ak murthy (196 posts)  9/30/2012 12:58 AM

Before Lowry went down last year he was putting together a phenomenal season, what are you guys expecting from him this year in Toronto?

A) How will he fit in with Jose Calderon? How much do you expect Calderon to eat into Lowry's production?

B) How does he fit in with Toronto's offensive and defensive systems/philosphies? Is he a good fit for their style of play?

C) How bad will his FG% be?

bhaveman (11 posts)  10/1/2012 10:10 AM

I expect Lowry to have a superlative year in Toronto, at least in fantasy terms.

A) Lowry will be the starter. Calderon will be the backup. I would expect to see some, but not much (largely situational), of a Lowry/Calderon tandem, similar to when Andre Miller and Ty Lawson play together. I don't think that Calderon will limit Lowry's minutes at all, but exactly the opposite. Lowry will play until he needs rest.

B) Dwayne Casey is a very good defensive coach.  He turned a putrid Toronto defence into something like 11th best in the league last year.  Lowry is not only a decent defensive player, he puts forth the effort.  Not playing too much of the armchair psychologist here, but I think this is a case of the right coach finding the right player.  Toronto is in need of a locker room leader, and Lowry has that mentality to lead within the context of the coaches gameplan.

C) I think his FG% will be close to last year.  You're drafting Lowry for everything else he brings (he rebounds really well for a PG).  I'm interested to see how Toronto runs their offense - I'm imagining some PnRs with Bargnani, some isos for DeRozan, and some ugly offensive basketball, which I'm thinking will mean that Lowry's FG% stays low.

power101 (327 posts)  10/1/2012 10:58 AM

Agree that Lowry's FG% will stay low...although I do expect a slight bump up there. Its been a while since the Raps had a PG like Lowry (I am a jose fan, but this team needs a PG who can get into the paint without needing 5 picks to do so). Last PG they had who could do that was TJ Ford.

The raptor players should be able to experience some new things playing with Lowry, and I feel that he will make life easier for bargs (expect a bump up in bargs FG% as well). Derozen will have some more freedom to drive, as he can't take guys off dribble very well, but lowry getting the defense on their toes will help derozen. Even back up bigs Amir and Davis will benefit, and if Val can stay on the court, I can see him and Lowry making a nice duo.

The raps won't be an offensive juggernaut, but they will be better then "ugly offensive basketball" and lowry's FG% will reflect that slight improvment. Think 44%.

bhaveman (11 posts)  10/1/2012 11:07 AM

Toronto had the 25th ranked offense last year, with Ocho (an offensive PG) playing the bulk of the PG minutes.  Ocho's Assist percentage was 44% (40% career) and Lowry's was 32% (27% career).  Toss in a rookie C (and a young one at that) and a defensive coach, and I don't see Toronto's basket-getting game suddenly improving. I just see a lot more iso for Kyle and DD. It may be even uglier than last year. It also might get more wins...

I think Lowry is a step up in a few ways (and I agree that he will get in the lane and get to the line a lot more than Jose ever did) but I wouldn't imagine that this is going to be a fun team to watch on offense.

power101 (327 posts)  10/1/2012 12:02 PM

who the heck is ocho?

If you are referring to Jose, let me go over it again...

Jose can set up a half court offense. Jose is a touch streaky, but overall a good outside shooter. Jose is good at pick and roll basketball.

What Jose is not is a "break the man down off the dribble" player. And in this league, you need one of those. If someone else on the team was that type of guy, it would work a lot better for jose, but Demar is not. Bargs is not (he is all trying to fake the shot and get defender up). Ross is not. Kleiza is not. Fields is not. they have NO one who can take their man off the dribble, and get the defense readjusting/moving/on their heels.

Sure bayless started some games last year, and looked good during moments. But there is a reason why he has been a bench guy for 4 years. There is a reason that even after a few good games in Toronto, its still back to the bench for him on memphis. He is a typical combo guard who is to small for the SG spot, and too much of a shooter for the PG spot.

So now they have Lowry, who CAN get into the paint. He can get defenses moving. He can get defenses readjuting. So what happens with him bringing that to the table? With proper ball movement, you get more open shots for Ross and Klezia. More driving lanes for Derozen. Less defensive pressure on Bargs. Amir and Davis will have a chance at taking advantage of defensive movement with getting better position for offensive boards. And I am not even expecting much from the rookie offensively. Anything he does is just gravy!

AS a long time raps fan, there is zero doubt that offensively Lowry at the point is MUCH better for this team then Jose. If we had a great SG or SF who was a scorer and could get into the paint, then perhaps Jose would be more useful. But the Raps needed a lowry type at the PG spot. Let me repeat...the raps will not become some sort of top 5 offensive team. But an increase on 25th? Unless injuries nail the raps, you can safely bet on some sort of improvement.

bhaveman (11 posts)  10/1/2012 12:22 PM

I only took issue with the not going to be "ugly offensive basketball".  I do agree, for the reasons you listed above, that the offense will be improved.  I just think its going to be minimal improvement at first, and still ugly. Sinfully ugly. Ugly as Reggie Evans.

