After months of speculation, Bryan Colangelo is staying with MLSE. However he will no longer be the General Manager of the Toronto Raptors, as he will stay with the corporation and keep the title of President but till do so in a non-basketball, corporate based role.
New MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke, had set today as the deadline to make a decision on whether or not to exercise the option in Colangelo’s contract to bring him back for another year or to let Colangelo move on to other endeavors.
Colangelo was hired as Raptors President and GM, replacing Rob Babcock, in February of 2006. He was previously General Manager of the Phoenix Suns. In 2007 he led the Raptors to their first and only Atlantic Division title, and was named NBA Executive of the Year. In 2008 the Raptors also makde the playoffs, but were unable to win a series in either year. They have not made the playoffs since, and 2013 marked the fifth straight season with no NBA playoff games at the Air Canada Centre.
Colangelo has been at the helm for a series of high profile moves that have not righted the ship for the ailing franchise, and is forever tied to 2006 first overall draftee Andrea Bargnani who has not developed as expected. Bargnani’s future with the club, as well as that of recently acquired sharpshooter Rudy Gay are the two biggest issues facing the Raptors’ new GM.
Rumors have surfaced that the Raptors are attempting to lure Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri, to take over basketball operations for the club. Ujiri was named NBA Executive of the Year this past season. The Nuggets finished with a 57-25 record this season, good for third in the Western Conference. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Golden State Warriors. Ujiri has a connection to the club as he is also a former assistant GM under Colangelo in Toronto from 2008-10. He was hired as Director of Global Scouting for the team in 2007.
Earlier reports had the Raptors attempting to lure Phil Jackson into their front office. He recently took a temporary position as a consultant with the Detroit Pistons. However he may become available again as soon as the Pistons hire a new head coach. He worked closely with Leiweke when both were with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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