Sports & Play
Raptors Fire Sam Mitchell
Wow. Ya gotta figure that Bryan Colangelo just wasn't a fan of Sam Mitchell. After Mitchell won coach of the year honours two years ago, the Raptors GM had little choice but to sign Mitchell to a new deal; but now that the Raptors have slipped one game below the break-even mark, Colangelo apparently figured he had his excuse to cut him loose.
The reality though is that Colangelo has put together a team that's not nearly as good as he thinks it is. He let one of their best bench players, Carlos Delfino, sign overseas at the end of last season, and failed to find a decent back up point guard or veteran character guys outside of the injury-prone Jermaine O'Neal that would help with team chemistry.
There's no word yet on who the Raptors might find to replace Mitchell, but assistant coach Jay Triano will take over on an interim basis.
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You can't really say Colangelo "wasn't a fan" of Sam Mitchell - he gave Sam that ridiculous contract extension - AND passed at the chance at Mike D'Antoni this past offseason- but Sam didn't coach the team to how Colangelo built it.
Jay Triano - Canadian Head Coach - Finally leads Raptors to Playoff Series Win. Future headline right there.
Flip Saunders, Jeff Van Gundy and Avery Johnson are available
Raptor should just sell off everyone on the roster and get KING JAMES like the Knicks is doing
It's MLSE and Colangelo that have fucked up from top to bottom....the only thing they have done well is led the cretinous in Toronto to believe that Bosh is a "superstar" like LeBron and is capable of leading a team anywhere other than to embarrassment.
The hype around this group of weaklings and chokers was just laughable...no one else takes this team seriously but Doug Smith, Eric Smith the morons at RaptorsTV and Colangelo have managed to convince the dumbasses in Toronto that a broken down has-been whose salary takes up one third of the fucking payroll even though he can barely play is enough to help the physically weakest "all star" in the NBA.
(Yes, I'm joking.)
I agree though, this team isn't nearly as good as Bryan seems to think it is. They also spook very easily, there's a perpetual lack of identity with Raptors teams.
The Raptors this year have struggled with the exact same problems they faced last year: they simply can't stop any superstar who plays the 2 or 3 slot. I don't know whether that's a talent issue or a system issue (my guess: a little bit of both), but Triano will definitely need to focus on that in order for this Raptor team to be successful. Bosh is playing his heart out (the numbers don't lie), so let's not knock him - after all, for someone who isn't a "superstar" (source: craptorkiller), there's sure been a lot of attention paid to him as a member of the top 3 of that 2010 free agent class (with LeBron and Wade.)
Not sure where you got your info...but from your comments you might be Canadian(you seem to know all the names and players in the Toronto basketball scene).
For your information Mr. Triano did compete as a player on the international level. He also coached Canada to a huge upset win over Yugoslavia in 2000 at the Olympics. He may not have alot of experience at the NBA level but he does have basketball pedigree. But I guess Canadian basketball pedigree means squat to you.
Triano will be the interim until Colangelo finds "his guy".
Why do you call us Canadians cretins? Not even sure what that means.
I agree...part of the problem is that MLSE is not willing to go over the luxury tax threshold and sign a good wing player. BC will have to convince them that they will need to go over that level to become and elite team. The roster is flawed as all basketball playing/coaching people will no. It does lack athleticism but there are pieces and maybe Sam couldn't get the pieces to work.
So Bosh is garbage then Craptorkiller? He's not a "Superstar" according to you. That's fine...depending on anybody's definition of "Superstar". Bosh is one helluva player that teams usually have to double team and is hands down the best shooting big man in the league. He does have to get stronger but the confidence he has come into the season with has been a welcome sight. He will only get better.
Did you watch O'Neal's play before the injury Craptorkiller? Well he was playing pretty good...getting blocks...rebounding and generally taking pressure off Bosh. CB4 didn't have to guard centers anymore. O'Neal was not the problem with the team. The little things like in-game adjustments, plays called out of timeouts and general execution was dogging the team and unfortunately alot of those things fall on the coach.
Toronto people are not all "dumbasses" like you said. Many Raptor fans including myself have played and coached basketball at the college/university level and also professionally. The team is not as bad as you make it seem. I hope they turn the season around because attitudes like craptorkiller's have no place in these forums.