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  • Sun, Colangelo interview

    http://www.torontosun.com/sports/col.../17272371.html

    HoopsWorld take:


    Is Colangelo In Trouble?: The Toronto Raptors hired Bryan Colangelo to their team president in February of 2006, in the five years Colangelo has skippered the Raptors they have amassed a 176-207 record and made the playoffs just twice.

    View Steve Kyler Archive Colangelo is a wildly charismatic person and a very nice guy to talk basketball with, but when push comes to shove a .459 record after five years is a tough sell in terms of merits for a contract extension, which puts Colangelo and his staff clearly on the hot seat.

    In a wide ranging Q&A with Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, Colangelo says he hopes he and his staff will be allowed to finish what they have started.

    "I certainly don't want to be accused of negotiating through the media, so I won't," explained Colangelo. "I just hope people realize how much I care for the organization I'm working for and the city I have chosen to live in. I will also add that despite our current record, the franchise is in a pretty favorable position. I do hope I'm here to complete the task."

    Colangelo wouldn't buy into the idea that Toronto is doomed because of its location or situation.

    "This franchise will be fine because it has an ownership committed to winning, a dedicated and passionate fan base and Toronto ranks as one of the elite cities in North America. Couple all of that with a shifting landscape where competitive parity remains a key objective and I think this franchise is poised, not poisoned."

    Colangelo also praised head coach Jay Triano, who is also a great basketball guy, but has yet to produce a team that inspires its fan base.

    "Jay has done a really solid job here given the difficult circumstances," said Colangelo. "We are clearly rebuilding and we have been decimated by injury, yet the young guys are clearly developing nicely and the atmosphere around the team has remained positive. The organization will likely address his contract status and whether to pick up his option year sometime after the season."

    Colangelo understands he may be held accountable for declining interest in the Raptors at the Box Office, but realizes fans will support a winning team and its his job to put that kind of product on the floor.

    "This is a great sports market with great fans that just want to see their teams win," acknowledged Colangelo. "Our fan base is our livelihood and yes they mean everything to us so we care very much about dwindling crowds."

    "They deserve more and we intend to deliver more. Based on my interactions, I see and hear the frustration but I also think that people realize what is taking place here and that patience has to be part of the process. I also hear many of them say how much fun this team is to watch We have a plan that has been very clearly laid out ... develop our "core" talent, add a solid draft pick or two to the mix and utilize our financial flexibility to add an additional impact player where possible. The sooner we get back to winning games the sooner the stands will fill back up."

    "I'm also not trying to paint a rosy picture," said Colangelo. "But a few less injuries and we are not as bad as our record currently shows or the prognosticators predicted."

    The Toronto Raptors are sitting in 14th place in the East at 15-40. If the NBA Draft Lottery were held today the team is projected to see the fourth overall pick.

    Historically the fourth pick has returned solid NBA talent with players like Wesley Johnson (2010), Tyreke Evans (2009), Russell Westbrook (2008), Mike Conley, Jr.(2007), Tyrus Thomas (2006), Chris Paul (2005), Shaun Livingston (2004) and Chris Bosh (2003).

    The burning question is will Colangelo and his staff be the ones making the selection with that pick, and there is no clear indication he will be.

    That's life on the NBA hot seat.



    Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?...#ixzz1E2NB60gU

  • #2
    This is the best time to either rehire him or release him. The team is young. Draft picks. Cap space. The question is whether we feel good going forward with him. I do. A lot of the lack of success was Bosh simply not being good enough. Now he has had to take the time to retool. And I'm very hopeful for the next year.

    This is not blind trust. I question some of the decisions. Did we really have to be this bad this year? There has been some difficulties in watching this team. Real difficulties. But playing time for the future of the team sounds like the most mature basketball approach. It is a decision made by someone that is looking for the future and not willing to damn the team now to save a GM's job. I would reply in kind.

    Extend his contract. Show the NBA that the team is solidly behind him. Give him the time to rebuild. And hopefully we see playoff wins soon in our future.
    “I have no idea who Chukwudiebere Maduabum is, but on his Draft Express profile, he’s listed as Chu Chu. I think he’s worthy of picking just for that. He immediately is in the running for best All-Time NBA name.” -Tim W.

    Comment


    • #3
      bloodyhandedgod wrote: View Post
      This is the best time to either rehire him or release him. The team is young. Draft picks. Cap space. The question is whether we feel good going forward with him. I do. A lot of the lack of success was Bosh simply not being good enough. Now he has had to take the time to retool. And I'm very hopeful for the next year.
      I agree... that now is the best time to release him. I don't understand this thought process of, 'well, now he has time to rebuild. let him do a rebuild and see...'. The Raps were rebuilding in the '06 offseason when he got here. He had capspace, a high pick, a young star and carte blanche - does this sound familiar to anyone? The result? 176-207, 1 winning season, 2 playoff appearnces in 5 years, constantly reshuffled rosters, the best player is gone, and they are rebuilding. Again. Treadmill team? I wish. Treadmill teams at least make the playoffs.

