Will Bryan Colangelo remove the interim tag from his Raptors coach or will he remove him altogether?
Having already made history as the first Canadian-born coach in the NBA, you have to wonder what will become of the "interim" tag that was given to Jay Triano when he took the reigns as Raptors coach on Dec. 3rd. Will it be removed or will he be removed taking the label with him and vacating the position for someone else?
Coaching in the NBA is difficult enough as it is, being a moving target with the variables constantly changing. If anybody can attest to that point, it would be Triano.
He took over only 17 games into the season, inheriting a team that was built to be a contender in the Eastern Conference following the trade for Jermaine O'Neal in the summer. It seemed for the first time in recent history, the club had an inside presence, a prerequisite to being a serious contender for an NBA title. But in trying not have a one-dimensional team, Triano wanted to place more of an emphasis on the running game. The only problem was he did not have the personnel to accomplish that style of play consistently.
So while trying to implement his offensive and defensive philosophies and change the habits of his team, Triano had to deal with injuries to key players. Jose Calderon, Chris Bosh and O'Neal (when he was still a member of the team) were all in and out of the line-up with various ailments. Key bench players like Joey Graham and Kris Humphries also suffered untimely injuries.
Not only was the target moving on Triano, it was also shrinking as the expectations of the playoffs were still on the front burner. So let's throw in another change as his boss, president and general manager Bryan Colangelo, makes a trade and brings in Shawn Marion to try to give Triano some help toward a possible playoff run with a team more suited to the philosophy he would like to employ. With very little practice time in the body of the NBA season, the end result is a team that continues to play in stops and starts.
So what about Triano and next season as he still wears the interim tag right now? In evaluating this season, the wins and losses work against him. Despite all the aforementioned factors, some will merely point to the bottom line and the team's 15-29 record under his watch. But the players have always maintained that he is doing a good job.
One player in particular, journeyman frontcourt player Jake Voskuhl, has drawn some parallels between Triano in this current situation and the man who teamed with Colangelo to put the Phoenix Suns on the map with his style of play, Mike D'Antoni. Voskuhl was a member of the Suns when D'Antoni took over from the deposed Frank Johnson in December 2003. After finishing the 2003-04 season with a 29-53 record (21-40 under D'Antoni), the improvement the following season was that of record proportions as the Suns finished with a 62-20 mark.
As a player that has been on five different teams in the NBA, Voskuhl maintains Triano is doing a good job under the circumstances in Toronto.
"I don't think people realize how difficult it is when you change a coach in the middle of the season," Voskuhl said. "He doesn't really have a chance to fully implement everything that he wants to do because you can't go back to training camp."
While some will question the validity Voskuhl's words as a player simply spouting the company line and protecting his coach, consider that Voskuhl is a product of the basketball factory at the University of Connecticut. He's been coached by the likes of everyone from Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun to Tim Floyd, Johnson, D'Antoni, Scott Skiles, Bernie Bickerstaff, Sam Vincent, and Larry Krystkowiak. Suffice to say, "Big Jake" has been around the league long enough to decipher the difference between good and bad coaches, giving his opinion some credibility.
"It's such a challenge for a coach, and I think our coaching staff has just done an amazing job," Voskuhl said in reference to the early-season coaching shuffle. "I've only been here a short time and I wasn't here when Sam was here but to see how Jay has come in and handled situations and how he's done things, he's just done an amazing job from what I've seen.
"I've truly enjoyed playing for the guy," the eight-year veteran continued. "He's an excellent head coach but to make the transition and hold on to some of the stuff that the old coach was doing and then bring in some of your stuff and then mix it up and then you have trades on top of it, with no time to practice, that's a challenge for any coach."
So why have the Raptors not come together? According to Voskuhl, the biggest factor is one that may take the most time -- team chemistry.
"All teams in the league have talented basketball players, but a lot of times the difference is the chemistry," Voskuhl said. "But we're getting there and this is kind of a stepping stone as to where we are headed."
To amplify the point that it takes time when a change is made, prior to Toronto's loss to the Dallas, former Raptor and current assistant with the Mavericks, Popeye Jones said that the Mavs are just now, 59 games into the season, adjusting to Rick Carlisle in his first year at the helm.
But Colangelo needs to consider both basketball and -- in the present economy -- the financial ramifications when he ultimately makes his coaching decision regarding next season. The last thing Toronto wants to do is find themselves in a situation like the New York Knicks who have had to pay two coaches at the same time dating back to Don Chaney who was followed by Lenny Wilkens, Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas, all of whom were paid not to coach at one point while the next bench boss was collecting a cheque from MSG limited.
When he took over in Toronto, speculation was that Colangelo would make a move to replace Sam Mitchell but after making roster moves, Colangelo retained Mitchell following a highly-successful run as head coach for two full seasons. At that time Colangelo said he would let Mitchell coach the final year of his contract and deal with the next phase, re-signing him or not, when the decision needed to be made. He is taking much the same approach with Triano.
"I've said all along that Jay was going to be given an opportunity to coach out the season and then at the appropriate time we would sit down and talk," Colangelo said. "Obviously the entire year is being evaluated."
Triano's coping with the "bad hand and poor cards" that have been dealt with regard to the Raptors line-up and roster changes have not been lost on Colangelo.
"To see him handle these situations the way he has is very impressive," Colangelo said. "He has the players' respect and he speaks to them very directly. He's a solid motivator but he's also a very solid teacher. He absolutely understands the game and I think we are on the same page philosophically on a lot of things.
"We're obviously disappointed in the results that we are getting right now and even some of the performances we are getting. But, at the same time, you have to look at things realistically and he has solidified the notion that he was the right choice and he has continued to gain momentum with respect to being a lead candidate for the position going forward."
As much emphasis that people would like to place on the coach, the game is eventually decided on the floor by the players. Hiring D'Antioni aside, during the summer of 2004, Colangelo made additions to the Phoenix roster which eventually helped the team make its way to the conference finals. You can bet that regardless of who he hires to coach the 2009-10 edition of the Raptors, personnel changes will be made to the product on the floor.
Colangelo has been down this road before and while there will be changes made to the roster, an alteration to the head coaching position may not be in the offing just yet.
