THE CANADIAN PRESS
Too many blown leads, pillowy-soft defence, a pace of playing that had turned pedestrian and an all-around lacklustre approach. It all came to a head in a horrible loss at Denver on Tuesday and spelled the end of Sam Mitchell’s era in Toronto.
The 8-9 Raptors fired the former NBA coach of the year on Wednesday, a day after Toronto’s humiliating 132-93 loss to the Nuggets — the fifth-worst defeat in franchise history.
"It’s safe to say that after the debacle that we all witnessed last night against Denver — a 39-point loss — not to mention several other incidents this early season where we gave up double-digit leads or had mental breakdowns with respect to the effort on the court," president and GM Bryan Colangelo said in a conference call. "You come to a point where you realize some of the things you want to see out on the court are not taking place."
Canadian Jay Triano was named interim head coach — likely for the remainder of the season, Colangelo said. The rest of the coaching staff will also likely remain intact.
"I have a lot of respect for Jay’s basketball acumen," Colangelo said in a conference call from Denver. "He will be a fresh voice for the players to listen to."
Mitchell was appointed the sixth head coach in Raptors history on June 29, 2004. He leaves with a record of 156-189 (.452) and the Red Auerbach Trophy as NBA Coach of the Year for the 2006-07 season when he led the team to the Atlantic Division title and its first playoff berth in five seasons. He was rewarded with a US$12-million, four-year contract a few weeks later.
But the Raptors have on a slow slide downhill ever since, dispatched in the first round of the playoffs in the past two seasons, and Colangelo said the team has been underachieving for simply too long.
"It comes down to an entire body of work that you study," he said. "You look at all the circumstances that may have gone into our failures and there comes a time when you can honestly say it is time to make a coaching change, and that realization was met over a period now of a couple of weeks, with finality of (Tuesday) night after the game."
Colangelo came into the season with high hopes. With the addition of six-time all-star Jermaine O’Neal, acquired in the trade that sent T.J. Ford to Indiana, he called this roster the best Toronto has ever assembled. But the results haven’t lived up to the promise.
But O’Neal has struggled with injuries early on in the season, missing three games with a swollen ankle, and the team has been slow to find its rhythm with O’Neal alongside forward and captain Chris Bosh.
 |
||||||
| Year | G | W | L | PCT | Finish | Result |
| 2004–05 | 82 | 33 | 49 | .402 | 4th in Atlantic | Missed Playoffs |
| 2005–06 | 82 | 27 | 55 | .329 | 4th in Atlantic | Missed Playoffs |
| 2006–07 | 82 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 1st in Atlantic | Lost in First Round |
| 2007–08 | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 2nd in Atlantic | Lost in First Round |
| 2008–09 | 17 | 8 | 9 | .471 | — | — |
|
| ||||||
The Raptors gave up a double-digit lead en route to a 94-87 loss at Boston early last month, which may have been the beginning of the end for Mitchell. They blew a big lead in an overtime loss at home to the New Jersey Nets, and then were clobbered 118-103 two days later by the Celtics at the Air Canada Centre.
The team showed an utter lack of interest during this last loss to Denver, a sign perhaps that the players had tuned out Mitchell.
"You get a sense when people are being heard, or disregarded," Colangelo said. "I have to say Sam has always had a relationship with the players… There comes a time when you feel that the best way to improve a situation is to make a change at the top and a change in the voice."
O’Neal spoke out after the Denver loss.
"It’s embarrassing not only for us but for those who support the Toronto Raptors, the organization, the city and the country," O’Neal said. "That should never happen.
"This is a business. We get paid a heck of a lot of money to play a certain way and if we think we can turn it on and off like that then we are fooling ourselves."
Mitchell played 13 seasons in the NBA, then spent two years as an assistant coach in Charlotte and Milwaukee before coming to Toronto.
The 45-year-old was a feisty coach who defended his players, but enjoyed sparring with the media. He was known for his lengthy post-practice discussions with reporters, and would often engage reporters in a debate about U.S. politics — which he was intensely passionate about — or critique them on their fashion sense.
Mitchell told TSN’s "Off the Record" that he was disappointed with the decision but would look back fondly on his time in Toronto.
"I have a lot to be thankful for, they really gave me the opportunity to have a career in coaching, something I always wanted to do after I played," Mitchell said. "So yeah, it’s a disappointment that I really wasn’t given the chance to finish what I started, but you know what, I feel like I accomplished a lot of good things, I think the players that played for me all got better… .
"Instead of looking back at the disappointing part of it, I’ll look back on all the good things that happened."
Triano, in his seventh season as a member of the Raptors coaching staff, became the first Canadian-born and trained coach in the NBA when he served as an assistant to Lenny Wilkens during the 2002-03 season.
"It’s a little bittersweet," Triano said in a conference call. "Sam … gave me the opportunity to work with him, and was great to work with. When you’re together for three-and-a-half years, as well as being coaches you become friends, so it’s a little bittersweet that way. But it’s an opportunity and I look forward to moving forward and seeing what we can do with this basketball team."
The native of Tillsonburg, Ont., who was raised Niagara Falls, Ont., has long been the face of Canadian basketball. He coached the Canadian men’s team from 1998 to 2004 after a distinguished international playing career.
Triano comes into the job 1-0. He served as interim head coach for one game last season when Mitchell was away on a family matter. The Raptors defeated the visiting New Jersey Nets 109-91 on Feb. 13.
The Raptors’ next game is Friday against at Utah.
