I do too. We can say that without going back to Brooks. Let them beat the dead horse. (If you can't see that you were wrong on Brooks/Lowry.)
Dragic has played great, but people sure have short term memory on how great Lowry has been for an even longer stretch of play. Dragic's play has opened up the possibility that Lowry could be traded IF Dragic could be resigned, but it's still a pretty short sample of work to make that decision and as people have pointed out it isn't JUST a swap of Lowry and Dragic in the starting line up. Martin has had a bad season over all, with the news today that he has been playing with a tear in the labral of Martin's right shoulder. I think he has improved some defensively, but his offensive game has suffered and was getting worse as the season went on. Lee playing in the starting line up over an injured Martin has played a big part on how the starting lineup's defense and offense has run as well as Dragic's great play. I also think that Lowry wore down some due to too many minutes in the compacted lockout season schedule, and Dragic is playing on relatively fresher legs. Perhaps Dragic will prove to be the better of the two long term, but I would like a larger sample size before deciding. Lowry performing at a high level for over half a year doesn't get over ridden by Dragic matching that level for a few weeks. As far as "more potential" they are both 25 years old. I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility that Dragic could end up better than Lowry, but I do think that it is a bit premature to make that decision.
See, I don't think Lowry has performed at a high level this year, I think he has tailed off a bit from last year. While he has the ball in his hands more often, and gets almost an assist a game more, his turnovers are way up, and his one on one defense has been really a lot worse, probably due to him having to work so hard on offense. So, I don''t think he has performed at a high level, just an above average one.... And I think Dragic has been a lot better as a starter, passing better, better D, better shooting, better at everything. DD
Lowry does many things on the basketball court that don't show up on the stat sheet. Always goes 2 for 1, willing to take on a lot of physical punishment, mixes it up down low for rebounds with the big boys, which most PGs wouldn't dare to do. Let us not forget the things Kyle Lowry brings to the table, they mesh incredibly well with Dragic's skill set which is why I think it an advantage to have both of them on the court for 8-10 minutes a game. One thing missing from Dragic's numbers as a starter: 2.0 steals per game.
Well you also thought that Lowry would never be more than a backup and Aaron Brooks was the next Tony Parker. Dragic in his hotstreak is basicly averaging the same as what Lowry has all year, and Lowry was doing it with the number one offensive option on the team in Martin playing with a torn labral of his shoulder. Let's see how Lowry does with Lee in the starting line up. Lowry for the season- 35.4 min, 15.9 ppg, 7.2 ast, 3.2 TO, 1.8 STL Dragic as a starter- 36.3 min, 15.9 ppg, 9.6 ast, 3.3 TO, 1.9 STL Assists are the only thing significantly in Dragic's favor, but how many more assists would Kyle have if he was passing to Lee instead of an injured Martin? 1 or 2, maybe more? Also keep in mind that Dragic has been shooting a hot 51.8% and 41.5% from 3 pt range over this stretch of starting, which is significantly better than the 42% shooting and 25.7% from 3 that he has shot off the bench this year. Can he maintain it, or is he just in a hot streak shooting which will eventually fall back down to his career numbers of 43.8% shooting and 31.5% from 3?
Both. They are fun to watch when they are on the court together. I agree that a PG/SG rotation of Lowry/Dragic/Lee is our most effective combination.
The funny thing is in about the first 10 starting of Lowry/Dragic/Lin, each of them posted star numbers. i think Lowry and Lin posted superstar numbers during those periods with PER right around top 1 or 2 PG level in the league and also have excellant defense. Dragic's first 10 starting is not far off either, but I expect to see slowdown just like Lowry/Lin did because of fatigue/opponent game planning.
