TORONTO - As Kyle Lowry walked off the podium, on a day in which he cleaned out his locker following a heartbreaking end to his career season, he looked back at the throng of media that had just finished grilling him on his future. Joe Mauer Authentic Jersey . "Goodbye, everybody," he shouted. What he really meant was, see you later. With the wounds of a Game 7 loss beginning to heal and the dust settling on the season that was, the attention immediately shifted to Lowry, an impending free agent, and whether or not hell be back in a Raptors uniform next fall. Although the star point guard is prohibited from putting pen to paper until the NBAs moratorium period concludes after the first week of July, there is a resounding belief within Torontos locker room that he is planning on sticking around. It was written on the face of his teammate and good friend DeMar DeRozan as the all-star guard deflected question after question regarding Lowrys future with the subtlety of a hand grenade. Will it be difficult to watch Lowry go through the free agency process? "No, no, no," he said Monday afternoon, accompanied by a big smirk. Why not? "Because," he replied, as reporters began to snicker. "No" How would you feel if, for whatever reason, he wasnt back? "Im not worried about that," DeRozan insisted. Do you know something we dont? "I didnt say that. I didnt say he was, I didnt say he wasnt. I just said Im not worried about it." The 24-year-old spends the bulk of his summers working out in Las Vegas. If that was his poker face, its a good thing he rarely strays from the gym. "Why would he leave?" DeRozan asked in the rhetoric a day earlier. A fair question and one Lowry could not find an answer for when pressed shortly after Torontos one-point loss and first-round elimination to the Brooklyn Nets. "Of course I can see myself back," said the Raptors point guard. "We just went to Game 7, first round. Nobody expected us to be there. Of course I can see that." Coming off a breakout campaign in which he averaged career-highs of 17.9 points and 7.4 assists, the 28-year-old will take his time and weigh his options before making a decision, that much he made clear. "At the end of the day, its still a business and you have to be a businessman for the situation that youre in," he said, "but I am very happy. This has been one of the best seasons Ive had, through and through. Best coaches, teammates, [front office]. Its been great. I am happy. Without a doubt, I can say Im happy." While money and the terms of his next deal should play a big part in the negotiation process that will take place in roughly two months, its hard to put a price on happiness. Thats something that any other suitor may have difficulty matching. Finally, in his eighth NBA season, Lowry started to scratch the surface of what many believed had been there all along. Only, it very nearly played out at Torontos expense. "We knew if we lost [after the Rudy Gay trade] it was going to get blown up," Lowry wisely pointed out. "Thats just the fact that, once we made the trade, if we would have lost a little more, I probably wouldnt be sitting here today, just being honest." As it turned out, the Raptors were his perfect storm. For the first time, he was entrusted to lead a team without looking over his shoulder or pretending to be something hes not. He came to training camp with a rejuvenated approach, in the best shape of his playing career. "The most important difference Ive seen in Kyle is his ability to lose weight," said Patrick Patterson - a teammate of Lowrys in Houston - with a straight face, if you can believe it. "When he was in Houston, he was on the heavy side." He and DeRozan formed the leagues second-highest scoring backcourt, only behind the Golden State Warriors "Splash Brothers" of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. "Why wouldnt you want to be on a team with a guy like that?" he said of DeRozan. Most of all, hes grown up. A year ago he stood in the Raptors practice gym, head down, embarrassed after a lost season and promised to be back, better than ever. "[Im] very disappointed for myself because I know Im a much better player than what Ive shown this year," he had said on Apr. 15, 2013. This version of Lowry, sitting at the front end of the ACC media centre, couldnt have been more dissimilar. Hes channeled the very things that used to work to his detriment - his hardheaded, stubborn nature - to become an indispensable player. As a result, he has a greater understanding and appreciation for whats important to him at this stage of his career. First and foremost, his priority is to win. "I want to be happy," Lowry repeated, identifying overall team situation as the primary factor in making his decision. "I want to win, but its something that me and my agent, we have