Everything Kyle Lowry

[GOLDBLUM]

Situation with Lowry seems worse than what we were originally told:

The Raptors announce Kyle Lowry had pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory injections in his back last week at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. pic.twitter.com/RKhm5vV5mP

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 1, 2019

Next few weeks are going to be rough.

I had to google around looking for further info and could find nothing of substance yet. I swear my mind flatlined after seeing the word “Surgery.” Did not at all recognize that was just the hospital name.

Take your time, Kyle.

I don’t give a flying fuck if Demar shreds us without you.

Just come back healthy when it really matters. For fucking real though.

[Demographic Shift]

Situation with Lowry seems worse than what we were originally told:

The Raptors announce Kyle Lowry had pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory injections in his back last week at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. pic.twitter.com/RKhm5vV5mP

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 1, 2019

Next few weeks are going to be rough.

Pain management and anti inflamatory meds are pretty common these days. So common that your family doctor can likely administer this in his office....

That Lowry had this done in a specialized medical faculty suggests that that maybe he has something a little out of the ordinary in his back...

A bulging disk or maybe another disk problem ? ANy other wild specualtive ideas out there ?

[DanH]

You’ve been beating the drum that FVV isn’t a point guard. Somebody better tell FVV, Nurse and especially Masai. He’s our starting PG until Lowry gets back.

Depends how you define positions. I definitely want him defending the opposing PG, for example. But he can't be the primary offence initiator. Which is fine, we have several of those. Especially once Lower is back, but even before then he's got Kawhi and Wright and Pascal who should be creating before he does. Him starting at PG doesn't prevent that at all.

[GOLDBLUM]

Depends how you define positions. I definitely want him defending the opposing PG, for example. But he can't be the primary offence initiator. Which is fine, we have several of those. Especially once Lower is back, but even before then he's got Kawhi and Wright and Pascal who should be creating before he does. Him starting at PG doesn't prevent that at all.

Lower back? Lower back!
What do you know that we don’t Dan??!??
Save us Dan!!! SAAAAAVE UUUUSSSSS!!!!!

[DanH]

Lower back? Lower back!
What do you know that we don’t Dan??!??
Save us Dan!!! SAAAAAVE UUUUSSSSS!!!!!

My phone is annoying, I know that much...

[GLF]

Our medical staff is looking bad. Lowry never should have sniffed the court in Philly.

It more shows that the organization has no control over Kyle lol. I KNEW he would play in Philly because he's wants to. It doesn't matter if that's whats best for him or not because no one can stop Kyle. He does as he pleases

[Rudy Bargnani]

Raptors coach Nick Nurse reiterated that he believes Kyle Lowry is getting closer to the end of his time on the sidelines with a back issue despite the team's announcement of Lowry getting pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory shots Saturday in New York.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 1, 2019

[Rudy Bargnani]

I think it was the golden state game when he fell hard on his back near the bench. Looked scary at the time. Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where he hurt it.

[Just Is]

I think it was the golden state game when he fell hard on his back near the bench. Looked scary at the time. Wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where he hurt it.

I was thinking the same. Granted; I also think it might have occurred in a game against either Utah or Denver (for some reason; I always just mix up the two teams in my head).

[golden]

Depends how you define positions. I definitely want him defending the opposing PG, for example. But he can't be the primary offence initiator. Which is fine, we have several of those. Especially once Lower is back, but even before then he's got Kawhi and Wright and Pascal who should be creating before he does. Him starting at PG doesn't prevent that at all.

If Freddy can consistently do the things he did at the college level.... that's the quintessential definition of a point guard. You look at his DraftExpress scouting report and it pretty much screams 'Point Guard'. The issue isn't that FVV is not a point guard and shouldn't be used in the PG 'role', because his skillset is prototypical for the PG position.... the issue is if his physical limitations will allow his PG skillset to consistently translate to the NBA against better, smarter athletes and opposition game-planning.

FVV scouting report ... from DX:

