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Raptors Meeting With Ujiri Today Regarding Vacant GM Position; Also Considering Pritchard?

2013-05-24T16:30:14Z

Ok so this is interesting.

First across Twitter comes the news from CBS ace basketball reporter Ken Berger,that the Toronto Raptors have asked the Indiana Pacers for permission to talk to their current GM, Kevin Pritchard as part of their search to replace former GM Bryan Colangelo. Pritchard had been one of the current NBA executives that many felt the Raptors would make overtures to as part of their GM search, and indeed, that appears to be the case.

The Pacers apparently won't grant said permission until their season has concluded, so we may have to wait a bit to see how this shakes out.

Or not.

A few moments after Berger's tweet, Yahoo! Sports' ace basketball reporter Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the Raps are closing in on Denver Nuggets' GM Masai Ujiri. Apparently the Raptors have indeed been granted permission to speak to Ujiri and a meeting will take place in the next 24 hours. Wojnarowski reports that Ujiri is prepared to leave Denver for the opportunity to take over in Toronto, and MLSE will be looking at offering him a salary of nearly $3M a year to do so.

This to me sounds like a situation where Masai is the top option for Toronto, and while not a lock, should be a good bet to be running the show next year. Denver would need to give Ujiri a very substantial raise to remain with the team, and from various media accounts, it doesn't exactly sound like the Nuggets are prepared to go in that direction.

If things fall through, I'm guessing Pritchard is Plan B as Toronto can explore the Masai option being unable to talk to Pritchard until Indiana finishes up in the playoffs anyways.

Based on Berger's report, Oklahoma City Assistant GM Troy Weaver is still on the radar too, and therefore is potentially a Plan C.

Obviously a Masai signing would be a huge coup at face value, and a big PR win as the current Executive of the Year.

However it would also mean some very interesting inter-office dynamics considering Bryan Colangelo, the man Ujiri once reported to in Toronto, is still around.

New Raptors Management Structure May Work in End, But Why Take the Chance That It Won't?

2013-05-23T16:46:02Z

Everybody ok?

Everybody now have some time to sort through the copious amounts of Raptor-news that's been flung in our direction the past 48 hours?

There was indeed a whirlwind of information and kudos to the bulk of the Toronto media for doing a great job digging into the situation from all angles.

After the dust has settled we now know a few things.

A) Bryan Colangelo will not be General Manager of the Toronto Raptors next season, nor will he apparently have much, if any, say in future basketball decisions.

B) He will remain on as President however, and the team will find a new GM in the next 30 or so days.

C) Masai Ujiri is still apparently the team's top choice as a replacement for BC, and we'll likely find out in the next 24 hours if the Nuggets will grant the Raps a chance to discuss Bryan Colangelo's recently vacated position, with Ujri.

D) The Dinos will not have their lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. They finished 12th in the lottery on Tuesday night, meaning their pick goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder by way of the Houston Rockets.

E) There's a good chance now with Colangelo at least partly out of the way, RaptorsHQ will continue on.

Those are pretty much the certainties at this point but beyond that, well, who knows.

Already many folks have thrown up lists of potential GM options, some lists bigger than others, and MLSE must be thanking their lucky stars that the club didn't land a top-three pick on Tuesday night, which likely would have necessitated a major speed-up in this "find a new GM" process.

In fact that's one of the various reasons many have used to try and explain the rationale behind keeping Bryan Colangelo with the organization. He knows the league, he can help with the transition, yada, yada, yada.

I can't agree.

I think this is a terrible idea, one articulated better than anyone else by Sam Mitchell, via his recent stint on "Tim & Sid:"

"What GM is going to feel commmmmmfortable, COMFORTABLE, with him still being there every day?" said Mitchell.

"You can not do your job with someone looking over your shoulder."

And I've got to agree, having experienced it first hand.

A couple of years ago, we lost our senior marketing manager to a another company, and so I filled in for him until we hired a replacement. The process took a while, and in the end, I ran our marketing department from front to back for nearly seven months.

So when we hired a replacement, let's just say things didn't go so well for the first while. I found it extremely hard to then have someone with zero knowledge of the company, come in and change the way I had things set up.

