And here we go again

Well, wasn’t that a day!

Nice slow early-summer afternoon, right? Wrong.

Only a narcissist would revel in getting through a rather intense evening; I was ticked that I missed the Mighty Rockies and the post-game revelry.

And now not only do we have to hire a new coach, we have to train him, too. Eight of ‘em now, in 16 years. Yikes.

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Did Jay get a fair shake?

I wonder. I really do.

All the guy did was make young kids better and do precisely what his boss wanted while piling up the losses on his record when he probably could have coached a bit differently and won a few more games.

He took the hits, knowing full well he was far more out front than anyone in the organization and he comported himself with dignity, worked hard and did his level best to make the city, his players, his staff and the organization proud.

Was it perfect?

Hell, no. Never is.

Is he the best coach in the NBA?

Nah.

Was he the right coach for this group?

Well, if it was about developing talent, I can make a case that he was, given the improvement of guys like DeRozan, Davis, Johnson and Johnson.

Did he deserve a shot to see what the next step was going to be?

I think so, yes.

So, while I can understand the tugs on Bryan to make a change -- with a two-year deal he can’t afford to wait too long -- I think he again might have pulled the trigger too quickly.

Maybe not, but that’s what I think.

And I also think this: This will the defining moment of Bryan’s tenure in Toronto. More than any draft pick, more than any trade or free agent signing, what he does with this job opening will make or break him.

He’s going to have a long list of possibilities -- I imagine you could rattle off a dozen names off the top of your head of guys who’ll have their agents call today -- and he’s got to hit a home run with this one.

I know Bryan well, I think, and I imagine he’s relishing this time. He gets to fully put his stamp on the staff, he has never, ever had to go outside the organization to hire a head coach and it’s going to be fun to see what he comes up with.

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So, who gets the job?

Well, the obvious suspects are Lawrence Frank and Dwane Casey, both quite accomplished and the kind of guys Bryan seemed to target with his announcement that a pedigree and defensive mentality was a key attribute.

I like ‘em both, actually.

Frank’s been there, done that and got a so-so defensive Nets team to play pretty well on the defensive end. Good guy, knows how to handle the media it seems and was recommended by a couple of league people I talked to last night.

Casey? I will say this: He’s got a huge amount of defensive responsibility in Dallas and if he can that team with that personnel -- an aged Jason Kidd and a defensive liability like Dirk Nowitzki -- to play like that, he’s got to have some skills. Maybe he’s the guy who can sufficiently hide, or convince, Bargnani to defend.

Who’d be the favourite right now?

Every indication I’ve been getting is that it’s Frank but there’s all kinds of time for that to change.

But .... and there’s always a but.

If they want to go a different route, let me toss these two names out there:

I’m sure Michael Malone, who was the defensive guy for Mike Brown in Cleveland and is for Monty WIlliams in New Orleans, would have some interest and, totally out of the blue, old friend Dee Brown might be ready to step up after being the head coach of Springfield in the D League.

The others?

I think they should make a call to Jerry Sloan but I’m not sure this would be the situation that he’d like; Rick Adelman’s rep is that he works better with veteran teams and this isn’t one of them, and you need to trust me on this, there is more a chance of you coaching the Raptors next year than there is of Phil Jackson coming. Forget it.

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Mighty Rockies 24, The Dastardly Other Guys 4.

Big night.

Of course, I was sitting in the car listening to the Colangelo call with my cell phone plugged into Super Son’s computer so its battery wouldn’t die for the first part of the game and then had to blow out of there to type about an inning later so I had nothing to do with it.

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MGrange (TM) takes his talents to ... well, to Jarvis and Bloor, I think it is. He’s out of the Globe and into Sportsnet and Canadian newspapers are the losers. Good for him, though.

Blatch goes back to the Post and Wayne Parrish scores a coup to get her and Cabbie goes to TSN? Hmm. And my phone never rings. (I keed, boss, I keed)

-

Seriously, I’m in this joint yesterday chilling and they’ve got some big shindig going on later in the evening and there’s giveaways and all that.

What’s up on the wall as one of the “prizes?”

