WASHINGTON — It did not take long, not quite a half of basketball, for Kyle Lowry to be missed. If not from the moment Lowry was helped from the floor, by the time the night was over, beginning the downward spiral from which the Rockets have not escaped, it had been clear how valuable Lowry had become. Now that he is close to returning — he is questionable to play tonight against the Wizards with Trevor Ariza upgraded to probable — the Rockets know they do not want to have to do without Lowry again. With Lowry, 23, to be a restricted free agent this off-season, his value has been at least as conspicuous when he was out as when he played. Lowry sounded likely to be torn between his fondness for his place with the Rockets, sharing the point guard position with Aaron Brooks, and a “goal” to be a starter and full-time playmaker. “I want to be in the best situation for me and to win,” Lowry said. “I think Houston would be a great home. I wouldn't mind being with the group of guys and the organization is one of the best. “What me and Aaron have is rare. Having two point guards that are different and do different things and help the team win, you need that, I think. It definitely helps that we get along. There's no ego. We know each other's game. And help each other so much. There is an understanding and a respect level for what each other does. “I wouldn't be opposed to finding a place I can play those minutes and be that guy. I wouldn't mind being the starter or playing 40 minutes a night. It's one of my goals. Not to be a bench player. “I do want to win. I want to compete for a championship. The situation has to be the best for myself and to win “ Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has pledged to sign Lowry, with no desire to be without him for an extended period again. Costly injury to team Before Lowry was hurt Feb. 6, the Rockets had won their previous two games, routing the Warriors at Toyota Center and the Grizzlies in Memphis on consecutive nights. They have not won consecutive games since. The Rockets were 27-22 and leading the 76ers by 11 points when he turned his ankle. The Sixers came back nearly immediately, winning 102-95. Including the Rockets' loss that night, they are 4-9 since Lowry was hurt. “He's a big part of it, maybe more so than everybody really realized,” coach Rick Adelman said. “We knew what he gave us game in and game out. He always gave us energy. He was great to play with Chase (Budinger). And he played with Aaron so well, and Aaron didn't have to play 40-something minutes. That was huge, too. We've really missed him.” But beyond the slide back to .500 there is a sense that they lost much of their attitude, the defiance Lowry (6-0, 205 pounds) had epitomized. When opponents spoke of the Rockets, they spoke of their attitude more than aptitude, describing a tenacity and determination that also described his pugnacious style. “I play with a certain amount of confidence and I try to instill that confidence into everybody else on the floor, or even on the team,” Lowry said. “I approach the game like we're supposed to win the game. We're not a lesser team. Confident approach “I approach every game as we're one of the dominant teams. That's how we're supposed to play, even though we don't have the star power.” When he went out, with Ariza getting hurt in the same game, returning and going out again, the Rockets have found themselves short-handed. But Lowry's injury has been particularly galling, lingering longer than he expected. “It's been the most frustrating time I've had since my rookie year when I was hurt for five months with a cast on (a broken wrist),” Lowry said. “I've never been through an injury as significant as this that you would think is small. To be out this long, it was a serious injury. “It's taken so long. It's not that the team missed me; I just wish I could be out there helping the team.” Actually, the team has missed him so much that Morey announced his intentions to sign Lowry next season. For now, Lowry was more concerned about returning this season. “I'll see how I feel,” Lowry said. “Whatever happens, happens. We hope.” Soon, he might say the same thing about more than just the next Rockets game. LO LOCK/MERGE IF POSTED - http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/6903731.html
hmm, i know Morey is a good guy but for some reason I think this "pledge" sounds hollow. If you can get Bosh somehow at a cheap price and it includes Lowry, you know Morey will do it.
I don't know why Lowry talks as if he has options. If the Rockets want to keep him, he literally cannot leave. Morey can give him the Landry treatment and just match whatever contracts he gets elsewhere.
Trading Lowry is not an option, and that includes a star like Bosh. This Rockets team is mediocre without Lowry. Yes, one player can make that much of a difference.
The team was already losing before Lowry went down It's funny how a guy getting injured immediately makes him the most overrated (by a certain vocal minority) player on these forums, while one of our best three players gets turned into the scapegoat for all the team's losses. And I agree, by the way... we're not getting Bosh. Or Wall. Or Stoudemire. Give it up.
You may be one of the very few that thinks that Lowry is overrated. I guess you have forgotten how many games he (in large part) brought the Rockets back because the starting lineup stank up the joint? If anything, Lowry is underrated.
He is overrated only on this forum because people here apparently value "hustle" and "heart" over "skill".
Um if the Raptors are willing to send us Bosh, and they'll Lowry over Brooks, I'll make that trade in a heartbeat. I'd make it if they wanted Brooks too, but I would be a little more apprehensive about it.
He has some skill, but he can't shoot for *****, and his passing has been greatly overrated in the GARM--he's not really a very good passer in half-court situations. He's also not great at finishing at the rim, contrary to popular belief--Brooks has a slightly better FG% around the basket whether you want to believe it or not. Lowry's only exceptional skill is the body control to look for fouls and get the calls. The rest of his skills range from "adequate" to "bad". He makes his living by running the floor and hustling on both the offensive and defensive ends, which is great off the bench, but could not sustain him as a starting PG for 35-40 minutes per game.
Agreed we were still 9th-11th in the standings even with lowry and Ariza in the line-up. We've been losing every since Adelman got a contract extension
lol some skill... the guy is underrated. He maybe isn't a Steve Nash but he is still the best passer on the team and his assist % is actually higher than a guy like Billups. He doesn't finish at the rim as good as he could cause he looks for the contact everytime, trying to draw a fouls but is still able to finish at about the same clip as Brooks. That's not skill? How about his rebounding? He's one of the top PGs in rebounds per minute and is the best offensive rebounding PG in the league right now. He leads the team in just about every +/- category and plays hard nose defense. He is also one of the best guards at getting to the line. All that's not skill too? And how would you know if he couldn't sustain starter minutes? Have you seen him start and play those minutes on a consistent basis? I don't think so. I think if he had the starting job when Rafer was traded for him, I think people on this board would be raving about him as much as they do about AB. If not more...
I don't get how some of you are saying he is overrated? The dude is a backup pg on a .500 team. If you're saying clutchfans overrate him that maybe true but it's kind of the backup QB theory with him. Having him start over Brooks is an option but not because he is better but rather just a chemistry thing.
Tell you what, you keep looking at the stat sheet and I'll keep watching the games. The day the stat sheet shows you the true impact he has on games you look me up. Last time I checked, they don't keep track of hustle, energy or tenacity. All three of which have been gone since he went out of the line up.
Brooks can hit alot of shots but it doesn't mean a damned difference if we lose while he chucks. Lowry may be an iffy shooter but he brings a tremendous dimension to the rockets that it is the difference between winning and losing. There's a reason why Morey said Lowry has been our most impactful player this season, and it wasn't so we could trade him next season. Best case scenario we keep both Brooks and Lowry. Worst case scenario, we ship out Brooks and keep Lowry.