And remember, this is me after a seven month stint, not seven years.

Sure the Raptors' situation COULD work. But my question is, why the hell even attempt it? At best it's an awkward transition period that likely prevents the new General Manager from truly, truly getting down to business, and at worst, well...let's not even go there. We're trying to stay positive here.

Michael Grange succinctly wrapped the situation up in a recent article saying:

"There's only one way the Toronto Raptors cabinet shuffle can possibly work, and that's if it actually does work."

Which is to say that if this thing blows up in the very near future, no one's going to be surprised.

And unfortunately we're already seeing signs of a major disconnect.

Colangelo is somehow going to have to swallow his pride, at least until he finds a gig with another team, which frankly I'm hoping is in the coming weeks and prior to the club landing a new GM. Like Mitchell, I worry that no matter how "distant" new MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke tells us that Colangelo's fingers are from the red button, the whole situation will give various top GM options pause. Money certainly talks, but again, why take the chance? If you're a marathon runner about to compete in a big race, why decide to run without laces in your shoes or a good night's rest prior to the excursion? Why put up these potential barricades?

I just don't get it.

From Steve Simmons at the Toronto Sun:

The incoming general manager, whomever he may be, will likely take over the fired general manager's office, will walk the hallways with Colangelo, who believes strongly in where the Raptors happen to be and where they're going (he is nothing if not a passionate advocate).

But he will have no input in basketball.

Right.

The whole thing just creates too many potential problems and really, the point of removing your old management regime is to get a fresh start is it not? How can that possibly be 100 per cent attainable now?

In any event, I've now said my piece and really, I'm going to try and look past all of this. Hopefully, the team will indeed grab a new GM that displays many of the characteristics we felt Bryan Colangelo was lacking, from analytical insight to the ability to plot moves several steps in advance, and away we go.

It's just hard not to be disappointed in how all of this unfolded from the jump.

The evaluation on Colangelo should have been completed by season's end, so that a prompt decision regarding his tenure was made, regardless of any Tim Leiweke hiring. As I noted previously, the club has a number of longstanding members such as Jim Kelly, who could easily have kept things going on the draft/scouting side while top executive decisions were being made, and replacements for said execs, found. I just don't believe that keeping Colangelo around was necessary. The club needed a fresh start after five years of playoff-less action, and even longer in terms of any sort of playoff success.

That's not completely happening as of now.

Feelings of relief thanks to the end of Bryan Colangelo's tenure have been replaced by feelings of unease as we wait to see how this murky management structure works out.

And in the end everything may indeed work out just fine.

But after the dust has settled, I'm still left wondering why you'd even take the chance that it won't in the first place.

Tyronn Lue, Nick Nurse Reportedly Candidates for Raptors Assistant Coaching Positions

2013-05-22T14:45:47Z

So the Toronto Raptors 2013 draft lottery pick is in transition.

And of course, the General Manager position certainly is as well.

Over the wire a few minutes ago came news that the team's assistant coaches, whose contracts are set to expire, may be in transition as well.

It's been rumoured for a while that Toronto was taking a close look at former NBA point guard Tyronn Lue as an option, and via twitter, from the man known as "Woj:"

Boston assistant Ty Lue and Rio Grande head coach Nick Nurse are candidates for assistant coaching job in Toronto, league sources tell Y!

So indeed it seems like the club is zeroing in on this portion of their front office staff too.

However Woj went on to say that Doc Rivers and the Celts are "big believers in Lue," so the Dinos may not be able to pluck him away so easily.

As for Nurse, I admittedly have never even heard the name but you can read all about him via his lovely Wikepedia page.

One final Raptors front office note. Woj also tweeted that today is expected to be D-Day for the Raps in terms of finding out if they have permission to talk to Denver GM Masai Ujiri about the position vacated by Bryan Colangelo.

As the Raptor World turns...

We have Kabongo, Bennett, Nicholson and some National Team nuggets in Canadian Content

2013-05-22T12:15:03Z

First we start off with some National Program stuff ...

