Is It Okay to Question Now?

Funny how some sports execs in this city are given a long rope, others not so much.

J.P. Ricciardi, for example, was the boy genius when he arrived in 2001, and only now, with so much mediocrity behind him, is he being seriously questioned as the proper man to lead the Blue Jays.

John Ferguson Jr., on the other hand, was widely branded a dope from Day One of his brief tenure.

Which brings us once more to the sainted Bryan Colangelo, a sports suit so accomplished that MLSE simply believes it has to locate a "Colangelo of hockey" to turn around the tarnished Maple Leafs and all will be well.

Well, you sure about that?

Colangelo comes from a famous sports family, yes, and he is a stylish, athletic young man who speaks well.

Last season, his Raptors came up with 47 wins, followed by a mildly disappointing first round loss to the New Jersey Nets. Every move he made seemed to pay off.

Last night, the Raps bowed out meekly to Orlando in five games, ending a season that mirrored, in some ways, the season of the Ottawa Senators; strong start, lousy second half, early exit. This year, every move Colangelo made seemed to fizzle.

When I questioned Colangelo's supposed infallibility in mid-March - never suggested he should be fired, mind you, just wondered what the fuss was all about - the comments from readers poured in, many wondering how I had the nerve to even wonder aloud about the great man.

Well, is it okay to question now?

There are a variety of problems with the Raptors, of course. Some say its all Sam Mitchell's fault, others lament the decline of Andrea Bargnani and the disintegration of the point guard tag team, all about T.J. Ford's apparent determination to be designation the starter surely had something to do with it.

Last night's loss was like a replay of so many in the second half, with the Magic making the shots down the stretch and the Raptors not only missing theirs, but either making bad decisions or having players on the floor unwilling to take charge. When you look at how Atlanta is competing against mightly Boston, with that series tied 2-2, the lack of true competitiveness on the part of the Raps in the mediocre Eastern Conference really is brought into vivid relief.

So surely, even to his greatest supporters, the bloom is off the rose now for Colangelo. What matters now is how he fixes this team, how he makes it better.

He's never won an NBA championship or managed this Raptor team into the second round, yet MLSE has tried to dress him up as the genius of basketball and the model for a modern executive in any sport.

Maybe he is. Now would be a good time to show it.

Comments

[Aaron Campbell]

Damien

Thanks for taking some of the load off Doug. He's been mentioning how his blog has been weighing him down lately, and because the Leafs are long gone you might have some extra time on your hands to help him out.

Great points actually.

I'm actually shocked that Riccardi has lasted as long as he has. He's been a bum from the beginning. How many glaring mistakes does it take to get himself fired. I have actually considered the fact that he is being paid by the Red Sox to make some of these terrible moves. Signing players to contracts, where they already have amazing ones in place, (don't get me started on the best defensive player in the league, John McDonald).

I don't even need to say anything about JFJ do I.

And Colangelo does need to make some improvements this summer or the heat wiil be on. But I think he deserves some credit for turning the morbound franchise around. You have to remember where the Raps where, and if he told you that they would make the playoffs two years in a row then, i think you would be happy.

Thanks

[Bill Laidlaw]

I think the old adage of a general manager needing 5 years to prove himself applies here. When Colangelo arrived the Raptors were a joke and were well on their way to becoming irrelevant. They are a playoff team now, did lose significant players to long term injury, and looked a little too ready to quit on some nights all year. I think Colangelo will re-assess team needs and get to work making things better. You cannot say that about his counterparts elsewhere in the city of Toronto.

Bill Laidlaw

[Sparky]

I'm not sure how you can say every move Colangelo made fizzled. He found an first-team all-rookie player (Moon) despite not having a draft pick. He traded two low picks for Delfino. Can you really blame the GM for his No. 1 draft pick who had a good postseason in his rookie year averaging 6 points and 1 rebound in his second playoffs? They were better on paper than in reality, and GMs put together teams on paper. Dave Feschuk, not exactly Mr. Sunshine Optimism, predicted before the season that they would finish ahead of "mighty Boston."

More importantly, he has built a team entirely of high-character people from almost nothing with flexible contract lengths and plenty of cap room for the 2009 summer. Surely you can see that the difference between Colangelo and Ferguson runs deeper than the amount of "rope" offered by fans.

