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How Raptors Won Big In Lin Shuffle
By Justin Verrier
ESPN.com
LAS VEGAS -- As Jeremy Lin was being sworn in as the newest member of the Houston Rockets, the New York Knicks were unofficially kicking off the post-Lin era, in the same gym where the myth of the rags-to-super-riches point guard first began.
As their summer squad hit center court at Cox Pavilion to tip off the seventh day at Las Vegas Summer League against the Toronto Raptors, some of the key figures in Lin's sudden and, quite frankly, shocking departure from New York mere months removed from becoming the team's, and league's, supernova began to funnel in.
Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald positioned himself against the railing in the northeast corner of the stadium's seats. Amare Stoudemire milled about, ultimately settling into a courtside chair directly across from the Summer Knicks' bench. As did a relatively svelte-looking Raymond Felton, Lin's presumed successor at point guard. Assistant general manager Allan Houston also looked on. As did several other team staffers.
With such a large contingent representing what has become the NBA's biggest lightening-rod franchise outside of Miami, especially once the offseason arrives, it was easy to overlook two of the casualties in the very public war waged this past week for Lin's free-agent rights.
Sitting on the other end of the court, right across from their new team, were former Knick Landry Fields and former Rocket Kyle Lowry, who were both shipped off to Canada from their respective teams this offseason. It was the first summer league game for both, and a clear reminder that a chapter had flipped in their careers.
"It's very interesting timing," Fields said. "Not that I don't want to go, but I was like, 'Oh, man. Now I've got to see all these people.' I literally see everybody over there [in the northeast corner]."
Fields, in fact, would end up having amiable-looking conversations with several of the Knicks representatives, including Stoudemire.
The Raptors probably should have, too.
No team outside of the two directly involved in the signing and the declining of Lin's $25 million offer sheet has benefited more than Toronto. With the Knicks allegedly looking to avoid the new CBA's more punitive luxury tax, the Raptors were able to pick up Fields, in part because they offered him a very generous sum (three years, $20 million) in the presumed hopes of gunking up New York's attempt to woo Steve Nash. And Lowry, whose displeasure with playing for Kevin McHale had been well-documented, was able to get the Rockets to trade him to Toronto, effectively paving the way for the Lin signing.
Add in incoming rookies Terrence Ross, the No. 8 pick in this year's draft who has impressed here in Vegas, and Jonas Valanciunas, the No. 5 pick in the 2011 draft who is expected to finally come aboard, as well as another year under the tutelage of defensive guru Dwane Casey, and all of a sudden, a playoff berth doesn't seem like such a wild expectation for the much-maligned Raps.
"Both [Fields and Lowry] are defensive-minded guys, but both can also score," Casey said. "So they're guys that will fit into our system. We need scoring, we need the confidence on the offensive end, and I think both guys give that to us because they came from offensive systems. But still defense is a priority to those guys."
And to the team.
Once notorious for their historically porous defense, the Raptors' identity was completely overhauled in Casey's first season in Toronto. Using almost all of the same parts from the team's 25th-ranked defense in 2010-11, Casey's schemes and motivational tactics -- which include importing a giant rock into the team's facility and using some type of magic elixir on the defensively apathetic Andrea Bargnani -- were able to move the Raptors into 12th place in defensive efficiency by season's end.
But with their offense now ranked 25th in the league, Toronto still had to make significant improvements this offseason in order to make a serious playoff push.
The team's very public pursuit of Nash would've done just that, in one fell swoop, as well as provide them with instant credibility -- something general manager Bryan Colangelo said the Raps needed after four straight seasons outside of the playoff field.
Colangelo's hard sell obviously didn't work, as the point guard he courted to the Phoenix Suns eight years ago fled to the opposite side of North America. But the duo they did bring on should at least provide some more scoring punch.
The 26-year-old Lowry, whom Colangelo called a top-10 point guard in the league, had a breakout season running the show for McHale's Rockets, finishing with a player efficiency rating of 18.89 and averages of 14.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds a game. And while Fields has fallen off considerably since storming into the league two seasons ago, the team could still find a way to unearth the fill-all-the-holes repertoire he flashed as a rookie.
Casey also said he's moving forward under the assumption that Jose Calderon, who has reportedly been dangled in trade scenarios, will return next season.
"It would've been great to get Steve," Casey said, "but for the long-term culture of our team, the long-term health of our team, we've got some young players that fit well within the organization."
Even though it took more high-profile moves from two other teams to get them there.
"However I got here, I'm not going to argue with it," Fields said.