Hamilton teen is on the national basketball team fast track - The Globe and Mail

It’s a coaching trey for McMaster alumnae

Great story here on a member of the 2013 Hall of Fame class ... Coulthard 'class' of 2013 | News | Tillsonburg News

And here is a great pro interview Andrew Nicholson on the Tim & Sid show ... Tim & Sid: Canadian Nicholson in studio - Sportsnet.ca

Now for a few NC-Double-Eh looks ...

Myck Kabongo interviews with the Orlando Magic at Draft Combine | canada.com

Myck Kabongo has no regrets after turbulent NCAA basketball season | Toronto Star

Can Quick Myck Kabongo Be Like Tony Parker? | HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Gonzaga's 7-foot Olynyk could interest Sixers

Ballislife.com – Anthony Bennett Is A Beast, Best Forward In This Years Draft?

Big congrats to Kevin Thomas for committing to Troy ... Three new Trojans join men’s basketball team | The Troy Messenger

Now for the high school stories ...

Trey Lyles Still Mulling Six Schools | ZagsBlog.com

Trey Lyles BIG And1 Dunk @ Spiece Run-N-Slam [ESPN #4 c/o 2014] - YouTube

Malcolm Duvivier Commits to Oregon State University - northpolehoops.com

Lancer basketball beefs up backcourt | Windsor Star

N.B. all-star commits to Acadia Axemen | The Chronicle Herald

Team Ontario Prepares For Canada Games - northpolehoops.com

BramptonGuardian Article: Strong season for Warriors

InsideHalton Article: Abbey Park student Gunn to play basketball at Cape Breton University

Prized prospects pick Niagara | Basketball | Sports | Welland Tribune

And last but not least we have a CIS story for you ... Search set to begin in earnest

Raptors Finish 12 in Draft Lottery - Pick Goes to Oklahoma City Thunder

2013-05-22T01:06:51Z

How about them Cavs?

The Cleveland Cavaliers land the top spot in the NBA's draft lottery for the second time in three years as Nick Gilbert does it again, helping his Dad's club grab the top spot.

The Orlando Magic, the team with the best odds at the top pick, finished second, while the Washington Wizards grabbed the third slot, leapfrogging several other clubs to get into the top three.

The poor Charlotte Bobcats again found themselves on the outside looking in, grabbing the fourth slot.

As for the Toronto Raptors, no big surprise as they stuck to their draft lottery ranking, grabbing the 12th slot. This of course means that their draft pick this year goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder via the Houston Rockets, as a result of the Kyle Lowry trade last off-season.

Yes, there are likely a number of folks at MLSE, including Tim Leiweke, currently breathing a sigh of relief...

Hopes of Retaining Pick Slim for Raptors in Tonight's NBA Draft Lottery

2013-05-21T19:00:26Z

The Toronto Raptors today made a few small tweaks to their organization.

No big deal, and the end result isn't confusing at all.

But compounding all of this is, oh yeah, there's the NBA Draft lottery tonight!

Now granted, the Raptors, don't have much of a chance at keeping their pick. Thanks to their acquisition of Kyle Lowry last summer, their lottery pick is headed to Oklahoma City by way of Houston unless they somehow beat the odds and land in the top three.

Toronto's chances of doing that are 2.5 per cent, but hey, stranger things - like Colangelo losing his GM title but keeping the President one - have happened!

Here are the important details for tonight:

Time: 8:30 EST - ESPN coverage of the event begins. I have no idea what channel this is on in Canada, but it looks like the NBA game that follows, Spurs vs Grizz, is on the Score and Sportsnet so it's probably a safe bet that it's on one of those two.

The Order: Here's the seeding order. Again, if the Raptors fail to jump into a top three spot, the 12th overall pick will be headed to the Thunder.

1. Orlando Magic
2. Charlotte Bobcats
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Phoenix Suns
5. New Orleans Pelicans
6. Sacramento Kings
7. Detroit Pistons
8. Washington Wizards
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
10. Portland Trailblazers
11. Philadelphia 76ers
12. Toronto Raptors
13. Dallas Mavericks
14. Utah Jazz

"The Summer of George!," or, Being Cautiously Optimistic That a New Era Has Begun for the Toronto Raptors

2013-05-21T14:00:27Z

Let me start by saying that I get it.