A Linas Kleiza jersey. Red. No. 11. Remember him?

Guess all the Solomon Alabi’s were already given away.

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Let’s get this out of the way right now, shall we.

Do not -- NOT -- think for a second that Ettore Messina -- the Euro Flavour Of The Past Months -- is in the mix as the coach.

I cannot for a second think Bryan hands over a young team to a guy who’s never coached an NBA practice, let alone a game, or let alone a player. And nor should he.

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Two quick, unrelated, digression-filled personal Shaq moments and we’ll get more into him tomorrow because, well, because there’s too much Raptors stuff here.

I was sitting on the aisle covering the 1992 NBA Draft in Portland (part of trip that included the first Dream Team and, if memory serves, a CFL exhibition game) and when the Magic drafted him and he walked to the stage, it was like an eclipse.

I looked over my shoulder and the entire room was blocked by the biggest man I’d ever seen.

If you don’t think the fact I covered the day he entered the NBA and am still doing it now that he’s retired as the oldest player in the league doesn’t make me feel a tad ancient, you’re wrong.

And, I don’t remember what year it was but it was one summer day, it was about a zillion degrees out (and since not many of you have seen me lately, you may recall that I’m not particularly built for the heat) and there’s no air conditioning at Casa Doug at the time.

So, what to do? Go see a movie, right?

A matinee, it’s air conditioned, there’s popcorn and it’s fun.

Off we trod, get tickets, sit down, and are thoroughly not entertained for about 90 minutes of -- get this! -- Blue Chips.

Don’t think I’ve forgiven Shaq for being in that one since. It made Kazaam look like On The Waterfront.

Quick Shaq thought and we’ll expand on it tomorrow:

No, he probably didn’t get the most out of his talents but he was literally and figuratively a giant of the game and he “got it” like few players do.

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This is harsh, and totally one man’s opinion, but I don’t see a single member of Jay’s staff coming back. And because they are all honourable and decent men who worked to the very best of their abilities here, that’s too bad.

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Here’s a bit of a Raptors update that has nothing to do with coaching.

Am told Amir’s having his ankle surgery on Friday, which is far too long after the season in my estimation. Should have had it three or four weeks ago so he’d be ready -- for sure -- on time for camp.

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Okay, that’s probably enough, right?

One more note, though. Because life gets in the way, I’m afraid I have beg off an IGBT thing tonight.

Sorry but we’ll have to resume Sunday from Dallas. But if you want to say hi, and help me get together a mailbag, please click here and send.

 

 

Comments

[D-Mac Ottawa]

How do, Doug,
Okay, some real Raptors news! Cool. Didn't see the name Mark Jackson in your mentionables above. Is Mark Jackson a mentionable?
Cheers. Go Raps!

Blogger's note: A mentionable, maybe; but lacks a lot of the characteristics Bryan wants, chief among them experience of any kind

[joe]

Hi Doug,

Tough break for Jay yesterday. What can you do?

Couple of questions:
1. Do you see Jay sliding into Gheradini's role should Maurizio not be retained?

2. Judging by BC's comments yesterday, it seems like he is under a lot of pressure to push this rebuild through very quickly. He seems intent on hiring a coach with NBA experience. Beyond the coaching vacancy, this leads me to think that:
a) He's got some blockbuster deal in the works.

b) If he's still drafting 5th in a few weeks, he'll be taking the player who's most NBA ready. He's not going to waste a pick on a project that will take 2-3 years to show some development.

Blogger's note: Won't know anything until I talk to more people

[Nick M]

At this point in time the player personnel does not support hiring a defensive minded coach. A coach like Frank cannot be successful with the 'Catch 22' situation we have in the middle of our defense.

At the moment Bargnani is our best one-on-one post defender (Amir and Davis are just not big enough to gaurd most bigs), however, this puts him in the position of the most important help defender (him being the teams worst help defender). Consequently, Davis and Amir are good help defenders but they are not effective at guarding the post and therefore usually do not find themselves in the best positions to help defend in the middle and contest shots.

