jibe

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17529540/

<quote> Opinion: Raptors bring Euro-hoop to NBA

Colangelo has molded Toronto with unique style — and it’s working

OPINION - By Bob Cook March 9, 2007


Toronto Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo is unquestionably the NBA’s top executive this season for having blown up a sorry team and turned it into the class of the Atlantic Division, for whatever that’s worth, in only a year.

In fact, Colangelo, formerly the GM with the Phoenix Suns until about this time in 2006, is so far along in his plan to turn the Raptors into Phoenix North, or more accurately, Benetton Treviso West, he has only one job left: getting rid of Sam Mitchell, who may well be in contention for the NBA’s coach of the year.

It sounds like the Raptors could be Florida Marlins II, with a general manager deciding he is responsible for a young team’s unexpected success (though Mitchell, unlike fired National League Manager of the Year Joe Girardi, never yelled at his team’s owner). Colangelo and Mitchell have had a decent relationship, but that might not stop Colangelo from deciding that Mitchell, whose contract is up after this season, is not the man to lead his budding band of Euros (and Chris Bosh and T.J. Ford).

Firing Mitchell seemed like a foregone proposition when the Raptors started this season 2-8, following seasons under Mitchell of 33-49 and 27-55. But Mitchell has taken a green roster built around Bosh, 22, Ford, 23, and No. 1 pick Andrea Bargnani, 21 — the latter two among nine new Raptors this season — and led it to the top of the Atlantic Division, thus making Toronto’s first playoff visit since 2002 a real possibility.

Though the third-year Raptors coach appears to have a good working relationship with Colangelo, who spent 11 years in Phoenix before joining the Raptors, Mitchell might be a victim of either a team deciding he wasn’t really the reason for its success, or not being the right person to lead a roster that is on its way to answering the question of whether one of Europe’s top teams can win in the NBA.</quote>


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Timbaland

I think that Mitchell definitely earned everything the Raptors have achieved so far this year. I hope at least they won't ditch him, especially if hes coach of the year. I think he should be given some time to grow with his team before hes axed.

firstrounder

at the beginning of this year I did not like Mitchell. He came across as too hardass.

But despite the fact that he still makes questionable substitutions during games, he is starting to really grow on me. I think Sam is an excellent motivator, and is the right guy for this group of guys. Watching that ESPN2 Raptors documentary has cemented my current opinion that Mitchell should stay as coach of the Raptors.

crimedog

brutal...i stopped reading after page 1.

It's nice that colangelo is getting praise, but it is totally unfair to mitchell...especially about the public squabbles with bargnani earlier this year (???).

and the part about parker playing for BT is just bad journalism. It's like when steve buffery writes 'TJ ford had a double double, with 17 points and 10 rebounds"...it makes you furious that these guys with these dream jobs don't have a very inate knowledge or interest.

I actually don't like the attention we are getting now. It's better than being a laughing stock, but there's something patronizing about it and I feel like none of the people writing articles have actually watched us play. I didn't watch the ESPN 2 piece on the raptors...maybe that is better done...but for the most part, I'd prefer if we could go back to obscurity and let them ask who we are in the 2nd round of the playoffs.

jibe

i dont think that smitch can carry the raps to the next level of euroball play an he may not want to be part of that kind of team. smitch should be able to get a big long term contract with another developing nba team. i think smitch will be able to work the market for his services after this last season with the rap an good luck to him cause he deserves it.

the raps can use more euroballers an somebody like herrmann on the bobcats is a restricted fa after this season. the guy is a monster.

as for raps next coach it could be iavaroni or even somebody from europe but that would be risky for bc but who knows.

NeoSamurai

i will admit that i called for Sam's head when we started out 2-8, but seeing the way the Raps have played and seeing the way that everyone has picked up their game to the point where we have our 8th or 9th guy on the bench in Kris Humphries or JG putting in solid performances, Sam should be extended...hes got his players playing motivated basketball...regardless of whether or not hes a bad Xs and Os guy, Sam has drawn out results from a team that was a bottom feeder to now a division champion...

