December 2, 2002

GRUNWALD SHOULDN’T BE BLAMED FOR RAPTORS SUDDEN FALL

       When Vince Carter’s last second shot clanged off the rim in Philadelphia nearly two years ago the feeling among Toronto basketball fans was that, though the Raptors had failed to make it to the conference finals, the team was on course to being a contender for many years to come.  But now it looks as if that shot may be as close as the team is going to get for a while.  A future that once looked rosy has suddenly fallen onto a bed of thorns.  But don’t blame Glen Grunwald--he’s been playing patchwork with the roster ever since.

       There are two types of general managers in sports—the type that sits on his hands afraid of making a mistake (see Pat Quinn), and the type that is willing to take a calculated gamble.  Grunwald is definitely part of the latter fraternity, and while some of his moves have turned out badly, most of them have been gold.  When he first stepped into the general manager’s shoes the franchise had fallen to rock bottom.  The arrogance and egomaniacal approach exhibited by previous GM Isaiah Thomas had destroyed a promising team and left what former coach Butch Carter termed a “scorched earth”.  Under immense scrutiny and severe criticism from the teams’ best player Damon Stoudamire, who demanded to be traded, Grunwald exhibited patience, took the criticism without complaint, and waited until a good deal could be struck.  He acquired point guards Kenny Anderson and Alvin Williams from Portland for Stoudamire, and when Anderson refused to report to Toronto Grunwald shipped him to Boston for a bounty of useful parts.  (Would anyone today trade Williams for Stoudamire straight up?)  He then let the terrible Darrell Walker walk away from his coaching contract and immediately promoted the much more qualified Butch Carter to head the team.  The most courageous moment of Grunwald’s career came as that season came to an end.  Grunwald walked out onto the floor and promised the fans of Toronto that the team would improve.  At 16-66 the promise wasn’t hard to make, but to stand at centre court and face the public scorn showed that the Raptor organization would be one of responsibility and conviction.  His promises were kept.  The Raptors started to claw their way up the NBA mountain.

       Grunwald showed his smarts that off-season.  Golden State wanted to draft Antwan Jamison but they were picking fifth, one behind the Raptors.  The Warriors saw that the Raptors needed pretty much everything and didn’t want to take the chance that Grunwald would select their man.  The Raptors didn’t want Jamison though, they wanted Carter so they agreed to switch draft choices as long as the Warriors sent them some cash.  With that deal the Raptors had acquired the man who would become their franchise player.  Grunwald also went about improving the character on the team.  He noted that the team had little experience and was very soft so he traded the player who epitomized both those flaws, Marcus Camby, to New York and acquired the toughness and experience of Charles Oakley.  The Raptor players were going to work hard or else face the consequences from the Oak-man.  They were now accountable for their play.  The Raptors had their best season winning 23 of the strike shortened 50 game schedule.

       The next move for Grunwald was to bring some stability to the centre position and add interior depth.  Antonio Davis was a solid player and a character person, and Grunwald believed that Davis’ game was still improving.  More importantly Indiana was looking to add some youth to their aging roster and accepted the Raptors’ first round draft choice in exchange for Davis.  Grunwald was right about Davis as the big man has improved every year and is now a team leader and one of the better interior players in the league.  The Raptors won 45 games and made their first ever playoff appearance.  Unfortunately coach Carter came undone at the end of the year and the team came unglued against the Knicks.  Butch then tried to push Grunwald out the door, but was shown the exit himself.  Grunwald went in the other direction and brought in the vast experience of Lenny Wilkens.  It was just the beginning of a season of change.  Tracy McGrady couldn’t get home to Orlando fast enough and left the organization out to dry, but Grunwald managed to trade the unhappy Doug Christie, acquire a tough Corliss Williamson and sign more experience in Mark Jackson.  The Raptors came to camp with a different face, but it still looked like a playoff team.

       The team had gone too far in the other direction however.  It was no longer stocked with youth and inexperience; there was too much age on the roster.  The team looked slow.  So Grunwald packaged off some of that age-- Kevin Willis to Denver for Keon Clark, and Mark Jackson to the Knicks for Chris Childs.  He also traded the unhappy Williamson—who wasn’t fitting in—to the Pistons for the energetic Jerome Williams.  These players added to the core of the team and helped get the Raptors to within that basket of the conference finals.  Grunwald had been unafraid to change the make-up of the team and his moves kept the team from getting stale.

       Then Grunwald took one the biggest of calculated gambles.  He signed the aging and injury-prone Hakeem Olajuwon to a three-year contract.  Grunwald believed that Hakeem’s experience and his intangibles would benefit the team and would easily replace the leadership of the happily departed Oakley.  Unfortunately Hakeem was a mistake.  The decision was made with good intentions and it was improbable to imagine that such a great NBA player would turn out be such a malcontent and such a dud.  And because of Olajuwon’s contract the Raptors weren’t able to keep Clark, an improving player and a key to last season’s playoff push.  It turned out to be a very costly gamble—one that will hurt the Raptors for two more years. 

       This season has been a continuation of last season.  Injuries to key personnel, including Carter, have shredded the team, and inconsistent play has kept the team from finding a winning rhythm.  The great off-season deal that shed the Raptors of the Yogi Stewart contract—the biggest mistake Grunwald made prior to Hakeem—and brought in the all-round scoring talents of Lamond Murray was sabotaged by injury.  The other trade—for Lindsay Hunter—has not paid off either due to injury, though Tracy Murray wasn’t an asset anyway.  The Raptors have been playing catch up all season and still believe that once they get healthy they will be a force within the conference.  That remains to be seen. 

      Grunwald has been the Raptor GM since November 27, 1997.  In that span of time the Raptors have gone from a franchise on the cusp of expiration to a strong franchise that sells out most games.  The Raptors are a young team that should stay competitive for many years.  Grunwald has drafted and traded for the core players—Alvin, Carter, Davis, JYD, and signed them up for years.  Later draft choices like MoPete, Bradley and Jefferies are the new breed of youngsters vying for playing time, and good contracts.  The team is still probably a player or two away from competing for the conference championship, but until the injured players return Grunwald will wait.  Patience and an understanding are staples to the organization’s philosophy, and Grunwald will give the team every chance to improve.  But if a player he thinks will help becomes available he will do what he can to try and acquire him.  He has proven that he will do whatever it takes to improve the club, and for that Raptor fans can be thankful.  His goal is an NBA championship.  Hopefully he will be given every opportunity to accomplish that goal.