May 27, 2004

RAPTORS SHORT ON TIME TO PUT THEIR LOST SHIP BACK ON COURSE

      It was about six weeks ago that the Raptors culminated the second of consecutive failing seasons.  The response from the organization was to clean house and start over.  Gone are general manager Glen Grunwald--a Raptor from day one—head coach Kevin O’Neill and the entire coaching staff.  In its place is a maelstrom of incongruity, inconsistency or plain old incompetence.  And with the NBA draft—preceded by an expansion draft to stock the new Charlotte franchise—mere weeks away it is of the utmost importance that the Raptors have at least a semblance of a basketball hierarchy in place by that time. 

       When Grunwald was let go Peddie said that the new general manager would have the responsibility and the right to have his own choice as head coach.  Not firing O’Neill at the time was explained very simply—the new GM might want O’Neill as coach.  But then when the season ended so too did O’ Neill’s tenure as head coach.  Obviously the new GM’s choices suddenly would not include the temperamental and oh so politically incorrect former boss.  Now it has become apparent that the new GM may not have as much authority as previously thought.  The organization went though a middling process of finding a GM, and when they came away with nobody they decided to put out feelers for a head coach.  Where is the logic?  Who is steering this ship, and why does it have the feel of the Exxon-Valdez?

       At the NBA draft lottery the Raptors were the only team that did not send a head coach, general manager, or team executive—they sent Chris Bosh.  Why?  Because the team doesn’t have anyone from their basketball organization to send.  They have a CEO in Peddie that if graded on basketball knowledge would end up in a middle school.  They have a chairman in Larry Tannenbaum who has so much on his desk these days he can’t find his phone.  They have an interim GM in Jack McCloskey who is about ten years past being interested in holding down an important position, and would prefer to remain in his home office in Phoenix, or someplace down south warm enough to keep his aging body even tempered. 

       The team’s initial search for a GM netted them two candidates, both of whom didn’t measure up after second interviews.  It has become blatantly apparent that the man running the search, Peddie, is so far out of his league he keeps looking for Pat Quinn and Ken Dryden to help him out.

       The man they seem to be after is Detroit Pistons vice-president John Hammond who has been working under president and GM Joe Dumars for two seasons.  There are two problems regarding Hammond however.  The first is that he seems comfortable in Motown having worked in Detroit for nine out of eleven years.  The second problem is that he is unlikely to even interview for the position until the Pistons are eliminated, and if Detroit gets past Indiana it could be three weeks before that happens.  That would leave one week before the draft to interview him, hire him, and then for him to make all the necessary decisions leading up to draft night.  The Raptors seem intent on making a decision, not just for this season, but also for the foreseeable future.  They want to hire the right man to guide this team for the next several years and bring them back to respectability.  They may think that with such a long-term investment needed, and wanted, a few weeks seem insignificant.  The issue, however, is that the growth of this franchise begins in the next few weeks and it is imperative that the organization make the right decisions regarding the expansion draft and the amateur draft.  They can’t afford to waste another pick on the likes of Chris Jefferies or Michael Bradley.

       The good news is that with the eighth pick in the draft the Raptors will be able to select a top point guard to groom.  The two young men they should have their eyes on are Connecticut’s Ben Gordon and Wisconsin’s Devin Harris.  Both these players are experienced enough to be able to seamlessly fit into the Raptors scheme in a relatively short period of time.  Harris would appear to be the more viable candidate as he has the skills the Raptors are looking for in a point guard—the quickness to break down the defense, the ability to hit the perimeter shot, strong defense, and a solid feel for the game to involve his teammates in the offense.  Gordon is more of a two guard and could present the Raptors with a situation similar to the Atlanta Hawks and Jason Terry.  The Raptors need a player that can direct the offense and find shots for not only himself but also for his teammates.  Harris is that guy.  The question becomes--will he be available at number eight?

       The Raptors are not in as bad a spot as some teams.  They aren’t as bad as Orlando or Atlanta or Chicago.  The Raptors are probably three or four decent players away from being an NBA contender.  Now, saying they are that many players away may seem like a ton of talent, but realistically it is not.  They already have a core of five players that are solid NBA talent.  Vince Carter, Jalen Rose, Chris Bosh, Donyell Marshall and Alvin Williams give the team a solid starting core—though Marshall and Williams would be better utilized coming off the bench.  If the Raptors somehow manage to draft a point guard who somehow manages to develop into a starting point guard then the team would realistically solve its backcourt deficiencies.  And if the Raptors can sign a veteran front court free agent to either start or be the first big man off the bench then the Raptors could solve their front court issues.  At that point the team would require some offense off the bench—Morris Peterson is not that player and will likely not be signed for this season.  Maybe Lamond Murray can come out of his Mork egg and be that shooter, but that’s a risk. 

      The Raptors need to improve next season and be a playoff team.  They underachieved last year and with some added depth should be able to make the slight jump into the playoff picture.  The Eastern Conference is still up for grabs and with some proper additions the team could climb the ladder.  Of course they first have to hire the man capable of making those decisions, and at this point that seems to be a bit of a stretch.