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lucky777s · 01-31-2006, 08:37 AM

In the first of what will undoubtedly be a series of brilliant moves by old man Embry, the Raps have brought Jim Kelly back to be a major player in the scouting department.

(Someone please post the Globe and Mail article - link on hoopshype)

Its just amazing how MLSE changes the front man and keeps the same old crap behind the scenes. Its pretty clear that firing Pete and Scott was a cost cutting move to make up for having to pay Babs for 2.5 years of sitting at home. Kelly is on the payroll and they decided to give him the whole scouting role and save some bucks. Great.

Does this sound like an Embry move or a Peddie move? Embry has no relationship with Kelly who was pushed out of the scouting role by Babs. Peddie probably loves Kelly's 'experience'.

Babs, Pete, and Scott were in charge of all the scouting this past year and a half.

Guess our 2nd round picks will go back to being worthless now. Ramone VandeHare instead of Slokar type picks.

I have zero faith in the Embry and Peddie team. Adding Kelly just makes it worse.

McCloskey/Grunwald/Kelly/Neal
Embry/Peddie/Kelly/??

The first was bad. The second looks like a disaster.

I think that there are many people in MLSE who are not at all happy with the CV and Graham picks this year. How else do you explain all these moves.

A Detroit newspaper article says Hammond will not be interested in the Raps position. He won't be the only guy to decline an interview.

I can't believe how quickly I have gone from optimistic about our future to completely pessimistic. I am almost rooting against the Peddie/Embry team.

nwt · 01-31-2006, 09:05 AM

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...NStory/Sports/

Babcock's dismissal clears way for scout to assume larger role

Quote:

In the 12-year history of the Toronto Raptors, Jim Kelly has been a constant in the team's scouting department, although his role was diminished considerably when Rob Babcock became general manager in 2004.

But now that Babcock's been fired, Kelly has been asked by interim GM Wayne Embry to assume a leadership role once again in the Raptors' scouting department.

"I talked with Wayne twice over the weekend and he asked me to help out with the scouting, to take care of that," Kelly said yesterday from his home in San Diego. "But other than that I'm coming up to Toronto later this week, I'll be there on Wednesday, and we'll have more discussions then as to what it entails. That's as far as I know."

The Raptors are expected to make an official announcement on Kelly's status this week. The National Basketball Association team is also planning to bolster its scouting staff with another hire, Embry confirmed yesterday....

Benis007 · 01-31-2006, 09:25 AM

great move bringing back Jim Kelly since we are trying to win an NBA Title and not the Superbowl.

aizn · 01-31-2006, 09:30 AM

i liked babcock's drafting team besides the fact they drafted hoffa.

he DID pick up PAPE SOW (through a trade), roko, and uros. i juss hope we dont pull another hoffa/igoudala this year.

The Truth IV · 01-31-2006, 09:45 AM

remember Ukic and Slokar have contributed as much as VandeHare so let's not get too excited about Babcock's second round drafting record yet.

no_free_baskets · 01-31-2006, 10:10 AM

I'm just absolutely sickened by this move...how can they bring someone back with this kind of draft record is beyond me? what the hell is going on in this orginization??? i seriously now have no confidence in the ppl making the decision for this yrs draft...

this guy is just the absolute worse...i wish someone taped previous behind the drafts and post the raps big board in the yrs kelly was a key figure in our war room during the draft...it was just abysmal...beyond abysmal...i mean, seriously when gg asked him his opinion of joe johnson, the guy didnt even know who he was? are you freaking kiddding me?? this is the man in charge of our scouting department???!?!

just another dark day of being a raps fan........

charlz · 01-31-2006, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucky777s

I have zero faith in the Embry and Peddie team. Adding Kelly just makes it worse.

McCloskey/Grunwald/Kelly/Neal
Embry/Peddie/Kelly/??

The first was bad. The second looks like a disaster.

I can't believe how quickly I have gone from optimistic about our future to completely pessimistic. I am almost rooting against the Peddie/Embry team.

Jim Kelly is an empty suit - he is a peddie yesman

History will likely show that firing Babs at this time was wrong - esp. If any or all of calderon/Ukic/Slokar pan out. Never mind that CarlieV is 3rd amonth rookies.

skip2 · 01-31-2006, 10:20 AM

Joe who??

