June 23, 2004

RAPTORS HIRE “NICE” MANAGEMENT TEAM TO HEAD OPERATION

       If the Raptors were looking for substantial change in their management team then they went looking in all the wrong places.  Hiring Rob Babcock is essentially like making no change at all.  Babcock, classified as a nice guy by his former employees in Minnesota, carries the same humble unassuming mannerisms of his replacement Glen Grunwald.  Being neophytes in the NBA game both chairman Larry Tannenbaum and CEO Richard Peddie had very little information to follow when making the choice and seemingly went the safest route—they followed a familiar path. 

      So now with Grunwald...er Babcock on board the Raptors begin to take shape for the upcoming season.  Babcock has publicly stated that his goal is not a short-term fix—he will not compromise the future desire for a championship for a present day playoff run.  Of course he says that now after he has just been hired…his philosophy likely will change, or will be changed for him by the financially eager higher-ups, if the Raptors are close to being able to add those money making playoff dates next year.

       The new GM’s first order of business is the entry draft.  With two players, Devin Harris and Ben Gordon, in the team’s sightlines and with the eighth pick in the draft seemingly too far down for either player Babcock is going to have to do some fancy wheeling and dealing to acquire either point guard.  If both players are gone by the time their pick rolls around the Raptors are talking about taking the best player available rather than taking the best big man available.  Outside of Emeka Okafor the bigs are all projects that may or may not pan out, and the decision won’t be reached, one way or another, for a few years.  The Raptors can’t afford to select anything but a certainty, even if it means selecting a small forward/guard—the one strength of the team.   The team needs bodies; it needs players who can contribute immediately, even if it means taking a player who is only qualified to play 10-12 minutes a game.

       The second order of business—find a coach.  And not find another retread that is going to flame out in one year the way Kevin O’Neill did.  He needs to find a coach that can grow with the team, can implement a system that fits with the talent on the court, and, most importantly, is on the same page with the management team.  There is no way this franchise can succeed unless everyone thinks together and plans together.  The players need to feel that the coach has the support of the organization and that playing time will be doled out to those that earn it.  The coach also has to be a teacher as many of the Raptor players, including Chris Bosh and whomever they select this year, will be in need of instruction.

       The third order of business for the new GM is to find out where Vince Carter’s head is, and whether the team’s superstar is on board.  The team will be taking a new direction this coming season, and with at least two, if not three, years grace for the management team Carter’s peak years will be played under this structure.  If he is not a believer then Babcock will have little choice other than to move him.  But if Carter can understand Babcock’s vision—if Carter is able to throw his support behind the new man and believe that the team is headed in the right direction then the team will be much better off.  It is unlikely that the Raptors would get fair value for Carter since his value has dropped the past two seasons.  It’s not as if the team could get a package of players similar to the one discussed going to Orlando for Tracy McGrady.  Babcock also has to realize that Carter is not a leader, he does not have the personality nor the character to capture his teammates trust, but he has the talent, and if the work ethic is there his play will be enough to raise the abilities of those around him.  Also with Jalen Rose around, someone who does possess the personality to motivate others, Carter can relax and simply play the game. 

       The fourth order of business for a very busy new GM is to fill out his roster.  There are five good players on this team, two of whom—Donyell Marshall and Alvin Williams—should be coming off the bench.  The team’s needs are obvious—a point guard and a center.  The best scenario is that the team drafts a point guard, they already have experience at that position with Williams and Milt Palacio, and they either sign or trade for an experienced big man, someone that Bosh can learn from and lean on during the difficult times of an NBA season.  A decision needs to be made on the status of Morris Peterson--of course that will be predicated on the offers MoPete receives and whether the Raptors are willing to match, and whether Lamond Murray fits into this team.  There are also four, perhaps five positions on the roster that still need to be filled and with so many other things on his mind Babcock can’t let the summer slide away so that he is left with the league’s dredges to fill out his team.

       It seems to be a daunting task for the “nice” man and his “nice” management team.  But then that’s what happens when you take over a franchise that has fallen to the bottom of the NBA pile the past two years because of a lack of foresight and a lack of talent.  In four months we will know if Babcock is a solid basketball man who is up to the challenge, or if he is simply a nice guy that fit into the organization’s mold of what a GM should be.  Hopefully nice guys don’t always finish last.