they had last season at Scotiabank arena than they’ll be right in the thick of things in the division.
They’ll struggle to score most nights, but you can trust that their defence will be sustained through the season regardless of who they have on the court. Boston and Brooklyn will have growing pains which Toronto won’t have and that may be enough to keep them right behind Philly.
All this of course changes if Masai Ujiri decides to blow it up in December.
Projected Record: 52-30
NBA Analysis: Why Terence Davis could be a perfect fit with the Toronto Raptors – Raptors HQ
Davis’s skill as a cutter is obvious, he cuts hard, reads mistakes by the defense immediately, and is an explosive finisher at the basket. Still, these plays will be less common at the next level, where defenses are smarter. Even if his volume of cuts diminish at the next level however, Davis has the necessary skills to work through the rest of a DHO. He’s a confident shooter, with a quick, clean looking release, and he showcased excellent touch on floaters with the Raptors in Summer League, which would make him useful on curls.
His aptitude in DHO sets is just one reason that Davis should be a good fit with the Raptors, however. Davis gives the Raptors another ball-handler with excellent pace, someone who can push in transition and make reads on the fly. With Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry as their main offensive engines this Raptors’ team figures to get out and run a whole lot, and Davis would help play into that.
Davis should also allow the Raptors to maintain their defensive identity. Davis posted elite steal and block numbers for a guard throughout Summer League and during his time at Ole Miss in college. He’s an elite athlete who plays with exceptional intensity, frequently picking up full-court. Last year, the Raptors were a team that thrived due, in large part, to their ability to put five above average defenders on the floor consistently. That’s something they seem to be looking to continue with the signings of Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. If Davis’ defense translates from the college and Summer League levels then he should be able to be a part of that.
Having high expectations for an undrafted free agent seems like a fool’s errand, but I believe that with Davis, the Raptors have not only snagged someone who never should have gone undrafted in the first place, they’ve also acquired a player with a skill-set that should be an excellent fit with their roster. To be clear, Davis is not a perfect player. He struggles to get to the line, stopping short of the help on his drives. While he’s fast in the open floor, he’s likely to initially struggle if asked to create off the dribble in the halfcourt, a concern, as he lacks true wing size at 6’4”. He’s also more of a volume shooter than a dead-eye marksman, having shot only 34 percent from three-point range over the course of his college career (though he improved substantially in his senior year).
Former B.C. physiotherapist brings NBA trophy to Vancouver this week | Vancouver Sun
The longtime physiotherapist has also worked with names such as Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash and the Los Angeles Lakers, helping the team win five championships in 11 seasons. Last year, he was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame as an honorary member.
McKechnie has been with the Toronto Raptors since the 2011-2012 season. He currently serves as assistant coach and director of sports science for the team.
The NBA championship trophy will be on view to the public at the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, located at Gate A of B.C. Place, between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tuesday on a first-come-first-serve basis. Admission is required to access the exhibit.
Canada names four assistant coaches to FIBA World Cup staff – Sportsnet.ca
“I’m really looking forward to working alongside great coaches like Gordie, Nate, Brad, Nathaniel and Jon as we head to China for the FIBA Basketball World Cup,” Nurse said in a team statement. “We all love and respect the international game, and we all bring different experiences and perspectives to this effort. This is an important tournament for Canada, and I believe that our coaching staff is prepared for the challenge.”
Bjorkgren currently works with Nurse as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors. Before joining the Raptors, Bjorkgren served three years as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns and he has coaching experience in the G League with the Bakersfield Jam, Iowa Energy, Santa Cruz Warriors and Dakota Wizards.
Greenberg is currently the head coach of the Maccabi Ashdod in the Israeli Premier League. He has 12 years of NBA experience as an assistant coach with the L.A. Clippers and New York Knicks, and has served as the president and general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers. Greenberg also has some international experience, coaching Kosovo in the recent FIBA World Cup qualifiers and serving as an assistant coach with the Venezuelan national team.
Mitchell, a Toronto native, is currently an assistant coach with the Charlotte Hornets. He was previously an assistant coach with the G League’s Raptors 905, and was an assistant coach for Team Canada during the FIBA qualifying rounds.
Goodwillie, an Etobicoke, Ont., native, has been the Raptors’ video co-ordinator since 2011 and has worked in the team’s video department for the last 13 seasons. Earlier this summer, he served as head coach of the Raptors team in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Brissett is 21-year-old small forward, listed at 6’8” and 210 pounds, who just so happens to hail from Toronto, Canada. He spent the last two seasons playing his college ball for Syracuse — a fact sure to delight Raptors’ analyst Leo Rautins. In that time, Brissett averaged 13.7 points in 35.7 minutes per game, to go with 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists, and shooting percentages of 37 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three. Admittedly, these are utilitarian numbers, with the shooting percentages presenting some specific cause for concern (even if they fit right in with Toronto’s new raft of non-shooting forwards).
Despite his undrafted presence in Toronto, Brissett has had some recent NBA contact. In fact, Brissett spent this most recent Summer League playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. Through five games for that squad, Brissett posted 6.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game, while shooting 29 percent from the floor in 17.6 minutes per contest. Again, not exactly numbers that inspire much confidence, but this is obviously a low-risk move from the Raptors.
Every summer Toronto expands its roster by way of Exhibit 10 deals. This allows them to invite some players of interest into training camp and potentially convert them into end-of-bench options (rare), two-way contracts (semi-common), or new G Leaguers for the 905 (most likely). As it stands right now, Toronto has already signed Sagaba Konate and Devin Robinson to such deals, putting them on the same continuum as Brissett. (Meanwhile, guys like Chris Boucher and Malcolm Miller have moved up to full-on contract status, while Jordan Loyd still occupies one of Toronto’s two-way slots.)
Send me any Raptors-related stuff: rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