BC can talk all he wants about hiring a defensive minded coach but until he finds a big to defend the post and help out (a la Chandler, which to his credit would have been a good move) so he can get rid of Bargs or, better yet, keep his offense and be able to hide him on defense - like Dirk - nothing will change.

[J]

@Stephen:

"I see your point Doug, Lenny does have one Title as a coach.
I guess I meant to say, lets get someone in their prime with a proven track record, not at the end of a career and out of touch with the players and the game as it is currently played.
Lenny is good people, but his last title, and only title was in 1979. He coached the Raps in the early 2000's. Quite the gap in success, no? Second all time, sure, not hard when you coach for 25-30 years, ask Don Nelson."

I'm just wondering, by by your standard of years since last title, does that mean no Adelman, with 19 years since his last Finals appearance, and not a single title to his credit? No Lawrence Frank or Mike Woodson, who have never made the Finals even? By your standard, we'd need to hire one of Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, Gregg Popovich, Pat Riley or Larry Brown, as they're the only coaches to win the title recently, relatively speaking?

[Steph]

Doug, If Brian had a longer term contract, say four years, do you think he might have made a diferent decision regarding Jay?

Blogger's note: Can't really guess but it would have given everyone more time.

[Hope Caper]

Hey Doug, I didn't see this one coming. I figured BC gives Jay a chance to build on what he has developed. I don't buy the need another voice stuff. Jay has been a coach on the best team on the planet (USA Gold) so I'm not sure what BC is looking for. Really seems to me to be a throw of the dice in desparation.

Whoever comes in will reap Jay's developmental work. As you so accurately pointed out just look at the development of the younger players. Under the wrong coaching you don't see this so that tells something right there. Regardless of what people whined on about Bosh not being a great player he's the one that will be proved to be the more astute when he lifts the trophy while the Raps try to fill the huge hole he left in that team. Don't get me wrong in that I disagree totally with BC, after all he's the one rebuilding- in many cases in the right direction. If he has a fault he was too loyal to Chris and I don't think he could swing a deal that made it attractive enough to just dump him. Maybe that's why he made this move but I think the wrong move at the wrong time. With a good big center, high draft pick I think these guys are in the playoffs next year. The sad part is that I still believe this to be the case regardless of who the next coach is and Jay doesn't get the credit. While his record doesn't show it I believe he was one of the best coaches the Raps have had and they have had a lot of them. As always, good reading your blog and thanks for the chance to exchange ideas.

[Jacques]

Doug, do we see Jay staying on as a consultant after June 15th. Do you see him on the bench for another team next year? What about Mike D in NY, any chance he comes to T.O. maybe Nash might ask for a trade. Just a thought.

Blogger's note: There is zero chance D'Antoni comes here. Maybe less than zero

[Butter Chicken]

Doug, I understand that this is supposition, but isn't it possible that Amir wanted to see if his injury would heal without surgical intervention before going under the knife? He gave it some time in the off-season, it didn't respond how he wanted it to, and he then made the decision to have surgery. I don't know if this is the case, but it's just as plausible as the scenario you suggested. Your description of the events make it seem like he was just sitting around and then randomly decided to have surgery without any thought about the forthcoming season.

Blogger's note: It's not the case

[DerekS]

Hi Doug,
I too feel that Jay probably didn't get a fair shake. I believe that even if we'd had Phil Jackson in Toronto the last two years, we probably still would have missed the playoffs with the personnel (and injuries) we've had to work with.
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I understand the mentality that because Bryan only has a 2-yr deal himself, he can't afford to "waste/gamble" one of those years with Jay, and then only leave himself one year with a new coach. That being said, my fear is that because Bryan only has a 2-yr time frame to turn lead into gold (or something reasonably close), that rather than allowing this team to rebuild properly (which takes time), that we're going to make a bunch of trades and signings that make us marginally better in the short term (ie: making the bottom tier of the playoffs, with no realistic chance to win) rather than continuing on the path that was started last year. If MLSE was going to keep Bryan, I think it was a mistake to give him anything less than 3 years, because now they've forced him to try and move from "rebuilding" to "contending" if he wants to keep his job - reminiscent of what the Toronto pucks team does every year - and we've seen how well that works out.
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One other question - although I personally think that Jay "should" have been back for one more year, let me ask you this. "IF" the new guy they bring in is able to make this team considerably better defensively with most of the same personnel (similar to what you described Frank doing with the Nets), then is that a bit of an indictment on Jay that he didn't get the job done?

