The Toronto Raptors came into the season looking like a team that was primed for a tanking performance and after trading away Rudy Gay that appeared to be happening, but the team has played well and are atop the Atlantic division for the time being and with Masai Ujiri thinking long term, Kyle Lowry could be next to go and teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors could be interested.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, there are a number of teams that could be interested in trading for the point guard apart from those three, including the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Vikings and Brooklyn Nets and the Raptors could be motivated to move Lowry before the trading deadline. The Knicks were one of the original teams to be in discussions with the Raptors, but James Dolan did not want to give up too much at the time and now the team could look to make a move as they try and pull back into the playoff race in the east.
The Los Angeles Lakers have had plenty of injuries at the position with Steve Blake, Steve Nash and Jordan Farmar, while the Warriors have also been interested in Denver Nuggets point guard Andre Miller. The Raptors have won nine of 12 games since trading Rudy Gay and while Masai Ujiri would love to be in the lottery, keeping Lowry may not make that happen and the team could even end up as division winners with the way the east has been shaping up.
The Lakers are a team that desperately needs a point guard and that is why they are in on the Kyle Lowry sweepstakes and this comes after the team lost Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar to various injuries over the season and now they could be in desperation mode with Kendall Marshall and they may end up pulling off a deal and here is a look from Reuters.com about the Lakers point guard woes. Just when the Los Angeles Lakers thought their injury problems could not worsen, they were preparing to face the Utah Jazz with a player who was competing in the NBA Development League only two weeks ago.
Eight players have so far missed games due to injury during a nightmare 2013-14 season for the Lakers and their revolving door of point guards has turned out a sixth starter in that position with Kendall Marshall suiting up against the Jazz on Friday.
Marshall, 22, was acquired by the D-League's Delaware 87ers on Dec 3 before being signed up by the Lakers just 17 days later as their casualty list deepened. Marshall, the 13th overall pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2012 draft, becomes the Lakers point guard following a rash of injuries to Steve Nash, Steve Blake, Kobe Bryant, Jordan Farmar and Xavier Henry.
Nash has nerve damage in his back, Blake a torn ligament in his right elbow, Bryant and Henry have knee injuries and Farmar a torn hamstring. The almost unbelievable casualty rate has raised suspicions of a possible jinx, prompting shooting guard Jody Meeks to avoid using the words 'point guard'.
"It seems like they (the point guards) always get hurt, so I say 'decision-maker' instead," smiled Meeks, who is expected to be Marshall's backup.
"But no matter who it is or what it's called, the Lakers need hustle and effort there, and in every other position. The one thing we can control is our effort, and we have to do that."
The (13-19) Lakers will be bidding to snap a six-game losing streak when they host the Jazz and their coach Mike D'Antoni has been hammering home the need for a fighting spirit.
"We're going to do everything we can to win every game and every second," said D'Antoni. "That's our mindset and that's what it has to be.
"It's just hard to sustain it (effort) sometimes because your confidence is shaken, you don't have the swagger we had. You can't control other things like injuries. Our job is to win. We're not doing that right now and it needs to start."
Spanish forward Pau Gasol, who has missed three games recently because of an upper respiratory infection, agreed that a collective Lakers surge was urgently required with everything "far from ideal right now".
(Reuters)
