An All-Star Case For Kyle Lowry
The 7th year man out of Villanova is enjoying his most productive season to date. Kyle Lowry is averaging over 16 points a game to go along with more than 7 assists a game. I could go off listing all the stats ad nauseam, but instead I want to focus more on something Lowry did not do right in yesterday's heart wrenching loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.
The Raptors at one point were trailing the Bobcats by an astounding 30 points (71-41 with 4:37 left in the 3rd quarter). Toronto then went on a tear sparked by the solid play of Greivis Vasquez, Chuck Hayes, and timely shooting by Steve Novak. Their point guard Lowry was having an uncharacteristic slow game but made up for it with 11 points in the 4th. Lowry made an acrobatic jumper while being fouled with 24 seconds to go. There he was at the charity stripe with the chance to bring the Raps all the way back to even with the Cats. The 81% free throw shooting Lowry proceeded to hit back rim and one could see right away in his eyes that he knew he (and the Raptors) had let that game slip away. He finished the game with 21 points.
I'm all for someone being an optimistic and carrying a positive body language even when things don't go your way on the court. That is not what Lowry did. However, I'm also a fan of someone who wears their heart on their sleeve and cares enough to be visibly angry with themselves for doing something that may have cost his team a shot at overtime (or better). Lowry grabbed his jersey and put it up over his face in disgust with his inability to convert the single free throw.
But it wasn't all over for T.O. as Vasquez had a good look at a corner three to tie with seconds left on the clock, thanks in large part to a heads-up play by power forward Chuck Hayes. One can't say enough about the double-double performance of Hayes who embodied a hard-nosed, blue-collar type approach in the loss.
Alas, Charlotte hung on for the win and pushed Toronto back to the .500 mark at 20-20. Thank our lucky stars that the Raptors are in the lowly Atlantic Division and still maintain a 2.5 game lead on the Brooklyn Nets and a 5.5 game lead on the New York Knicks.
But it has been the play of point guard of Kyle Lowry who most deserves All-Star recognition on the only NBA squad north of the border. I'll admit that I've always liked Lowry dating back to his days in Houston (and even in his college days at Villanova) but was becoming impatient with his somewhat inconsistent play the last couple seasons in Toronto. I really believe the turnaround has to do with Lowry feeling the pressure of having another solid PG in Vasquez nipping at his heels, and pushing him to his potential. Lowry's ability to attack the lane with toughness is not witnessed too often even in the NBA today. I would go as far to compare his reckless mentality to that of a young Dwayne Wade without the same athletic prowess. His ability to drive is buoyed by his sharp passing and his long range skills beyond the arc.
Lowry certainly gets my vote to be apart of the 2014 All-Star Game in New Orleans [16.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, .409 3P%, 4.1 RPG, with an .809 FT% looks like an All-Star to me at least].
Time will tell but as Raps fans let's hope Kyle Lowry cracks the East team. It would mark the first time since 2010 (Chris Bosh) that a Raptor made the team, as well as only the fourth Raptor of all time (Antonio Davis, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh). On the Sportnet broadcast yesterday, Matt Devlin and Leo Rautins explained how Lowry will not be voted in by the fans due to not receiving enough fan ballots but they still hope the league will add his name to the eastern conference squad.
The Raptors at one point were trailing the Bobcats by an astounding 30 points (71-41 with 4:37 left in the 3rd quarter). Toronto then went on a tear sparked by the solid play of Greivis Vasquez, Chuck Hayes, and timely shooting by Steve Novak. Their point guard Lowry was having an uncharacteristic slow game but made up for it with 11 points in the 4th. Lowry made an acrobatic jumper while being fouled with 24 seconds to go. There he was at the charity stripe with the chance to bring the Raps all the way back to even with the Cats. The 81% free throw shooting Lowry proceeded to hit back rim and one could see right away in his eyes that he knew he (and the Raptors) had let that game slip away. He finished the game with 21 points.
I'm all for someone being an optimistic and carrying a positive body language even when things don't go your way on the court. That is not what Lowry did. However, I'm also a fan of someone who wears their heart on their sleeve and cares enough to be visibly angry with themselves for doing something that may have cost his team a shot at overtime (or better). Lowry grabbed his jersey and put it up over his face in disgust with his inability to convert the single free throw.
But it wasn't all over for T.O. as Vasquez had a good look at a corner three to tie with seconds left on the clock, thanks in large part to a heads-up play by power forward Chuck Hayes. One can't say enough about the double-double performance of Hayes who embodied a hard-nosed, blue-collar type approach in the loss.
Alas, Charlotte hung on for the win and pushed Toronto back to the .500 mark at 20-20. Thank our lucky stars that the Raptors are in the lowly Atlantic Division and still maintain a 2.5 game lead on the Brooklyn Nets and a 5.5 game lead on the New York Knicks.
But it has been the play of point guard of Kyle Lowry who most deserves All-Star recognition on the only NBA squad north of the border. I'll admit that I've always liked Lowry dating back to his days in Houston (and even in his college days at Villanova) but was becoming impatient with his somewhat inconsistent play the last couple seasons in Toronto. I really believe the turnaround has to do with Lowry feeling the pressure of having another solid PG in Vasquez nipping at his heels, and pushing him to his potential. Lowry's ability to attack the lane with toughness is not witnessed too often even in the NBA today. I would go as far to compare his reckless mentality to that of a young Dwayne Wade without the same athletic prowess. His ability to drive is buoyed by his sharp passing and his long range skills beyond the arc.
Lowry certainly gets my vote to be apart of the 2014 All-Star Game in New Orleans [16.3 PPG, 7.3 APG, .409 3P%, 4.1 RPG, with an .809 FT% looks like an All-Star to me at least].
Time will tell but as Raps fans let's hope Kyle Lowry cracks the East team. It would mark the first time since 2010 (Chris Bosh) that a Raptor made the team, as well as only the fourth Raptor of all time (Antonio Davis, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh). On the Sportnet broadcast yesterday, Matt Devlin and Leo Rautins explained how Lowry will not be voted in by the fans due to not receiving enough fan ballots but they still hope the league will add his name to the eastern conference squad.
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