By Justin Verrier
ESPN.com
LAS VEGAS -- As Jeremy Lin was being sworn in as the newest member of the Houston Rockets, the New York Knicks were unofficially kicking off the post-Lin era, in the same gym where the myth of the rags-to-super-riches point guard first began.
As their summer squad hit center court at Cox Pavilion to tip off the seventh day at Las Vegas Summer League against the Toronto Raptors, some of the key figures in Lin's sudden and, quite frankly, shocking departure from New York mere months removed from becoming the team's, and league's, supernova began to funnel in.
Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald positioned himself against the railing in the northeast corner of the stadium's seats. Amare Stoudemire milled about, ultimately settling into a courtside chair directly across from the Summer Knicks' bench. As did a relatively svelte-looking Raymond Felton, Lin's presumed successor at point guard. Assistant general manager Allan Houston also looked on. As did several other team staffers.
With such a large contingent representing what has become the NBA's biggest lightening-rod franchise outside of Miami, especially once the offseason arrives, it was easy to overlook two of the casualties in the very public war waged this past week for Lin's free-agent rights.
Sitting on the other end of the court, right across from their new team, were former Knick Landry Fields and former Rocket Kyle Lowry, who were both shipped off to Canada from their respective teams this offseason. It was the first summer league game for both, and a clear reminder that a chapter had flipped in their careers.
"It's very interesting timing," Fields said. "Not that I don't want to go, but I was like, 'Oh, man. Now I've got to see all these people.' I literally see everybody over there [in the northeast corner]."
Fields, in fact, would end up having amiable-looking conversations with several of the Knicks representatives, including Stoudemire.
The Raptors probably should have, too.
No team outside of the two directly involved in the signing and the declining of Lin's $25 million offer sheet has benefited more than Toronto. With the Knicks allegedly looking to avoid the new CBA's more punitive luxury tax, the Raptors were able to pick up Fields, in part because they offered him a very generous sum (three years, $20 million) in the presumed hopes of gunking up New York's attempt to woo Steve Nash. And Lowry, whose displeasure with playing for Kevin McHale had been well-documented, was able to get the Rockets to trade him to Toronto, effectively paving the way for the Lin signing.
Add in incoming rookies Terrence Ross, the No. 8 pick in this year's draft who has impressed here in Vegas, and Jonas Valanciunas, the No. 5 pick in the 2011 draft who is expected to finally come aboard, as well as another year under the tutelage of defensive guru Dwane Casey, and all of a sudden, a playoff berth doesn't seem like such a wild expectation for the much-maligned Raps.
"Both [Fields and Lowry] are defensive-minded guys, but both can also score," Casey said. "So they're guys that will fit into our system. We need scoring, we need the confidence on the offensive end, and I think both guys give that to us because they came from offensive systems. But still defense is a priority to those guys."
And to the team.
Once notorious for their historically porous defense, the Raptors' identity was completely overhauled in Casey's first season in Toronto. Using almost all of the same parts from the team's 25th-ranked defense in 2010-11, Casey's schemes and motivational tactics -- which include importing a giant rock into the team's facility and using some type of magic elixir on the defensively apathetic Andrea Bargnani -- were able to move the Raptors into 12th place in defensive efficiency by season's end.
But with their offense now ranked 25th in the league, Toronto still had to make significant improvements this offseason in order to make a serious playoff push.
The team's very public pursuit of Nash would've done just that, in one fell swoop, as well as provide them with instant credibility -- something general manager Bryan Colangelo said the Raps needed after four straight seasons outside of the playoff field.
Colangelo's hard sell obviously didn't work, as the point guard he courted to the Phoenix Suns eight years ago fled to the opposite side of North America. But the duo they did bring on should at least provide some more scoring punch.
The 26-year-old Lowry, whom Colangelo called a top-10 point guard in the league, had a breakout season running the show for McHale's Rockets, finishing with a player efficiency rating of 18.89 and averages of 14.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds a game. And while Fields has fallen off considerably since storming into the league two seasons ago, the team could still find a way to unearth the fill-all-the-holes repertoire he flashed as a rookie.
Casey also said he's moving forward under the assumption that Jose Calderon, who has reportedly been dangled in trade scenarios, will return next season.
"It would've been great to get Steve," Casey said, "but for the long-term culture of our team, the long-term health of our team, we've got some young players that fit well within the organization."
Even though it took more high-profile moves from two other teams to get them there.
"However I got here, I'm not going to argue with it," Fields said.
