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.
Comments (16)
I would beg to differ. Despite great shooters our offense has been inept. Despite O'neal having some huge defensive efforts our defense has been worse. The roster isn't a championship level but we are definitely underacheiving. Maybe the players haven't lived up to their task but our utilization and strategy appeared to be MIA.
It's about time. Now the Raptors can actually win a playoff game. Don't get me wrong - I was really entertained by the Sam Mitchell personality + suits; but I absolutely hated the coaching style. Mitchell was a good guy to mature with, but like boxers, you just need a new guy to take you to the next level when you can't learn anything anymore.
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.
about time. True he was Coach of the year but he can't ride that achivement forever. He has no clues about X's and O's. last seasons playoff exit, last night against Denver and the 25+point lead the Raps gave up to Boston proves it.
Flip Saunders, Jeff Van Gundy and Avery Johnson are available
the whole raptor franchise is a joke, all they have is bunch of useless, overpaid division one players who suck ass and they apparently think firing coach every time can win them games. COMPLETE JOKE
Raptor should just sell off everyone on the roster and get KING JAMES like the Knicks is doing
screwfaces is a typical canadian cretin...this roster is just as bad as Mitchell was and Triano couldn't win an amateur basketball game let alone compete against the best in the world. The only coach that is even worse is Rautins (who should also be gone from both his coaching job AND his broadcasting duties already!!).
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.
Bring back Butch!
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.
Let's give Jay Triano a little bit of credit - anybody who can finish with a winning record over his time coaching the Canadian national team with the sort of talent that was available to him can clearly coach.
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.)
Sam Mitchell is a great "player's coach" that got fired because of poor GM decisions. People can say what they want about Sam, but at the end of the day, his players loved him and would play their hearts out for him. He made all is players better (Bosh, Anthony Parker, Jose...well maybe not Andrea!). By the way, in the NBA, the primary qualities of a good coach is one who commands the respect of his players. Colangelo did a really poor job in the offseason by not getting rid of Andrea and getting a more athletic/aggressive player in the 2 0r 3 slot, and a decent backup point guard to relieve Jose. Instead, he signs a broken down O'Neal who does not complement Bosh's offensive style, and cannot run the floor. This is another example of a good coach getting blamed for poor GM personnel decisions.
craptorkiller: you are the only cretin if you actually don't consider Bosh to be a "superstar". Do us all a favour and watch some games before you spew moronic crap like that.
Craptorkiller...wow...what's eating you today! You seem very bitter for some reason. Did something bad happen to you in Toronto or at a Raptors game once upon a time? My my...chill out.
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.
isn't is hilarious thats Raptors been in a serious slump after firing coach Mitchell... That was one of the worste things that could have happend to the raptors now i doubt them making playoffs
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