Peddie nukes the rumors, Colangelo staying

[Apollo]

Amid growing whispers concerning the future of the Raptors’ chief architect, Richard Peddie set the record straight.

It was an emphatic proclamation, one that should finally put to rest whatever wild speculation U.S.-based media outlets intend to circulate.

“Bryan is our general manager and he’s not going anywhere. It’s official," the president and chief operating officer of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment said on Wednesday.

Peddie confided that the MLSEL board convened recently to ensure that Colangelo sticks around beyond this season.

The truth, according to Peddie, is that Colangelo will continue in his role as GM and president of the Raptors through to the 2010-11 season.

Toronto Sun

The Bosh rumors? Probably false.
The Colangelo rumors? Definitely false.
What's next from the American press though? The maple leaf has decided to leave the red bars and go state side?

[RaininThrees]

Yes, Peddie was on PTS last night and confirmed MLSE picked up their option on Colangelo, and will sit down in the summer to work out an extension beyond 2010-2011.

[brothersteve]

Raptors tried to prevent this story from ever happening in the first place BUT the puck heads in Toronto's media were too dense to listen!

When Richard Peddie found himself dragged out into the limelight to explain Bryan Colangelo’s contract situation he made it clear his GM was under contract for 2010-11 and there was no option year to extend him to begin with.

There was no announcement of an extension because there was nothing to announce! What was the media expecting? An announcement from MLSE stating: “We have decided not to fire our GM in June.”

Toronto’s Sports Media Wipes Egg Off Its Collective Faces

Raptors Republic published the link last week to Adnan Virk's column on Raptors.com where Bryan Colangelo is quoted is saying he had been told by MLSE that he was staying for next year and beyond.

Those stories that Colangelo might be leaving should be in the dictionary to describe "Bad Reporting!"

[Bendit]

Anytime Peddie is "forced" to make comment ....is a very dangerous exercise. He has been quite visible lately (see him lurking in telecasts) and I shudder at the memory of his exercise in choosing Babcock after an exhaustive search (his words) for a GM. The man meddles. He should stick to selling hotdogs and condos and let the media people put out the requisite statement. Get him outta there!

[Apollo]

The guy if a businessman and he does that well. MLSE makes a lot of money. I think he's realized his limitations as a hands on boss and this is why he's stepped back and is focusing on what he does well, making the company money.

[Doc]

The guy if a businessman and he does that well. MLSE makes a lot of money. I think he's realized his limitations as a hands on boss and this is why he's stepped back and is focusing on what he does well.

And at the end of the day, as long as the MLSE is making money I really don't think that they truly care about whether or not the Leafs or Raptors have continued success. I'm sure they'd love to see it happen, but they certainly aren't losing any sleep over the teams lack of success.

[Apollo]

They've been willing to pay luxury tax in the past. There was a time when they had one of the highest payrolls in the league... That suggests to me that they do care about winning.

[Bendit]

The guy if a businessman and he does that well. MLSE makes a lot of money. I think he's realized his limitations as a hands on boss and this is why he's stepped back and is focusing on what he does well, making the company money.

He has no skin in the game actually. He is a salaried employee, a manager on a contract and yes MLSE makes money primarily because they have a monopoly on all the sports team worth having in this city (and Tannenbaum's political contacts). The cap in the nhl now allows them to make even more and probably happening again in the nba. Peddie was pretty much dragged kicking and screaming to relinquish any meaningful dealings with both the Leafs and the Raptors after his disaster hirings of Ferguson and Babcock which set back both franchises by at least 5 years...but thanks to the above mentioned monopoly nature of the core business these were operational issues of business segments not impacting on the overall bottom line.

He comes across (to me) as a jock lover who had injected himself in areas which he has no experise in...and made a mess of it. I would not be in the least bit surprised if he had a say in the VC affair (trade to NJ) with Babcock taking the fall. Like I said he seems a bit more visible lately and I hope he is not attempting to get closer to "the action".