[Chris]

I think you're right, to a point. He's no longer looked upon as infallible.
He is still considerably better than the management of the Jay and Leafs, though. Despite their setbacks the Raptors still have a solid core of very young players and with the addition of a few key veterans to provide mental strength down the stretch, I think they can reach the next level. Colangelo himself said that the time to make a run will probably be in 2009; this could be just covering his butt but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't think anyone could have anticipated that Bargani would drop in productivity so much as he did this year, and that Ford would become a problem. I think we should reserve judgment until he tries to fix the Raptors' problems during the off season.
Finally, I still like ability to find players that other teams have overlooked and not just fall back on the overused approach of overpaying veterans.

[Me]

The problems are:

1. Sam Mitchell needs to go.

2. Trade Ford for a big body.

[Guido]

Rome wasn't built in a day. The real problem with the Raptors is that they set the bar too high last year.

Looking at this years Colangelo moves all were good ones.

FA - Moon > One of the top rookies without a draft pick

FA - Kapono > The #2 option in the playoffs, who should have gotten more looks during the season obviously. Why he didn't play more in the series is anyones guess.

Trade - Delfino > Given the low value of 2nd round picks vs the minutes Carlos played and the number of shots he hit, this was a win.

The downs of the year

Garbohosa - The Raptor's really missed the glue guy, and they tried to stop him from playing the worlds.

Ford - The guy almost got paralyzed on the court, and he rarely played important end of game minutes - especially in the series

Bargnani - Has nobody heard of the Sophomore slump? The kid has talent, but he's also playing out of position.

Considering the growth of both Bosh and Calderon, this young team has improved upon last year - record not withstanding.

The objective for the offseason is pretty simple, and Damien was right on the money, they need a solid #2 option. It's time to send Ford away for a swingman that can take over some nights.

[R.J.]

Damien, I understand your point of view in this post however as someone previously mentioned you have to look where the Raptors were when he took over. Also the management in every sport is too different to compare. Basketball and their salary cap system is too harsh to make any mistakes, the signing or trading of a big money contract can ruin a franchise for years, especially if players decline (which is always very likely).

Colangelo has done the little things he can and has brought us to the playoffs two years in a row. At least Raptor fans don't have to look forward to the draft, which unfortunately is what us Leaf fans have had to for the last three years. JFJ unfortunately would have a better chance of succeeding in a non cap era where he could spend tons of money on 35+ year olds with 4 year contracts, however now it hurts the team until his contract expires because the NHL in fact has a cap.

J.P. has really not done anything to help the Jays but then again there are only 4 playoff spots to go around and he has looked to offer in trade our pieces that other teams actually want (i.e. McGowan and Rios). J.P. can't draft and he has Rogers money which is sad because in as many years as GM we've seen him squander picks on Moneyball type players and he didn't get the memo that Moneyball IS DEAD!!! Colangelo is A, while all the others we a distant C (and I'm grading on a curve.)

[Terri]

"Last night's loss was like a replay of so many in the second half, with the Magic making the shots down the stretch and the Raptors not only missing theirs, but either making bad decisions or having players on the floor unwilling to take charge".

Yeah, that goes back to the coaching. Yes, Bryan is going to having to make some changes in the off season, but there's no excuse for squandering games in the fourth quarter. It's Sam Mitchell and his coaching staff's responsibility that we close out those games.

P.S. Riccardi should have been fired years ago. Does he have relatives working at Rogers? Because that's the only logical reason why he's still around! Ha!

[Bill Mogulsby]

Pretty sure Colangelo knew this would be a "water treading" year what with the dearth of draft choices last summer and the Garbo injury. Easy to say this in retrospect but I think his biggest mistake was trying to be too clever with that 1st overall draft choice. Almost as if he wanted to justify his expense account and who wouldn't prefer a business trip to Milano instead of North Carolina. But at least he's a man of ideas, and his horizons are grander than the average American sportsman's.

[dav]

Hindsight is obviously 20/20, but if BC takes Roy over Bargnani, we've got a real contender. Also, he's somehow permitted 2 of his best 3 players to be point guards who are forced to split minutes...not very efficient if you ask me. He has proven in the past though that he can build contenders, so why not give him his 5 years? It's not like there's anyone better available, unless we want to take another run at Isaiah Thomas. I keed, I keed.

