Raptors Brass Talks Changes On Locker Clean Out Day
Posted April 29, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
If the previous year marked a surprise leap forward for the Toronto Raptors, than 2007-08 was a somewhat-expected step backward.
Coming off a franchise record-tying 47 wins the year before, hopes were high for the Dinos heading into this campaign, hopes that were hardly met after the team was dismissed from the playoffs by the Orlando Magic after five games Monday night.
Still, such is the way with pro sports, where a team can surge forth one year and be grounded the next. Not that that’s a good enough excuse for the many Raptors fans, players and staff, who stewed collectively in a post-loss hangover Tuesday.
And while Raptors Nation pondered what went wrong, the players had the added chore of emptying out their lockers at the ACC less than 24 hours from the end of the 102-92 loss a night earlier.
To be sure, changes are on the way. Whether it’s at the coaching position – where last year’s coach of the year Sam Mitchell has taken a lot of heat this time around – is debatable.
General manager Bryan Colangelo had little to offer on the matter.
“I have no intention of making a coaching change at this time,” he said flatly.
And then there’s the always contentious issue of which point guard will be running the show come training camp in September. T.J. Ford had a frustrating season rife with injury, while emerging star Jose Calderon needs a new contract.
For his part, Ford is hardly thrilled about the prospect of being a secondary player.
“I think as of where I’m at right now in my NBA career I consider myself a starter,” he said. “I don’t see myself coming off the bench for 82 games.
Colangelo says he understands. What he may really understand is the necessity of making a trade.
“I don’t blame him and I also applaud the fact that that’s his position, I would expect nothing less,” he said. “At the end of the day though, how can he and Jose co-exist?”
And what of second-year man Andrea Bargnani, the team’s 2006 first-overall draft pick that appeared to suffer from somewhat of a sophomore slump. Colangelo still defends selecting the seven-foot-tall Italian.
“For everyone that is ready to throw him out with the bath water, I beg to differ,” Colangelo said. “I’m not going to be defending that position forever though,” he admitted.
Of course when it comes to supporting the Raptors, neither will several million fans unless the sticky plateau of round one in the NBA playoffs is surpassed in the not-too-distant future.
Photo Credit: Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images
