Just the Facts: A Look at Bryan Colangelo's Time with the Toronto Raptors

You’ve illustrated the mountain you have to climb in order to convince one’s self how it makes sense to re-sign Colangelo.

My only other comment is that.

The Raptors would never have gone anywhere with Bosh.

I guess if you like to hover between the bottom of the lottery and the bottom of the playoff seeding then Bosh was worth keeping.

One of the biggest benefits that came about as a result of Bosh leaving was that Bargnani got exposed for what he is: A Sixth man off the bench and nothing more. When Bosh was with the Raptors he made it a lot easier for Bargnani to score as Bargnani said. A lot of Bargnani’s sins were passed over by Raptors management because Bosh was able to raise the Raptors to a continual mediocre level.

However when BC let Bosh walk then it took less than one full season for BC to see just how bad Bargnani is if you want to become a solid NBA playoff team.

it seems, based on the facts above, BC has been good at making smaller moves but he has completely struck out in big free agent signings and bigger trades. I guess based on the facts it wouldnt be a horrific decision to replace him but i’m still in the camp of keeping him. If nothing else he’s proven he can clean up his mistakes, i.e. bad signings and trades; he’s a very active GM and I love that, always making changes to make the team better. tough decision for the powers that be.

the Raps are still years away from being competitive enough to be contenders.

There is no valid reasoning to say that given what we know… any person will or won’t do a better or worse job than BC. Even if Pritchard takes over, he may very well make mistakes and leave this team wallowing for years to come. MLSE may take some bum of the street give them a job and, with a string of luck, builds a decade long contender. What a team should do is look at what history/experience a candidate has in the business, what potential they show, what they intend to do, and how they plan to go about doing it, and go from there (this also includes Bryan Colangelo). There is no reason why a rookie GM should not be considered. Every GM, just like every player, coach and waterboy, is a rookie at some point in time

As you say “results speak for themselves”…. 22-60 team with the least productive player in the league getting payed 10 mil a year for the next 4 years (and thereby eating at the very least 1/6th of the salary cap over that time… UNLESS ofcourse he is traded, which has not happened yet). Failed FA signings, high risk low reward trade deals, building around weak and flawed players (both Bosh and Bargnani). A spotty (at best) draft record, of which none of the players have shown anything more than “potential”. 2 playoff apperances and 3 total wins. It doesn’t take much to look at his “results” over his 5 years and see it is very lacking. Especially if you consider he is one of (if not the ) highest paid GMs in the league and expects that same pay for 5 more years.

I think his handling of the Chris Bosh situation has pretty much destroyed his likability by the players ( I mean a year and 22 wins later and he is still taking shots at Bosh, did Bosh break off an engagement with him too?).

1. this team is being sold, and this less salary thats in the business, the more attractive it is to potential buyers. And just like BC may not have wanted Mitchell as Coach, the next (potential) owner may not want BC for their GM of the Raptors. (ie. they can make their own decisions as to how the team is run, not allow the previous owners decisions dictate the team for the next X years)

2. BC didn’t meet expectations and now their is actual discussion about whether bringing him back (at the very least for the salary he wants) is a good idea or not.

3. MLSE are more concerned about what MAS and D-Stance think than anyone ever expected.

I agree that Pritchard had some rumours of inappropriate behavior follow him out of Portland. I recall reading something about him not toting the company line on Brandan Roy’s extension, and painting the rest of the organization as the folks that want to key Roy from getting his due. Pritchard seems like the kind of guy that you want kept in check, with an experienced hands on NBA man as the team president. In Toronto GM’s tend to get a large amount of autonomy since the owners know next to nothing about the sport, let alone how to recruit talent in the front office. Someone like Pritchard could play a special kind of havoc here, when he realizes that he can go around those above him to advance an agenda. And this wouldn’t be unprecedented in Raptors history would it. Isiah tried to make a powerplay to own the team. Butch Carter tried to work around Glen Grunwald. There is something to be said for someone who can navigate the politics of MLSE without letting it corrupt them.

I find it troubling that BC is fine with the small moves, but has issues with the big ones. Being able to pull off the big deal or big free agent signing is the whole reason why you bring in an experienced high profile GM anyway. Their part strategist, part recruiter, and part closer, kind of like a college coach. And given the fact we don’t have the “cachet” of more established franchises like the Lakers or Celtics, having a GM who is a celebrity in his won right seems like a good call right? Except, he’s unable to pull off big deals that make the team better. And without that, how is any different then any other GM out there. Victories when the stakes are low are not going to get this franchise beyond the first round of the playoffs. Chances will need to be taken to find our way to the top, and BC has convinced me that he’s NOT the guy you want making those big decisions.

In the interests of avoiding chaos coming out of the lockout, I could see a two year deal with an option being offered by the Raptor owners. Any new GM would likely want to sit back and observe the existing talent, much like BC did when he first arrived on board. Colangelo knows this roster, and knows what he needs to improve. There is no need for a long term deal so he can achieve a five year plan. HIS plan is already in motion and he either advances that plan significantly in the next two years or he’s out of here. And since the pieces he’s collecting this time around have better mass appeal, its not like the next guy will waste the first two years of his tenure dismantling what BC built. The team has pieces that could be used in any number of styles, or team building strategies.

Its too bad about the internal candidates. If we had someone that’s been around for a season or two, they would be able to hit the ground running as well. Maurizio, I have respect for what he’s been able to achieve in Europe. I also have no doubt that he would bring his own vision to the job. However, I don’t think he would get a fair shake in Toronto since he’s reputation is tainted by association with Bargnani.

Accomplishes multiple objectives at the same time:
Aquire furture draft pick
Cap flexibility
Removes to redundant players (Barbosa is redundant due to bayless and Bargnani due to Amir and Ed)
This is a great example of the type of deal I’m hoping whoever is GM can orchestrate in order to rid us of Bargs

I would adjust that by looking for a 2012 first round pick. That draft is going to be deep due to all the withdrawels this year. In addition, I would also rather we only had one rookie make the team coming out of a lockout. No summer league and no training camp is bad enough with one rookie who you expect to see time in the rotation.

Good thinking on Cleveland though, they seem like the kind of team that would take gambles on players that are talented but have a few flaws holding them back. I also think that Dan Gilbert is looking to put some style over substance in place to shore up his ego in the post-Lebron years. Quick, someone send him a mixtape of all the games when Bargs has rained threes on the opposition. And aren’t Varejao and Barbosa already familiar with each other form the Brazilian national team. Instant Chemistry!