      What is it about this time that makes you think it will be any different than the last 5years? What indications has Colangelo given that he has learned a thing? Heck, he spent the entire offseason trying to bring in vets like Chandler, Diaw and Barnes to squeak into the playoffs. Make no mistake, next offseason (if there isn't a lockout) BC will be pursuing a bunch of castoffs trying to grab the 8th seed and if he has to sacrifice young players and picks to do it he will.

      Comment


      • #4
        I find it strange that people give Colangelo a pass for failing to build a contender around Bosh, including Colangelo himself, because Bosh was not a true franchise player or was "simply not...good enough". Part of a GMs job is to recognize the pieces he has, determine if he can build around them and, if not, ship them out.

        BCo has made some nice moves, and some bad ones, but getting almost nothing in return for Bosh instead of trading him was an epic fail...BCo now saying that Bosh wasn't someone you build around just makes it even worse, because he either didn't recognize that when he had him or did recognize it and did nothing about it...

        It is easy to say in retrospect that certain trade should have been done (Blake Griffin anyone?) but people were obviously offering decent assets for Bosh and we could have been one year ahead in the rebuild if he had been traded...

        Comment


        • #5
          He stays IMO but jay may not be so lucky someone has to be the fall guy for this mess and the 3 years we didn't make playoffs jay was coaching, just saying.

          Comment


          • #6
            Presumably BC's contract runs until June 30. The powers-that-be should be preparing for the fact he may not actually stay on - what one says and what one does can be totally different. One would think the higher ups have a short list of potential replacements in case he is not kept on or brought back or re-signed. The selection process would not be from scratch i.e. the preliminary work would be done.

            Where he is still under contract until June 30, I would like to see what he does before trade deadline, around the draft, and the draft itself before a final decision is made. He has a good history of drafting - outside the very controversial 2006 #1 - and there are some good things developing here although the record does not show it.

            However him being kept on comes with a few strings, IMO:

            1) much shorter contract. After the performance the last couple of years (big swings for the fences but ultimately strike outs) something along the lines of 2 years with a team option for #3, not the 5 he originally signed.

            2) a significant pay cut. No one, myself included, can argue he has earned the $4-5M a year he has received here thus far.

            Comment


            • #7
              Matt52 wrote: View Post
              2) a significant pay cut. No one, myself included, can argue he has earned the $4-5M a year he has received here thus far.
              Though I do agree with the premise, I really couldn't care less what they decide to pay the guy. It doesn't count against what the team is able to do within the Salary Cap, so whether they pay him $1 or $10,000,000 means nothing to me.

              Comment


              • #8
                Matt52 wrote: View Post

                However him being kept on comes with a few strings, IMO:

                1) much shorter contract. After the performance the last couple of years (big swings for the fences but ultimately strike outs) something along the lines of 2 years with a team option for #3, not the 5 he originally signed.

                2) a significant pay cut. No one, myself included, can argue he has earned the $4-5M a year he has received here thus far.
                BC won't take less than he is getting now and he will want at least 4 years if not 5. Anything less is a slap in the face and BC doesn't strike me as a guy that will let himself be humiliated by agreeing to a smaller and cheaper deal.

                Comment


                • #9
                  slaw wrote: View Post
                  BC won't take less than he is getting now and he will want at least 4 years if not 5. Anything less is a slap in the face and BC doesn't strike me as a guy that will let himself be humiliated by agreeing to a smaller and cheaper deal.
                  You are probably right. I am a BC supporter in the sense I respect his record as a GM with PHX and TOR (good moves, bad moves, overall above average IMO) and think he can and will do better than the last 2-3 years. With the exception of Calderon, everyone on this roster is here because of him - although he did gave Calderon the contract extension so one could argue he has brought everyone here. With that said, I don't think he deserves the same contract (years and $) as before - he hasn't earned it.***

                  What do you think would be a bigger slap in the face: not renewing his contract at all or signing a less lucrative deal?

                  *** EDIT *** Actually he hasn't earned it on the floor in terms of W's and L's. He has earned it in terms of bottom line which to MLSE might be more important than on-court.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Matt52 wrote: View Post

                    What do you think would be a bigger slap in the face: not renewing his contract at all or signing a less lucrative deal?
                    The latter. MLSE and BC can spin him not be given a new deal in any number of ways, so that they both save face (more time with family, different philosophies, change of scenery, new direction, etc.). Taking a lesser deal means: a) BC tacitly admitting he has done a poor job; b) BC admitting he wasn't worth what he was being paid; c) an implication BC can't get the job/money he wants; d) that MLSE has less confidence in him than 5 years ago.

