K-Low has to Go if the Raptors Have Nothing to Show

Here’s a radical idea: the Raptors should sign Kyle Lowry then trade him after next season. Intrigued? Read on.

The first one to the ground when a ball is loose. The toughest guy on the court despite being the smallest. He will do whatever it takes to win on both sides of the ball. These descriptions all define Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry.

Lowry is a special player. He is arguably the best point guard in the history of the Franchise and the most important player for the Raptors currently.

However,  Kyle Lowry needs to be shipped by the end of the 2017-2018 season.

I will preface everything I am about to state by saying I am a huge fan of K-Low. I always recognized he had this type of potential. He had quickly awed me with his versatility and bulldog, grind-out play in flashes while playing for the Rockets. He has come into his own even more so as the leader of this Raptors ball club.

Despite this, K-Low’s best years have already occurred and it is time to move on.

It has been studied that an NBA point guard’s prime is generally around the age range of 28-32. Kyle Lowry is 31 and not getting any younger. Barring a blessing from the basketball gods, the Raps will be booted without getting the opportunity to return to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Unfortunately, the Raps will stagnate with a team founded upon this core. Raptors President Masai Ujiri has moved Toronto in a positive direction with the recent additions of Ibaka and Tucker. Despite this, they will continue to be the Clippers of the East.

They will be a consistent team that makes the playoffs perennially, but never has a legitimate shot to hoist the good ol’ Larry O’ Brien Trophy. So here’s what needs to happen.

Masai needs to re-sign K-Low. This would be for less than the max contract in an ideal scenario. Masai then needs to trade Lowry for perhaps a younger up-and-coming point guard or rebuild the team completely sometime before the trade deadline in February 2018.

It is his choice in which direction he would like to take the Franchise. But now, I will explain why Lowry has to go and not his best bud.

Raps Should Hold on to DeMar

First, DeMar DeRozan is younger and has only seemed to scratch the surface of what he can become. He has gotten better each year because he is one of the biggest gym rats.

In addition, he has been explicit about modelling his game after Kobe. He has expressed that he wants to be to the Raps what Kobe was to the Lakers.

It is clear that DeMar’s heart is in Toronto, even if trying to be like Kobe is a bit of a tall order. DeMar now has an obligation to defend the city as vigourously as Annalise Keating defends the Keating 5.

For this reason, DeMar does not seem as if he is planning a departure to south of the border, even if the winters are not as harsh. Additionally, the shooting guard position is the thinnest position in the league and it would be hard to acquire a shooting guard more effective than Demar.

Undersized Point Guards Struggle as They Age

On the other hand, K-Low’s best days are behind him.  The point guard position being the most difficult position to play is no secret. This is not only for responsibilities in running the offence. It is also because point guards must guard the most explosive players on the other end.

Point guards are a little like most actors in Hollywood. They have a short time to excel until they are replaced by something younger and more gaudy.

Few point guards dominate the league past 30. J-Kidd, Nash and Stockton are the only players that come to mind.

Jason Kidd was able to find a niche by improving his jumper which paid dividends for a 2011 championship Mavs team.

Steve Nash was able to seemingly get better with age like fine wine. He was able to win back-to-back MVPs in his 30s. Mainly, this is because he hardly ever relied on foot speed and used craftiness to be effective. However, he is the exception not the rule.

John Stockton is a rare breed of point guard. He was not athletic but was somehow able to enjoy a Hall of Fame career. This is because he took care of his body. This enabled him to enjoy durability and longevity, despite giving up his body on a nightly basis.

However, point guards who find success late in their careers are few and far between. This is is even more likely when they are undersized.

Undersized point guards often have to work harder. They rely more heavily on their quickness to be effective, which makes them less likely to succeed as they age.

K-low will not likely be an anomaly to this trend.  The Villanova product lays his body on the line on a nightly basis, without any afterthought.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, Father Time is undefeated like Floyd Mayweather. However, unlike Mayweather, Father Time is not judicious with his battles and victimizes everyone.

Soon enough, Father Time will add K-Low to its list of victims. I hope Lowry is no longer rocking a Raps uniform and we can see his worst years on another team.

Selling-high on an aging player seems like the only way to make this possible. In turn, we will part with a player that has already given us his best years and ship him for some younger assets.

Sadly, sustained success in the NBA cannot be found from drinking in a spring like in Tuck Everlasting.

 Instead, we can only appreciate what a player has already done and wait for their inevitable decline.