As a high school player Jay Triano was like Magic Johnson before there was Magic Johnson. It was a ludicrous notion that we heard about in Toronto back in the day when I played high school ball, that there was supposedly a 6'4 kid handling the ball and playing on the perimeter in Niagara Falls. C'mon, back in those days, at that size you're supposed to be playing closer to the bucket. But Triano defied the odds and has done it again becoming an NBA head coach.
The Triano era as head coach of the Toronto Raptors begins Friday night in Utah. It seems like a long way from A.N. Myer High School in Niagara Falls to Simon Fraser University in British Columbia to the NBA but Triano has scaled the mountain. He was bumped over about a foot and a half into a new chair, the head coaching chair, on Wednesday afternoon in Denver when Sam Mitchell coached for the final time with Toronto.
If Thursday afternoon at practice in Denver was any indication it will probably be a loose group of players that takes the floor in Salt Lake City. It was like a substitute teacher had entered the room to teach a class with the regular teacher away. It was a light-hearted atmosphere and a general upbeat feeling as the media entered at the end of the session.
But don't be fooled by the mood: I can speak first hand having played with and against Jay Triano that his team will be intense and prepared.
But the insertion of the assistant after the head coach's dismissal always invokes the old Jimmy Valvano line when he was fired, "What, this guy had all the answers and he was sitting beside me holding out on me?" Hopefully for Raptor fans, Triano has some answers.
Triano will try to have the team run more and get some easy baskets. The key question is will there be improvements to the defence to help kick start the running game? The Raptor game will be seen by a national TV audience in the US it will be broadcast on ESPN. It will be the first look at Toronto under Triano and the next national look by Uncle Sam's spectators will come very soon as on NBA fan night, where the fans vote for the game they want to see on NBA-TV. The Raptors will take on King James and his subjects in Cleveland next Tuesday. Think Toronto's rabid fan base and their voting had something to do with it?
As the media gathered to speak with Triano after practice he answered questions about his time in camp as member of the Jazz back in 1984. He told a story about sitting in the hotel room with his roommate Kenny Natt and watching TV reports of how the "Canadian kid" was doing well and if John Stockton didn't want to sign the rookie contract he was being offered, the "Canadian kid" might be a good alternative for the roster spot. As Triano recalled, Stockton signed, and the "Canadian Kid" walked into practice the next day and got a tap on the shoulder with the line, "The coach wants to see you." Triano laughed on Friday as he looked up at Stockton's retired number in the rafters to say, "I think they made the right choice."
Amazing how losing has the buzzards starting to circle when they think there might be fresh meat. With the firing of Sam Mitchell and expectations not being met, here come the rumours. There is a report that Anthony Parker will be offered his old roster spot back with Maccabi Tel Aviv as current head coach Pini Gershon wants A.P. back. Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo said there is nothing to the rumour and Anthony Parker has maintained that even though his contract expires at the end of the season he would like to remain a Toronto Raptor. In Dallas there is talk of how get Dallas-native Chris Bosh back to "Big D" to help the Mavericks.
On Friday departed coach Sam Mitchell issued a statement thanking everyone for his time as coach of the Raptors.
Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz will not play against Toronto. Boozer is out with a strained left quad tendon. But that injury is only a minor issue compared to what Boozer and his wife, Cece, went through with their son. It is truly a touching story. On a separate note rumours of Boozer leaving Utah and signing in Miami continue to persist, as he can opt out of his contract and become a free agent at the end of the season.
Andrei Kirilenko will return to the line up tonight against Toronto.
The news keeps getting worse for the New York Knicks when it comes to their back court. Cuttino Mobley has heart issues and is considering a medical retirement. But a there is a report that vehemently denies this fact. It would open up a roster spot and the word is that Stephon Marbury is now willing to play.
And you think the circus only comes to Madison Square Garden once a year.