                    Remember, BC is a professional (like a lawyer, doctor, engineer, etc.) in the sense that he is selling himself, his brand, his skillset to potential employers. That brand would be harmed more by a public humiliation than a firing. After all, every GM gets fired eventually.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      The interview became a joke the moment Colangelo said this: "This franchise will be fine because it has an ownership committed to winning"

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        slaw wrote: View Post
                        I agree... that now is the best time to release him. I don't understand this thought process of, 'well, now he has time to rebuild. let him do a rebuild and see...'. The Raps were rebuilding in the '06 offseason when he got here. He had capspace, a high pick, a young star and carte blanche - does this sound familiar to anyone? The result? 176-207, 1 winning season, 2 playoff appearnces in 5 years, constantly reshuffled rosters, the best player is gone, and they are rebuilding. Again. Treadmill team? I wish. Treadmill teams at least make the playoffs.

                        What is it about this time that makes you think it will be any different than the last 5years? What indications has Colangelo given that he has learned a thing? Heck, he spent the entire offseason trying to bring in vets like Chandler, Diaw and Barnes to squeak into the playoffs. Make no mistake, next offseason (if there isn't a lockout) BC will be pursuing a bunch of castoffs trying to grab the 8th seed and if he has to sacrifice young players and picks to do it he will.
                        +1 bro and the fact that we were an atrocious defensive team all 5 years under BC even though we had good offense, 4 out of 5 years shows he is not the man for the job coupled with the fact of poor pieces of fits on this team(I can do that too as a GM and deserve an extension like he does lol - you can clearly see, he is living in a delusional world) and a lot of redundancy on this roster(that does not scream extension on the part of a GM that is a little above David Kahn and way below respected GMs in the league a la RC Buford and Sam Presti).

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          slaw wrote: View Post
                          The latter. MLSE and BC can spin him not be given a new deal in any number of ways, so that they both save face (more time with family, different philosophies, change of scenery, new direction, etc.). Taking a lesser deal means: a) BC tacitly admitting he has done a poor job; b) BC admitting he wasn't worth what he was being paid; c) an implication BC can't get the job/money he wants; d) that MLSE has less confidence in him than 5 years ago.

                          Remember, BC is a professional (like a lawyer, doctor, engineer, etc.) in the sense that he is selling himself, his brand, his skillset to potential employers. That brand would be harmed more by a public humiliation than a firing. After all, every GM gets fired eventually.
                          Good points. The only thing I would question or raise is he has stated numerous times his desire to stay. If he doesn't, then it was quite clear he was let go. But, again, you raise some really good points.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            slaw wrote: View Post
                            The latter. MLSE and BC can spin him not be given a new deal in any number of ways, so that they both save face (more time with family, different philosophies, change of scenery, new direction, etc.). Taking a lesser deal means: a) BC tacitly admitting he has done a poor job; b) BC admitting he wasn't worth what he was being paid; c) an implication BC can't get the job/money he wants; d) that MLSE has less confidence in him than 5 years ago.

                            Remember, BC is a professional (like a lawyer, doctor, engineer, etc.) in the sense that he is selling himself, his brand, his skillset to potential employers. That brand would be harmed more by a public humiliation than a firing. After all, every GM gets fired eventually.
                            (c) above is probably true - I don't see where BC can be a GM in this league(especially when the rest of the league saw how BC kicked this team to the curbs and made them a joke in the league lol) at thesame pay(without a significant pay cut) and 4-5 years extension except if he accepts the Minnesota job under the laughable David Kahn(how is the Kahn guy even a GM in this league? I think that is a huge indictment on the Minnesota Timberwolves organization, management and owners that is just as inept as MLSE in running winning basketball franchises ***).

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              I think things have to be put into perspective. The goal he was given when he got here was to keep Chris Bosh happy and try to win a contender around him. They wanted to avoid the losing (to the extent that we are doing this year) so Bosh didn't pull a VC on us. That only turned up to give us mediocrity. BC's hand was forced because ownership wanted him to do everything in his power to keep that guy here. Can we really argue that he didn't try?

                              Now he can build up the right way. We have a few nice players to build on and a high draft pick coming up. Possibly someone who can push us over the edge. I like where things are going with the franchise. If you only look at what's going on right now it looks dark and gloomy but there's light at the end of the tunnel. BC has now set us up to move forward and build a franchise that can win for a number of years and not just a single season. That's what we really want as a fan base, right? I think they should extend him and let him move forward with this plan. If he was told to build around Bosh, then he now should get the chance to build without him. If he fails and we have 1 or 2 more seasons without improvement, then he's got to go. The worst thing to do in that scenario is give him an expiry date that sees him making radical moves to put something together.

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