Replacing Bryan Colangelo doesn't necessarily guarantee a big improvement in wins and outlook for the Toronto Raptors.

Fine.

But as we've learned these past five or so seasons, it can't be much worse.

So while the news that Colangelo has been shifted from basketball operations to who knows what on the corporate side at MLSE isn't quite official, you can't blame me for feeling a bit like Costanza in the first 30 seconds of this:

It appears to be a new beginning at last, something so many of us have been pining for for quite some time. Regardless of who replaces Colangelo the key piece is that indeed, he will be replaced, with Masai Ujiri continuing to be the front-runner for the position from MLSE's perspective.

The champagne is on ice, and ready to go once we get the final official word, likely later today.

Obviously there are still a number of concerns, not the least of which the way this whole thing was handled and what this might mean regarding future executive decisions.

And while Masai apparently is intrigued by the opportunity to take control here in Toronto, it's hard to fathom why he'd bolt from his current situation save MLSE dumping a heap load of cash more than anyone else can offer. (He's apparently already turned down overtures from the 76ers.)

Oh.

And having Colangelo sticking around, even in a non-basketball-related role...that promises to be interesting.

Assuming of course he decides to take on such a role.

But right now I don't care.

This in many ways is my "Summer of George."

(And depending on MLSE's next moves, I'm fully aware that it could end in the same manner.)

The last three, four years have been long ones and had Colangelo been retained, frankly, I'm not sure how much longer I would have been able to continue on with the HQ. Witnessing the same errors being made over and over was wearing on me, and wearing on fans and readers, which as we all know, didn't exactly make for the most positive community.

The whole thing strikes me as somewhat ironic because even in the befuddled years of Rob Babcock, the man BC was supposed to save fans from, I felt that there was a greater sense of optimism. No one loved Hoffa or the VC trade obviously, but many of his smaller moves from signing Jose Calderon to drafting Charlie Villanueva had at least a "wait-and-see" feel to them.

With Colangelo the past four, five years, it's been pretty much the opposite.

Signing Hedo Turkoglu, extending Andrea Bargnani, trading for Rudy Gay, and on and on.

You could see the train coming a mile away on those transactions so to speak, and that's never a good thing for a GM. (The National Post's Bruce Arthur does a nice job here, summing up Colangelo's legacy.) In NBA basketball like most pro sports, you're either selling wins or selling hope, and by the end of his tenure, Colangelo was doing neither.

While he produced two more playoff appearances than his predecessor, Colangelo leaves the franchise in perhaps an even a worse state, maxed-out in salary and with very few 'future chips" in terms of draft picks and trade options. Whoever grabs the reigns following Colangelo's removal from the driver's seat, they'll certainly have their work cut out for them.

Again though, that's a focus for another day.

For now, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy this a bit. We all should.

Because with this organization, who knows what's on the horizon.

The Nuggets may not even allow the Raptors to talk to Ujiri, Ed Stefanski might be promoted into the GM role, and Andrea Bargnani might instituted as next year's starting power forward.

But we'll deal with those happy thoughts later.

Now where's that block of cheese...

Colangelo out, but within arm's reach?

2013-05-20T17:34:29Z

Several reports are out today saying that Bryan Colangelo is now out as a basketball guy at MLSE, but is being "transitioned" into a corporate role.

I'm frankly fine with that.

If MLSE wants to make it look like the past week was about "hey, we like Bryan Colangelo as an exec, but hate his basketball decisions" this makes total sense.

Because at the end of the day, we will have a new direction for the Toronto Raptors.

I've always thought BC to be a really good corporate head who was great at taking deflections from the public aimed at MLSE. When I think about his tenure, the talk had swung quite hard towards putting the spotlight on Colangelo, and removing it from the public scrutiny that was under Rob Babcock.

There's nothing to say that Colangelo has actually taken the deal to a new role, so there still might be more story to play out. For now, it's safe to say that the basketball operations will be run under a different person, and that a lot of the staff will be different next year.

Whether Bryan Colangelo's replacement is a person found inside the organization or from outside remains to be seen.