When Kelly was offered Joe Jhonson in a trade for Jefferies I believe. He REALLY liked Jefferies.

*blank stare*

When GG asked Kelly to tell him about Barbosa

Michael Bradley
Chris Jeffries
Alex Radejovic
Tyson Wheeler
DeeAndre Hulett
Ramon Van de Here

Atleast all these guys are "good guys" right?

Why is this franchise so messed????

no_free_baskets · 01-31-2006, 10:56 AM

im really, really hoping this interm move by embry to put a warm body in there before he hires the guy he really wants there...if not, this is an unmitigated disaster.....

lucky777s · 01-31-2006, 11:20 AM

Quote:

According to team insiders, Kelly had little influence on scouting matters during the 1½-year Babcock era. Babcock himself handled a lot of the U.S. college scouting duties, and when he wanted to discuss playing personnel, one of his first calls was usually to his brother Pete.

"Jim Kelly has not really been too involved," said one Toronto team official who did not want his name used. "He was more or less pushed aside. I think he'll be front and centre once again. I think he'll be back to being the main man."

It could not have been satisfying for Kelly to be shunted into the background. In past NBA drafts he was instrumental in Toronto selecting such players as Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby, Tracy McGrady and Morris Peterson.

"Well, the team hasn't produced or played up to probably as I would have liked it," Kelly said, choosing his words carefully. "I don't think anyone on the team can say they've liked how we've played, or with the results. Rob came in with a philosophy and a style. He's a very dedicated guy. He worked hard to achieve that means and it broke down somewhere along the line.

"I haven't spent much time in Toronto the last year and a half so I can't really tell you about the inner-office politics of what's gone on. That's probably as far as I want to go with that."

That was about as close as Kelly would come to taking a pot-shot at his former boss.

"Like I said, everyone's got a role in the team and he gave me a role to be the college scout and be on the road all the time," Kelly said. "That I did. And you can only do what they tell you. Just like everyone wants to be a scorer in a game but maybe you got to play defence, maybe you got to be more of a passer, maybe you got to rebound a little more.

"They gave me that role and I tried to do it the best that I could."

Amazing. Kelly somehow gets the credit for what were CLEARLY the picks of Isiah Thomas. IT may be a lousy GM in some ways but the man can draft.

Damon, Marcus, and Tracy were IT's picks, not Kelly's. I think Craig Neal had a lot to do with the Tracy pick too, knowing him from summer bball camps, and HS all star games.

Kelly is the Richard Peddie of personnel guys. No accountability, but quick to take any credit if things go right.

Guy has a huge ego, thinks that being the head college scout is beneath him. Says that Babs plan 'broke down' somewhere along the line. I thought we were exactly where we should expect to be, even though I wasn't thrilled with the 3 first round picks.

I would love to know who this other 'team official' is who thinks that Kelly will be back to being the 'main man' again. Sounds like yet another MLSE lifer who is killing us behind the scenes.

Raps have always had bad leaks in the front office and guys not supporting the GM.

**speedythief** · 01-31-2006, 11:39 AM

Hopefully the GM we hire will be an NCAA/Euroleague fanatic and will trust his own opinion rather than defer to the "team" they have.

**TDrake** · 01-31-2006, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedythief

Hopefully the GM we hire will be an NCAA/Euroleague fanatic and will trust his own opinion rather than defer to the "team" they have.

No way, Speedy - I've had it with these one-man shows. Isiah was terrible (for not deligating) and GG was worse. At least Rob tried to put together a team. We don't need our GM to be a scouting fool. We need someone with a depth of knowledge of the NBA and a breadth of contacts in the pro basketball community so he can go out and get good scouts and coaches and a pro player personal director and whatever else we need to become a solid ORGANIZATION.

The answer to this teams chaotic situation isn't another guy that's going to try to do it all. Its someone who can bring in people he can trust to do their jobs - and a guy with enough clout that the underlings aren't going to try and undermine him.

TRON · 02-01-2006, 11:57 AM

Maybe Kelly is just going to be around to "be the main man" for this draft, then when the new GM comes in it will be up to him to choose his scouting staff.

Whether or not Kelly is as bad or good as we think, I would rather have someone scouting for the draft now, rather than having someone that is hired in April just strarting to do a job that should have been started the day after last years draft.

Too bad we couldn't retain Scott Howard as our International Scout, I am not as high on our 2nd rounders all of a sudden.

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