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Kyle Lowry has proved to be a great floor general during his last few years with the Toronto Raptors, and an All-Star caliber one at that — but the 30-year-old knows his limitations, and coaching a team is one of them.
When prompted with the possibility of following up his playing days with a stint with the clipboard, the 6-foot dynamo laughed out loud.
Article Continues Below“I couldn't deal with nobody like me,” Lowry told James Herbert of CBS Sports. “That's why I respect [coach Dwane Casey] so much: Because he's dealing with guys that have different individual personalities and he's able to coexist with everyone and make everyone love him. That's why I believe he's one of the best coaches I've ever had.”
Lowry has the whole gamut for someone a front office would want as a coach — he's experienced, sees the game from a broader perspective, and is unafraid of pointing out mistakes — but it isn't what he has, but what he lacks that would disqualify him from being an efficient coach.
“I would be a very demanding coach,” Lowry said. “I wouldn't yell and scream, but I want players that want what I want. And that's why I couldn't coach, 'cause I know how hard it is and I know how hard I want you to play. But everyone's not going to do what I want.”
Yet, those are qualities that have made him such a respected leader in the locker room and connected the dots despite an infusion of youth to start the season.
“He don't give a damn,” backcourt mate DeMar DeRozan said. “Not in a malicious way. But he just don't give a damn. He going to go out there and risk it all. He's going to tell you whatever needs to be told to you, whether you like it or not. And to have that mentality and not use it in a malicious way is definitely beneficial. Everybody don't have that. That's what makes Kyle who he is.”
