I do think that Lowry is more dedicated to winning and is less distracted with off-court temptations (night life, strip clubs etc.).
Well we could have gotten him back in the 2014 offseason. We had a meeting with him first. This is just speculation but we probably told him that we were looking at bigger names to make decisions first (Melo, Bosh, etc.) and if they signed elsewhere we would offer a contract. Lowry probably didn't like that too much or felt that he wanted to be secured first so he jumped on Toronto's offer to stay. Who knows how well a Lowry/Harden backcourt could work, though. Harden is so ball dominant and so special with the ball that there was probably a chance that that pairing would have the same results as the Lawson/Harden pairing. Of course, Lowry is a better shooter and defender so he would still be effective in certain spots that Lawson isn't but right now, Harden is so ball dominant we would be marginalizing Lowry's strengths by pairing him with Harden. I think Harden needs a forward to be the 2nd playmaker, not a guard. When we had Parsons, that pairing worked very well but the defense was just too porous for it to be a real solutions. Last year especially in the playoffs, we saw it again when Smith became the team's secondary playmaker behind Harden.
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Morey failed so hard by telling Lowry to wait, a Lowry+Harden+Dwight core surrounded with good role players would've been a contender.
I'm happy for Lowry and it's good he's not with the Rockets, he would not have been as successful. The Raptors are a great team and no way they choke this year. They could take #1 in the East. I could see them as championship if they manage to lure one very good player who can take over games.