A steady hand at the point guard position, VanVleet has shown he can be a coach on the floor by being the conductor of an efficient offense, while averaging a solid 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists per 40 minutes. He never gets sped up with the ball and doesn't get fazed by ball pressure or double teams. He keeps the offense flowing and his 7.03 pure point rating is fourth best among all prospects in our top 100. He doesn't turn the ball over by trying to make highlight reel passes, but he takes care of the ball and has displayed great vision and feel for the game as a creator for his teammates. VanVleet was measured at 6'1” in shoes during the 2015 Pan Am Training Camp with a 6'2” wingspan, which puts him below average in terms of height and length compared with most NBA point guards. He isn't a great athlete either, as he doesn't possess a high top speed or a quick burst, but he has an exceptionally high basketball IQ, can operate at different speeds and utilizes his strength well to make an impact in the half-court. VanVleet will have to prove he can translate his effectiveness against the more physically gifted guards he'll encounter at the professional level, but his feel for the game, on-court presence and stable demeanor will help his chances tremendously. VanVleet is a pick and roll maestro, with 58% of his total possessions logged by Synergy Sports Technology derived from him running the pick and roll. He's an expert at using the ball-screen to create space to get inside the arc to make play, often by looking to get his teammates into space to shoot by delivering accurate, on point passes to the roll man, cutters or spot-up shooters. He turns the ball over on just 5.9% of pick and roll possessions and is never rattled no matter what level of pressure the defense throws at him. With the NBA being such a ball-screen heavy offense, VanVleet certainly has the chops to create some points from this play type while he is on the floor. The key to VanVleet's effectiveness running an offense, despite not possessing exceptional size or athleticism, are his terrific ball-handling skills, coupled with his propensity for changing gears and keeping defenders off-balance. He operates at a pace that is unique to him, handling the ball on a string and finds a great mix between scoring and playmaking. His best chance to score off ball screens is by pulling up for a jump shot, usually a three point attempt off the dribble. He shot 37.9% on 66 jump shots off the dribble logged by Synergy Sports Technology. He's also a fairly decent spot-up shooter, converting 38.1% of his attempts in his senior season with his attempts split fairly evenly between the two shot categories. The majority of these are three point attempts when he has the space to shoot with only 41 jump shots inside the arc as recorded by Synergy Sports Technology. When he penetrates into the paint, he prefers to pass out rather than shoot because he isn't a great finisher inside the arc with a paltry 39.6% two point field goal percentage. third lowest among prospects in our top 100. While this poor mark does not fully remove him from draft consideration, since 2000 only Josh Selby and Andrew Harrison have been drafted while converting less than 40% of their two point attempts in the same season. To VanVleet's credit, he did shoot 45% from 2-point range in his college career as a whole. With his below average tools, VanVleet struggles to get his shot off at the rim and can't always create space to attempt a floater before he reaches the restricted area. While he can get his defender on his hip to give him room to make a pass off the dribble, he rarely has enough separation for a shot attempt either close to the rim or as a pull-up two point jump shot. He will have to combine a three point jump shot off the dribble with his superb passing ability to be a multifaceted offensive threat. VanVleet was one of the best defensive point guards in college basketball, but there are some question marks about how his below average size and length will allow this part of his game to translate to the professional level. He's constantly talking to by calling out plays and directing his teammates to where the action is heading. He can also pick up the ball before halfcourt to tire out his opponent and burn the shot clock by putting some pressure on the ball. He generated 2.5 steals per 40 minutes pace adjusted with his quick hands on the ball and will definitely provide some energy and toughness defensively. Although VanVleet may not have prototypical size and athleticism for his position, he is a winning point guard who has plenty of intangibles a team could fall in love with, which could help easily help him earn a roster spot. He has a number of attributes NBA teams look for in backups, with his ability to make shots, find the open man, defend with toughness and keep mistakes to a minimum. Those are skills NBA teams value, and VanVleet could certainly play his way onto a NBA team when it's all said and done.

http://www.draftexpress.com/article/...g-Report-5494/

[DanH]

If Freddy can consistently do the things he did at the college level.... that's the quintessential definition of a point guard. You look at his DraftExpress scouting report and it pretty much screams 'Point Guard'. The issue isn't that FVV is not a point guard and shouldn't be used in the PG 'role', because his skillset is prototypical for the PG position.... the issue is if his physical limitations will allow his PG skillset to consistently translate to the NBA against better, smarter athletes and opposition game-planning.

FVV scouting report ... from DX:



http://www.draftexpress.com/article/...g-Report-5494/

OK, sure, but we have a pretty solid sample to show that his PG skills in college will not in fact translate to the NBA. But also that his shooting, defence and high IQ off-ball motion will, while those PG skills do allow him to operate in a secondary/tertiary creation role when needed.

[S.R.]

Dan: FVV shouldn't be playing as a traditional point guard, he's better off the ball offensively.

golden: But he was a traditional point guard in college, he just can't play that role in the NBA because he's too small.

Me:

[RandomGuy]

Dan: FVV shouldn't be playing as a traditional point guard, he's better off the ball offensively.

golden: But he was a traditional point guard in college, he just can't play that role in the NBA because he's too small.

Me:

Me after reading your opinion:

[golden]

OK, sure, but we have a pretty solid sample to show that his PG skills in college will not in fact translate to the NBA. But also that his shooting, defence and high IQ off-ball motion will, while those PG skills do allow him to operate in a secondary/tertiary creation role when needed.

TBH, it doesn't matter what you and I think because Nurse is going to give his players enough rope to hang themselves in order to maximize their potential. FVV thinks that he can be a traditional PG at the NBA level, so he's going to be 'exploring' that for the foreseeable future. Pascal is a good example of a guy who that strategy has worked out ridiculously well. I have a feeling that it's part of Nurse's process and he'll start reigning guys in by the last 3rd of the season, or the players' will figure it out on their own.

[DanH]

TBH, it doesn't matter what you and I think because Nurse is going to give his players enough rope to hang themselves in order to maximize their potential. FVV thinks that he can be a traditional PG at the NBA level, so he's going to be 'exploring' that for the foreseeable future. Pascal is a good example of a guy who that strategy has worked out ridiculously well. I have a feeling that it's part of Nurse's process and he'll start reigning guys in by the last 3rd of the season, or the players' will figure it out on their own.

That's the hope. I have no issue with it if that's what it is. And we'll see if that is what it is.