But they could not get where they wanted to go if the all-time leader of the team in assists, steals, draws and wins was still wearing No. 7, throwing his body in the woods and in the crowd like every loose ball was a live grenade that he had to drown. The fact that these two seemingly unmatched paths represent the Raptors’ glorious past and increasingly promising future is the main reason why Sunday afternoon will be such a special moment not only in the history of the franchise, but also in sports history. of the city it represents. Lowry’s departure – and therefore his return – was carefully planned and executed with the utmost precision, at least as far as possible in the chaotic NBA market turmoil. But from the beginning to the end, doing it right was vital for all concerned. “It was a very, very high priority,” Raptors president and vice president Masai Ujiri told me in a conversation this week. “Kyle is a legend. For me he is the best Raptor of all time, there is no doubt about it. So, with fans, property, with the organization, the right path had to go. “Out of respect for them and out of respect for someone like Kyle.” Lowry earned that respect because he taught a franchise how to win and a fan base what winning basketball looks like. This is not nostalgia for a prisoner of the moment. They are just facts. Remember when then Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment CEO Tim Leiweke appeared at George Strumboulopoulos Tonight and wished more kids in the (then) dying Toronto Maple Leafs would play like the (then) underrated point guard on a basketball team that no one outside are their hardcore fans interested? It was unthinkable to tell an audience that had literally come up with the idea that hockey displayed the ideals of competitiveness, toughness and teamwork more fully than any other sport, and that basketball was hardly on the radar in that regard. Lowry proved that Leiweke was right. His tireless engine was the locomotive that drove the dawn of the “We The North” era. It sparked a series of successes that eventually led to the 2019 NBA Championship, a title that will remain for centuries for many equally important reasons, including: forcing the basketball universe to recognize the Raptors in a way that was never otherwise possible. Canadians recognize what the sport represents in Toronto and across the country, in some cases for the first time. Lowry did not act alone, of course, but he was the key that allowed basketball and the NBA and all those who are part of the game and the culture around the game to be fully visible. For all these reasons, his departure had to be treated with great care, as it became clear that the organization had to move on to its next phase and that Lowry, now 36 and in his 16th season, wanted to write another chapter before the years are over. The nailing of timing paid off. Lowry is the NBA title contender with the Heat and the young Raptors are charging fifth place in the East and could win 48 games – all in their first playoff series under Lowry and then the franchise record. Leaving, Lowry opened the doors. Could the Raptors play rookie Scottie Barnes’s 35 minutes – including some in point guard – if Lowry was still here? The same goes for Pascal Shiakam, who often becomes the main player of the team ball, allowing his game to grow while at the same time allowing the six-year-old veteran to find a voice he was not sure he had. “Opportunity always boosts growth,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. “And this is an opportunity for these children. There are more minutes, there is more time, there are more leadership opportunities and I think that was the biggest thing. “We knew we would lose a great leader; but for some of the guys who have been here long enough, we needed to understand that they are the leaders of the team, and it is up to them to perform and behave that way.” Shiakam’s first, best minutes in the NBA came when a raw rookie was playing a wide receiver running under Lowry’s precise passes on the go. But as he has become one of the most dynamic threats to score and pass in the NBA recently and this year in particular, Lowry’s departure has opened up various parts of his game. “Kyle was so much of what we do as a team and as an organization, like, obviously, for good reason when you look at everything he’s done here,” Shiakam told me recently. “With someone as big and great as Kyle, you had to take a step back, because he’s so impressive, so when he left it was just a chance to hear one more voice and I felt like, yes, I could be this person. “ However, it was so important – and perhaps even more important – that the agency that got a fair return on any of Lowry’s transactions made sure that nothing would happen at the exit that would in any way tarnish everything that had gone before, on either side. The whole process was made easier by the way Ujiri and the franchise point guard tied to the events of recent years, something Lowry mentioned in his open letter to Raptors fans at The Players Tribune on Friday, when he mentioned on the phone. a phone call he shared with his old boss after Toronto helped organize the signing and trade deal that led Lowry to the Miami Heat – always his preferred destination – and brought Precious Achiuwa and (eventually) Thad Young to Toronto. “Our relationship is more than just a player and management at this point. “It’s bigger than just ‘work stuff’, where you leave one job to go to another, so you call the old boss to say thank you,” Lowry wrote. “Nah. It’s deeper than that with me and Masai. When did you go through what we went through? When do you share the story we’re sharing? This is not just GM on the other end of the phone. This is the big brother. This is the family. . ” That’s why his return to the Scotiabank Arena for the first time since joining the Miami Heat as a freelancer will be different from any reunion that has taken place before. For so many years the Raptors hesitated to be the NBA body that no one respected or – even when it was slowly gaining ground – the one that no one widely recognized for how it had developed and had the potential for more. If you knew, you knew, but not everyone knew. And it is no coincidence that so often – as always – the difficult separations between the stars of the Raptors and the team and the city left a bitter aftertaste. Every longtime fan knows the name calling: Damon, Tracy, Vince, Boss, DeMar (though in DeRozan’s case it was understandable that he was the one who got hurt and angry after the franchise trade) and even Kaouhi, though the fact that he left on the heels of a league certainly helped to smooth things over. But choosing the Clippers at the free agency and leaving one or more titles on the table obscures things a bit. This was not going to happen this time. Lowry and Ujiri had come close to their eight joint seasons in Toronto after some difficult previous years and tension after Ujiri’s decision to exchange DeRozan, his best friend. It was the famous Lowry who pulled Ujiri to the floor to celebrate the victory after they won the title at the Oracle Arena, moments after the attack on the Raptors president by a police officer working in security. They became closer than ever during the pandemic as they worked on committees tasked with calculating the NBA’s return to the game and back into the bubble as they discussed how to harness the dynamics of social justice after the assassination of George Floyd. The relationship deepened in Tampa, where they would intersect at the Raptors ‘temporary training facility during morning training, communicate the logistics of the team’ s temporary relocation and – eventually – how to manage the exit of a legend. In view of the trade deadline last season – with Lowry very much in the game as the Raptors were squeezed into the ‘Tampa tank’, everything was done transparently, there were no surprises. It is not that Lowry’s wishes were placed above the franchise’s interests, it is that securing Lowry’s care was seen as in the franchise’s interest. The time was right for all concerned. “It’s almost like handing them over to the regime. “And Kyle did it in a beautiful way,” said Ujiri. “Look at the torch passed to Fred, Pascal and OG and how these guys do it. “We can not ask for anything better as an organization. The best thing I like about them is that they will tell you things they learned from Kyle, they will tell you things they learned from DeMar, they will tell you things they learned from Kawhi and (Marc) Gasol. These things, I tell you, will turn into something and that something is victorious and incredible people. This is what he will turn to and they will all be leaders. I know.” The Raptors would not be where they are without Kyle Lowry, but their legacy is such that they would not be where they are now – young and competitive and full of potential – without him moving on. Threading this needle can be lost until Lowry’s last, most important passage as a Raptor. As usual, he was on time and on target. Sunday’s ovation will be proof of that.