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crimedog

What the hell is euroball? You read too much of that article. Mitchell can't coach "euroball"? Isn't he coaching "euroball" right now?

It's called basketball.

I'm pretty sure Herrman is not a RFA...and even if he is...isn't another outside shooting bigman a little redundant?

I have to end this post before I go crazy and go on a rant about "WE talkin' 'bout EUROball?"

I will be surprised and unimpressed if mitchell is not given a contract. He has earned it and gotten WAY more out of this team than even Colangelo could haev expected.

jibe

i think smitch is gonna leave on his own cause there are a lot of teams out there that can use his motivational style of coaching. he has proven himself an will earn a big buck from US teams playing US style ball not euroball.

the next step for the raps would be to get a good Xs an Os type of coach who can also take the team to the next level of playmaking. also bc has got to decide if this group of raptors are what he wants for the next few seasons an if they can rise to the next level too.

chulo

Did anyone think the raptors would get off to a good start this year? I think we had a hard schedule to being with and we also had NINE new players, some that haven't even played in the nba before. Of course we were going to lose games, but after we started meshing the team really built a good chemistry. I can't be bothered to read this whoel article because I know the guy who wrote it probably just read headlines and saw a only a few games the raptors played the past few years. Quite frankly I'm happy this site has educated fans. I rather read posts in here than any other website or newspaper.

Sam is a good coach. He challenged this team to take it to another level and got them to respond. If we were to bring in a new coach with no head coaching experience (euro coach in phoenix) would he be able to that? I'm hoping Sam gets another contract and keeps messing with the local media when they ask him stupid questions.

lucky777s

Sam is going to get a contract extension offered to him.

No doubt Colangelo expected to fire Mitchell sometime this year when he took the job, but he simply cannot do that now unless we get swept out of the playoffs or something. The team is going too well to dump Sam.

What could happen is that Sam gets a bigger or longer contract offer elsewhere, like Charlotte where Bickerstaff had planned to groom him for the head coaching job. I think that Sam's family is still living down in that area.

So its possible Colangelo lets Sam go to a higher bidder. I don't see Colangelo giving him TOO big a contract where he could not fire him after a bad year. But I think Sam wants to win badly and would see Toronto as the place to win a lot of games over the next few years. So if the money is even close he probably stays.

seifer0406

Say that Mitchell goes after a fatter contract with the Bobcats. If the Bobcats ends up losing a lot of games in the next 2 years (a very likely scenario), Mitchell would still end up getting fired and his coaching stock would drop tremendously. Another 2-3 losing seasons especially with a team as bad as the Bobcats could potentially drop Mitchell's winning percentage to the low thirties or even the twenties. It is bad for his coaching career for the long run choosing a fat paycheck now over winning ballgames.

For young coaches it is important for them to establish a good track record early in their coaching careers. Just look at someone like Doc Rivers or Lawrence Franks. Mitchell is lucky that the Raps turned the corners with Colangelo. If not for BC and the Raptors winning games, he would have a hard time landing another coaching job in the league after getting fired by the Raptors if not a few more years after the Bobcats.

shookem

Exactly, Smitch ain't no fool. Money is good but by winning those things will take care of themself.

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crimedog

I've seen a lot of people refer to Iavaroni as that euro coach or the italian from phoenix. HE's AMERICAN. He went to Virginia and played in the NBA.

I guess he's Italian in terms of ancestry...but noone was talking about bringing in the Irish coach, when Kevin O'Neill was hired.

this euro thing has been bugging me all year...and that article, coupled with this thread top it all off.

jibe

colangelo .. gherardini .. smitch?? .... or iavaroni !!

come on people an read the writing on the wall. bc is going to recruit players from outside the USA an build a championship team with international players plus bosh.

so obvious.

SickGame