Jose is number 8, and being spanish, has been referred to as 'ocho' before (the spanish word for 8). I guess the nickname is not as widespread as I thought - its funny how you lose track of what's made it out into the mainstream and what you call people when you're yelling at the TV screen ;-)

power101 (327 posts)  10/1/2012 12:26 PM

actually...that is a pretty sweet nick name now that you explained it. To bad he wont be in Toronto past the trade dealine most likely, or I would have tried to spread that around town

Cap. (553 posts)  10/1/2012 1:17 PM

In hindsight, Lowry is a much better fit for this team than Nash would have been.  Nash and Calderon are too similar, so he might not have made as much of a difference as Lowry will.  Lowry's defense alone makes this whole team better, and should create a faster pace and more fast break opportunities, thus increasing their offensive output. 

power101 (327 posts)  10/1/2012 1:44 PM

For me, it was not even in hindsight...from the moment the lowry rumors got out around the draft, I was sold on getting him, and when the raps turned their attention to nash, i thought it was a huge mistake. Nash offensively would still contribute, and make the raps better on one end of the floor, but lowry also has defense, and he is not that far behind nash on offense ether.

I got from a PR standpoint why nash was better then Lowry...but at this point I dont give a crap about PR, I care about the raps actually becoming a freakin respectable team on the court for the long term, and lowry has always been the best option of the two in my books for that to happen.

AC360 (3 posts)  10/14/2012 11:14 AM

I would wager some money on a situation where Lowry goes down for a couple weeks, Calderon carries the Raptors to a few consecutive wins, and then we go into an Oh-So-Famous Raptors PG controversy. 

I'm not drafting Kyle Lowry because Calderon always makes things interesting at PG, and you know that BC loves him. 

boombaby (25 posts)  10/15/2012 6:00 AM

There are strong rumors of Calderon getting shipped before February, and Lowry definitely have the green light to carry and orchestrate the team. 

But same as AC360, I have a gut feeling Lowry will go down sometime next season and Calderon will finish the year with the Raptors. But that's just me.

Sonic Phantom (23 posts)  10/15/2012 11:51 PM

I'm not buying the lowry hype.  The groin issue is the same thing that bothered him last year.  Calderon is having a good preseason so far, and JLIII is no slouch, either.  He's made the most of his playing time so far in pre-season, just as he did in chicago last yr.  Too many questions.  There are much safer value plays out there.

fredfunk (32 posts)  10/16/2012 1:14 AM

I picked lowry last year and for the first few months he almost single-handedly put me in first place.........I love his game and know he can average tremendous numbers. 

like other people on this forum, however, I can definitely picture injury problems throughout the season.  he missed a lot of time last year, got injured at the end of the season the year before, and is now dealing with a leg problem--again.  when players get injured before the season even starts it raises questions.  he hasn't had one full season as a starter and I'm wondering if he ever will.  I think he can absolutely put up a huge year but I won't be reaching for him. 

ak murthy (196 posts)  10/17/2012 11:58 PM

Put in 14 and 6 assists with 3 steals in his preseason debut. here are just a couple quick notes:

-Looked active on defense. Got the steals but had a few more deflections and looked quick and alert. Looks like he's free to gamble so hopefully that results in more great STL production

-Took a couple hits and falls that made me worry, but looked fine getting up every time.

-Was happy to see him attack the rim and get to the FT line. 6-6 from the FT line. Knowing that Raps lacked a guy to break D's down 1-on-1, Lowry could be that, could also be the "closer." Very excited about his offensive role.

-He's already established as one of if not THE leader of the team.  

-Calderon had a good game with 8 assists, doesnt look like he's going to just go away.

-This is purely speculative, but to me it looked like he was moving around the court like he did last year when he was a top 15 fantasy player.

I think he's back and is going to have a monster season. I definitely see him beating the 15.3 ppg proj that BBM is currently at. 

dcentury (16 posts)  10/18/2012 12:44 AM

also, wasn't the main reason he missed more time last season a bacterial infection?  don't think the 'leg' problem is an issue really

# 14678 (33 posts)  11/4/2012 6:49 PM

I love this guy.

fuchacha (13 posts)  11/4/2012 6:51 PM

got him in every league im in this year, F yah!

ak murthy (196 posts)  11/4/2012 7:26 PM

23.6ppg, 7.3 rpg, 7apg, 3.6spg through 3 games. And 53% from the field. Even when he cools down his numbers should still be stellar. Not really much to complain about here.

ajcollector9290 (28 posts)  11/6/2012 8:11 PM

took him 46 overall, currently #1 in fantasy. just went down in screaming pain, watching it live. my heart is in my mouth, he was gonna carry me this season. this looks bad! =/

fuchacha (13 posts)  11/6/2012 11:17 PM

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo.

jphanned (91 posts)  11/7/2012 1:32 AM

He'll be fine - relax. Will miss a few games at most. Don't do anything rash RE: Calderon. Saw someone suggest cutting Hayward for him in another thread, which is bad advice.