yet to talk about. But I know I want to win, and thats important to me." How does Toronto stack up? "I love this place," he exclaimed. "I love the situation. Its simple as that." No, Lowrys not going anywhere. The Raptors give Lowry his best opportunity to win and Lowry does the same for the Raptors. They need each other. "Kyles like my biggest brother," said sophomore Terrence Ross. "I look up to him, ask for advice on a lot of different things, on and off the court. Hes hands down the best point guard Ive ever played with. Hes taught me a lot. He motivates everybody. I really hope he comes back. I even talk to him all of the time, saying You got to come back, youre basically the heart of the team, we need you to come back." Lowrys response to Ross frequent sales pitches; "He always played it off like weve got to worry about something else right now." Now, Lowry tops the teams offseason agenda. Hes their highest priority and it wont take long after the clock strikes 12:01 AM on July 1 for Masai Ujiri and agent Andy Miller to sit down and finalize an agreement to keep the star point guard in Toronto long term. "We wouldnt have been here if it wasnt for Kyle," DeRozan said. "Kyle is an elite player," added Patterson, "and as far as him staying here, Im sure a lot of people in Toronto would love that. It all depends on him. But definitely if Toronto wants to get better in the future, have someone to build around and be the key, the glue for the basketball team, what better person to start with than Kyle?" Kurt Suzuki Authentic Jersey . -- The Oakland Raiders have traded wide receiver Louis Murphy to the Carolina Panthers for an undisclosed conditional draft choice. Bert Blyleven Twins Jersey . Louis Blues just continue to roll -- especially against the Nashville Predators.Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Mason Plumlee posted 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Brooklyn Nets, who survived a late comeback effort by the Detroit Pistons to hold on for a 110-105 victory at the Barclays Center. Brooklyn had a 15-point fourth-quarter lead cut down to one after Kentavious Caldwell-Pope buried a 3-point shot with 9.8 seconds left, but held off the Pistons over the remainder to halt a three-game losing streak. Plumlee went 9-of-10 from the field and Joe Johnson recorded 16 points and seven assists for the Nets. Jarrett Jack, starting in place of an injured Deron Williams, contributed 15 points and 10 assists to the win. Caldwell-Pope finished with 20 points and Andre Drummond had 18 along with 20 rebounds -- 13 on the offensive end. However, the Pistons couldnt complete the rally and fell for the 17th time in 19 games. Greg Monroe delivered 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and pulled down eight boards in the loss. The Nets took control late in the third quarter, with Bojan Bogdanovic and Mirza Teletovic each scoring five points during a 10-2 run that turned a tied game into an 82-74 lead with 1:36 left in the period. Detroit then made just one basket over the first four-plus minutes of the fourth quarter, enabling Brooklyn to seemingly pull away. Plumlee had three close-range baskets during a 15-3 surge that staked the Nets to a 98-83 advantage with under 5 1/2 minutes left. The Pistons then came charging back behind Caldwell-Pope, who knocked down two triples to spark a 15-4 sequence that Brandon Jennings capped with a 3- pointer of his own. Brian Dozier Authentic Jersey. A pair of Drummond buckets shortly after suddenly brought Detroit within 104-102 with 41.2 seconds left. Caldwell-Popes uncontested 25-footer out of a timeout trimmed the deficit to 106-105, but he misfired from long range after Johnson hit two from the line to send Brooklyn up by three. Though Kevin Garnett missed two foul shots for the Nets to keep it a 108-105 game, Brooklyn deliberately fouled Josh Smith on the resulting rebound to prevent a potential game-tying 3-point try. Smith missed the first attempt, however, then intentionally was off on the second and Garnett grabbed the carom with two seconds remaining. Brooklyn opened up a 13-point lead during the latter stages of the first quarter, using a 10-2 push to go up 28-15. The Nets owned a nine-point cushion with a minute left in the half, before Detroit closed out the stanza with a 7-0 surge capped by a Drummond dunk that cut the margin to 53-51 at the break. Game Notes Williams strained his right calf during Fridays loss at Cleveland ... Brooklyn finished 22-of-29 at the foul line, compared to a 16-of-26 rate for the Pistons ... Detroit has allowed 110 points or more each time during its four-game losing streak ... The Nets matched a season-best with 29 assists on 40 field goals ... Jennings shot just 3-of-12 in an eight-point effort. cheap nfl jerseyscheap jerseys ' ' '