[Jose]

I don't see how Jay Triano went all out on developing young guys and force feed them minutes. If anything, veteran guys like Bargnani and Calderon played too many minutes. When Triano promised to increase Bayless' role on the team, it didn't quite happen as he continued to split mins with Calderon around 20ish mins. It wasn't until the last month of the season, when Calderon completely sat out, that Bayless got his burn. Same went for Ed Davis. It wasn't until Bargnani sat out the last month of April that he got his burn. Otherwise, him and Bayless would have continued to split mins at best, rather than being force feed mins to develop.

And why the hell was Sonny Weems playing so much when clearly Julian Wright offered more of what the Raptors needed, DEFENSE. It was clear that Weems came into this past season with the mindset to chuck up shots, thinking that it would net him a new big contract at the end. He played zero defense.

Saying that Triano coached differently to develop young guys and gave up on winning a few more games is false claim. Fact is, Triano TRIED to win every game. He didn't coach differently.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Regarding the ongoing drive-by scattershot exchanges about the primacy of offense versus defense and vice versa, would it be too great a leap to consider that it takes extraordinary efforts in both departments to qualify as a contender for a ring? As evidenced by the two teams we're watching this, and every, year. They didn't get there by ignoring one end of the floor or another. And the teams who have more of, or a lack of, one or the other don't find themselves playing in June.
"Creation versus evolution"... drones on and on, doesn't it? How tough would it be for everyone to buy into "god created evolution"... and then adjourn for a merry round of jovial beers. Cheers! Here's to balance! That's the beauty of the sport.

[JHK]

Make it or break it for BC indeed...
He will have no excuse what so ever if we don't make it to playoffs in next 2 years.

[Lorie]

Hi Doug,
Well, that sure wasn't the Raptors' news I expected - or much wanted - to hear. Premature discharge of coaching duties by Colangelo I believe and for him to say in an interview that it was time to hire a coach to take them to the next level is disingenuous. This is merely the next step in Bryan holding on to his own position with the organization. Sorry it was Jay who has been fired; he was, after all working with the tools he was given - and I believe he and his staff did a masterful job. So, thank you, Jay (and your committed staff), for getting these kids to work and learn and train so hard that each and every game they played they believed - and then we began to also - that they had a chance to win. Cheers. But not really happy ones today.

[CM]

Hope Caper here is a good quote and summary re: Triano:

"The Raptors gave him an unlikely opportunity to become a NBA head coach, and Triano had almost three full seasons to prove that he was capable. At the end of those three long years, he failed to impress in any category other than that of likability, which was rightfully not enough."

Read more here:
http://raptorsrepublic.com/2011/06/02/jay-trianos-obituary/

he proved to be a very capable assistant, but lacking as a head coach.

Blogger's note: That's one person's opinion. It is not widely shared.

[Andre]

I believe this was a good move. Unfortunately Triano is not the best fit for this team. BC seems to be under pressure to win. Triano will NOT get our team to that next level. Even his in game decisions and plays, defensive sets, and the plays he calls at the end of close games. Just doesnt work. Dwayne Casey would be perfect for this team. I dont like Lawrence frank, i dont think he was a good coach to begin with and I feel he just "took over" what scott did in NJ. Rick adelman wouldnt do well with this team, but you know whos an interesting wild card? Hubie Brown.. this should be an interesting

[Gus]

Doug...

What is your opinion of Bill Laimbeer? Short on NBA coaching experience, but he has had some great success in the role with the WNBA and he brings intangibles to the table.
In my humble opinion, he would bring some defensive accountability and toughness to the team culture.
Of course, having been a coach, I think it is impossible to teach those things, they have to be there to begin with. But someone like Bill might inspire it in the players and actually reinforce the behaviour.

Just a thought.