I forgot to add rebounding #'s when comparing stats for Lowry for the season vs Dragic as a starter: Lowry for the season- 35.4 min, 15.9 ppg, 7.2 ast, 3.2 TO, 1.8 STL REB 5.3 Dragic as a starter- 36.3 min, 15.9 ppg, 9.6 ast, 3.3 TO, 1.9 STL REB 3.5
There's no selection for both, but that's my vote. I really believe we can create matchup problems with different units on the floor against different teams. You've seen the way Gogi plays Westbrook, for instance, whereas Lowry might have been better suited to guard Nash had he been healthy. Which brings up another point - insurance, as in one going down will not hurt us as bad as having to play Fortson or CLee at the point.
It is more than numbers, look at how much better Parsons is playing with Dragic, Scola too, They are getting hit in stride in the half court offense with a nice pass for a layup, Lowry doesn't make that pass, he does make the nice PnR pass at the elbow, but that is a lot easier than the passes Dragic is making in traffic. Those are not normal passes, those are passes of guys with elite court vision. Anyway, it is what I see out there, and it is ok to disagree, no biggie. And I think there is NO WAY to keep both of them, they both will want to start, and honestly they have both earned starting jobs. So, IMO, you keep the better one and that is Dragic. DD
You just cannot say Dragic is better based upon this small of a sample size. It's as idiotic as the people saying Jeremy Lin was a superstar based on Linsanity. That said, Dragic could be better. It's impossible to say with any firm confidence that he is now (although that's not stopping you obviously), but he could mature to that point. Regardless, it's not about who's better between two players that are fairly close in talent level. It's about the contract situation. The reason we should keep Dragic and ship out Lowry is that we can trade Lowry for a big return but cannot do the same with Dragic. In a hypothetical world where nobody offered anything good for Lowry, we would keep him and (VERY) regretfully let Dragic walk, because Lowry's talent level is more proven.
I agree with keeping Dragic BUT it is too risky with him being unrestricted. I'd try very hard to keep Dragic but I would not trade Lowry until he is signed (and I don't think he would sign if we have Lowry on our roster). Even if we trade Lowry during the draft, there is no guarantee that he would re-sign (though we would have a great shot). Many factors will play into his decision. I would not be surprised if teams with a starting job and a ton of cap like Portland, New Orleans and Charlotte pursues him, possibly even offer more than what Les is willing to pay. Furthermore, if we keep Dragic and let go of Lowry, he would become our fourth different starting PG to start a season in four years. Why would he sign with a team which does not offer stability or shows loyalty to players? Would you go to a franchise like that?
You know we are allowed to talk to our potential free agents right? It's not like we have to make moves blindly. If Dragic wants to re-sign "but only if I can be the starter" then Morey will know it before he makes any decisions.
Also, we should have no loyalty to any player in terms of protecting them from being traded until we are a championship contender. That's just the way it goes. Do you think we are a championship contender? I do not.
He is not a superstar, but the Knicks are a much better team without Melo hogging the ball. With Jeremy as the main guy, they were all involved, and their defense was better. Melo ball is not conducive to winning anything in the NBA. True, but I am not convinced Lowry is going to get any better than he is now either, his game has not improved this year if you take in the entirity of the package, and in some areas he has regressed. He is a good PG, but not elite, Dragon is not elite either, but he seems to have a higher ceiling and is playing better than Lowry has played this year, with the same guys. I totally disagree, it is about "Who is better" going forward, as you build for a championship, let the GM figure out how to work the contract, we as fans should not give two squats for that stuff. All I want is the best team on the floor, period, by hook or crook...whatever it takes. DD
I think it is going to come down to the contract offers for Dragic. This being a PG poor draft and with so many teams with large cap space out there, I am not optimistic about our chances of retaining him. So for the rest of this season I expect Dragic to start. But I don't believe he will be around next season.
Shouldn't even be a question in my opinion. Goran is a fantastic PG and has done a wonderful job as a starter in Kyle's absence, but he's still no Lowry. Goran has a tendency to play out of control.
Lowry passes just as well as Dragic. The ONLY thing different about Parsons game from the start of the season and now is all around confidence and it is showing in his shooting. You can not say its Goran making him better, give Parsons some credit for continually working on his game and improving throughout the year.
