With reports surfacing that Kevin Durant is nearing a return, eyes turn to another NBA All-Star who has been on the shelf for more than a month. Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors was a partial participant in practice Monday, but neither he nor the team was able to offer any insight as to whether he'd play again before the end of the regular season.
Lowry underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his right shooting wrist Feb. 28, with the recovery timetable being four-to-six weeks. Tuesday marks five weeks since the procedure, and the Raptors have five games remaining over the regular season's final 10 days.
"That would be my goal to be out there before the playoffs, but we'll see what happens," Lowry told reporters, adding that the wrist still remains "a little sore."
"Surgery just doesn't go pain-free," he said. "I just want to make sure I'm 100 percent and be ready to go when I'm ready to go."
The 31-year-old was adamant that the call to return rests with him, not team doctors. "It's me, Kyle Lowry, who's going to clear me," he said. "That's who's going to clear me."
Raps coach Dwane Casey was also blunt in avoiding questions about Lowry's return.
"I'm not going to get into specifics on when Kyle's coming back, what did he do today, did he use the bathroom this morning," Casey said, according to TSN's Josh Lewenberg.
The Raptors are a surprising 14-6 since Lowry went down, with much of that being credited to a resurgent defensive identity thanks to the additions of P.J. Tucker and Serge Ibaka. Neither has yet to run with the team's best player, leading to natural questions about whether there will be any time to gel as a whole before the grind of the postseason starts.
Lowry said that whenever he is ready to go, he only knows the speed he usually goes at - and won't be concerned about fouls or contact on his wrist.
"If I'm gonna play, I ain't gonna worry about none of that."