[Colin W]

I'm not sure who said BC was "infallable", but that must have been another media-hyped creation after last season's success. As others have pointed out, I look at this team now, and where it was before BC got here, and no one can argue that there has been a significant turn around. The team should have played better this year, but I don't know that BC can be blamed or held responsible for the inconsistencies, injuries, and whatever else that plagued this team all year. If Andrea played to his potential, if Delfino was more consistent, if Kapono had more minutes to do what he is paid to do, if TJ wasn't Me-J, if Bosh wasn't injured, if we hadn't gone 0-5 on that West cost trip, if Sam didn't try to mix and match the lineup so often, if, if... I can't hold the GM responsible for that. On paper, we had a team that should easily have won 50+ games, but as Smitch reminds us so often, no team win games just by showing up. Further, the games are not played on paper. Heck, who would have thought Atlanta would beat Boston twice so far!

Surely, the players have to look themselves in the mirror and take some of the responsibility for what has been a disappointing season, relatively speaking. After all, we had only six less wins than we had last year, so it isn't like the sky is falling, but we expected more because we all know the media controls, to some degree, popular opinion and like the fans in Phoenix, and in Dallas, and other places, we were hyped to expect more.

So BC does have some work to do. This team's weaknesses have been exposed, and it is now his job to fix them as best as he can. But regardless of who puts on the uniform next year, they still have to go out and execute. Last time I checked, no GM or Coach can literally make that happen.

[Andrew]

I really think it's too early to judge, as others have noted. You've gone on record, Damien, saying that the poor soul (with a soon to be thick wallet) who takes over stewardship of the Leafs will need a number of years to right the ship. What's different in Colangelo's case? This franchise was in truly dire circumstances after the disastrous Babcock years. After years outside the playoffs, the Raps have made it in twice in a row. There are dealable assets and cap space. These are no small accomplishments, considering what a mess the team was in. Fans have short memories, it appears sportswriters can too.

I give him two more years before I start judging in earnest. I personally never liked JP, but felt as a fan I needed to wait a few years to see how his "plan" progressed. As the Jays are mediocre again, with particular weakness in player development, I think JP's tenure is done. But Colangelo still deserves some time before he can be fairly assessed. I mean, Danny Ainge was being fired by Boston media and fans for years, but he managed to turn the cap space he saved and the players he developed into some big moves that have Boston as an elite team again. He's now being praised to the skies...even though, like Colangelo, he's never won anything. I wonder what you would have written about Ainge if you wrote for the Boston Globe?

[Jeff]

Guido

FA - Moon > - Moon is 28, any athletic guy the raptors signed would have got those minutes, and the only reason he got those minutes was because VVV

FA - Kapono > - Bust 5 years 25 million dollars overpaid for a one trick pony

Delfino - Guys who play 25 minutes per game and shoot 39% and average 9 points are not hard to come by.

Bargnani - Has nobody heard of the Sophomore slump? The kid has talent, but he's also playing out of position.

Can you name another first pick of the draft who had a sophomore slump? only Kwame Brown comes to mind

[NBAFAN]

This team does not embody Sam Mitchell's personality. There are really no tough, physical players on this team except for maybe Calderon and Humphries. The rest of the team are finesse players. Either fire Mitchell or get him tougher guys.

[Nick]

The thing about Colangelo is that he is capable of fixing/moving beyond mistakes that he makes. Look at Starbury in Phx, Fred Jones last year here and many more instance where he realizes that something isn't working and he moves to correct it. Having that ability makes him different than many that have run the teams of this city for far too long.

[imloulo, R. Hill]

BC has been at the helm for 2 years plus a bit. He has turn Araujo into Hump. He turned 2 second round picks into Delfino. He signed the NBA's best three point shooter in Jason Kapono. He found a diamond in the rough in Jamario Moon. I wouldn't necessarily say his moves have all fizzled. Was it a disappointment this year? Absolutely. But considering the Raptors lost Jorge all year, Bosh for 15 games, TJ for 31 games and lost 6 more games then last year, it wasn't all that bad. Under his watch, the Raptors have made it to the playoffs 2 years in a row. To win a round would be nice, but let's be honest here, as passionate and irrational Raptors fan maybe at times, nobody would say this team is a "true contender". So if they are not winning a championship, does it make that much of a difference to bow out of the 1st round vs the 2nd round. The ideal is start of with what he felt were building blocks that would form the core of a contending team. Some parts have worked out better then others but this is still a work in progress. Colangelo is not perfect or infallibles. Some of his moves may not be the best (ie Fred Jones). But the team is trending in the right direction. He still has some tweaking to do. He deserves the long leash based wholly on his past experience in building a contender and his ability to deliver a playoff team in Toronto for the last two years. How succesful he will be remains to be seen. But he should be measured on a whole body of work, not the growing pains we are seeing now.