[LeeZ]

@Nick M: couldn't agree more.
I had only one problem with Jay: he didn't sit players who weren't giving a proper effort on d. Oh, he eventually sat Bargs for a short bit, but FAR too little and FAR too late. He kept saying the right things (we have more than enough offence, it's defence we need from the players) and yet he refused to play JuJu, who was by far the team's best defender and who, despite a HORRIBLE jump shot, has excellent ball handling and passing skills which made him a passable offensive presence as well. On the plus side, there is everything you've mentioned about Jay, plus his uncanny ability to draw up successful plays after play stoppages.
Question: if you agree with my premise that he didn't hold players accountable enough by sitting them down (something Skyles does regularly in Milwakee with a team that has, arguably, less talent than the Raps), do you feel this was all on Jay, or do you think he felt pressure from Bryan not to sit down his prized number one draft pick?
Question: you say in today's post that none of the assistants will be back next year. Did you mean to include P.J. (and his guaranteed contract) in that group?

Blogger's note: Jay made his own calls and he -- and the staff -- did not hold Julian Wright's defensive skills in nearly as high regard as some. He missed a lot of assignments.
And I would be surprised if PJ's here

[Peter]

Hi Doug, thanks for the blog!

I think that's a tough break for Jay, he did seem to do his best at developing the young talent of this team for the future, a future he probably won't really be a part of.

But that's the business side of the sport I guess. Jay does seem to have a lot of people who appreciate his work, so I don't think he'll be out of the coaching world for too long.

[Kent]

Can people (i.e. those who are mourning the decision) please tell me how they can be so sure that Demar DeRozan and other young players would not have improved just as much if Sam Mitchell was coaching instead of JT? In other words, how do you tease apart Triano's contributions from the young players' natural progression? I am not even asking this question rhetorically; I am asking because I don't know (yes, a disclaimer to satisfy all).

Blogger's note: Because he was the guy doing it; I have no idea what would have happened otherwise and it's foolish to speculate. You go with what you know and I know the kids got better

[nate]

Hey Doug,
You mentioned they should have a coach by the draft June 23. The last possible date of the finals is the 14th. If a coach is not hired by the end of the finals, do we have to start worrying that the potential lockout could occur during this period BEFORE we have a coach, and can such a deal be consumated under a lockout? I know a draft will still happen, therefore I assume management can still make managerial decisions in that scenario.

Blogger's note: Oh, no. If there's a lockout, they can still hire

[Kent]

Blogger's note: Because he was the guy doing it; I have no idea what would have happened otherwise and it's foolish to speculate. You go with what you know and I know the kids got better

If you can't tease apart natural progression from intervention (JT's coaching), then any claim about the the effectiveness of the intervention is also just speculation.

Blogger's note: Whatever

[Pipit]

Doug, any news on Maurizio, "THE GODFATHER OF EURO BASKETBALL?"

[Pipit]

Good news on Raptorland. This will be the start of the healing process. I wanna see for a change how this team will play in a way that every possession and everybody will be accountable in the defensive end. I wanna see a team whose tough as nails and will scrap every second of the game. No disrespect to Jay, but 2 seasons were enough for him to prove his worth. The probability of this team playing hard especially on the defensive end is extremely low if we keep him around for another season. I know the players respect Jay as a coach but it was not in a level wherein players like Bargnani will play hard for him every night. Colangelo made a very good move. Doug, how about the chances of Brian Shaw coming to Toronto? The fundamentals of the triangle offense is a good fit for a jump shooting team who doesn't have a go-to-guy.

[Leaf Fan in Van]

All I have to say, Mr Smith - is that if you "like" a certain guy to coach, I hope BC looks in the very opposite direction...your conclusion that Jay helped the young guys improve is not only horribly innacurate, it's laughable really...

Blogger's note: Yawn.

[Shaun Guest]

Hey Doug,

Of the candidates you noted (Frank & Casey) as well as any other viable ones out there, do any have a background of coaching young teams like the Raptors have now? I realize BC has indicated that pedigree and defensive mentality is important to him, but I would imagine the ability to develop/nurture young talent has to be at the top of the list? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Blogger's note: Need to gather my thoughts and find out what's really going on