[tino]

BC put togheter a team that was in the playoff 2 consecutive years.Last time that either the Leafs or the Jays have done that, D. Cox was still wearing shorts and,from what we see going on with those teams, he may need to use the cane to walk, before the hockey and baseball teams will will do what the Raptors have done. As for the timing of your comments,well you are a real classy man, D.Cox...

[Skiff]

Go back to hockey Cox. I could get better hoops analysis out of the daycare center at ESPN HQ. I thought writers were supposed to "write what they know". Maybe you should heed that advise. Clearly, you don't understand the finer points of NBA team building. Garbo didn't play all year...Ford gets hurt bad, misses a ton of games and comes back as a pain...Bargs slumps all year. All factors in a tough year. Moon, Delfino for little, Kapono were all solid moves by a guy with limited financial flexibility in the NBA's system. Throw in an overall improvement in the Eastern Conference (and our division especially) and I don't think you can really "blame" BC. He's got some work to do sure, but he's given no indication he isn't up to the job.

[Hezron]

always marvel is how non-basketball columnists like Damien Cox seem to know all that is wrong with the Raptors. There is no question that BC is far more competent that JFJ and JP Richardi combined as general managers. I don't see Damian Cox scrutinize JFJ as much as he does with BC. I thik BC has a plan that he is working, unlike JFJ and JP Richardi has. Give him credit, at least the Raptors are a playoff team. I can't say that about the Leafs (which in my view are more dysfunctional as an organization than the NY Knicks).

[newkc]

Damien, you should focus on stuff you actually know. Just like, I won't want to read Doug talking about the Jays or the Leafs, I don't want your views on our Raps. While its fine to have an opinion on whatever you want, but just because you have this forum, you shouldn't abuse it.

[chris]

Bottom line here is that the Raptors are far ahead of their pace to bring a championship to Toronto, minor setback this past sason noted, than either the Leafs or the Jays. All thanks in due to Bryan Colangelo (I was going to put Toronto FC in with the Raps but I fear I may have already offended Damien's sensibilities).

[Stephen]

Damien, being a hockey GM in this town isn't comparable to baseball or basketball -- there's much, much more hockey knowledge here scrutinizing every move.

[Joe]

Uhm... okay there Damien, you should probably stick to hockey, since your perspective of ball is nothing more then the superficial paradigm all bandwagoners have.

The Raptors are a young team. Simple. There core is very young, and will get better over time. Nobody said it would be easy, and Collangelo has already adressed the needs for this team. You my friend need to stop stirring up crap, THIS ISN'T THE LEAFS.

[Steve Barnett]

Hate to pile on Damien but the majority is right...Stick to hockey...BC is on the right track. We are such an instant gratification society of sports fans in this city which is why we get so frustrated and immediatly pile on whenever one of our teams falters or underachieves. In the case of JP, his 5 year plan is way over the limit. Time for a change there he has had enough time..As for the Buds? Well we are in for a summer of ups and downs who's in and who's out..You are better served Damien to focus on bashing Peddie and Tannenbuam much the same way Bill Watter's does. And is it just me or is Watter's act wearing a little thin? The crowd noise and support from the fan's at Raptors games in the play-offs was very encouraging to all and to suddenly question BC and his 2 year track record smells of boredom on your part Damien. You can write about the Duds all summer and this blog will be full. We all know that. Colangelo is the sharpest GM we have ever had in this town. No matter what sport you are talking about. With the exception of Jack Dominico and his Maple leaf baseball team. The Raps could lose the final game in the playoffs and the headline would be "what's wrong with the Raptor's? Questioning BC is a non starter. Look at the stiffs we have running teams in this city. That should take up most of your time Damien

[Paulino Nunes]

I don't know how a coach is responsible for closing out games - last time I checked, it was all about execution.

In game five, with Sam Mitchell yelling at his guys to drive Howard, who had 5 fouls, Bosh took a soft jumper, drove once for an easy dunk (Howard was not contesting anything), then Delfino took 2 very bad long jumpers. Again - the coach was on the sidelines, telling his guys to drive the paint and force Howard to back off or foul out.

So who's fault is that?