The Toronto Raptors recently fired head coach Sam Mitchell, replacing him with assistant Jay Triano on an interim basis. Bryan Colangelo told InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner and other reporters on a conference call that it’s quite likely Triano will finish out the season coaching the team.
Today, Mitchell released the following statement:
“Being the head coach of the Toronto Raptors has been a true pleasure and an honour for me. I owe a debt of gratitude to many for the opportunity – the MLSE Board of Directors, particularly Larry Tanenbaum and Richard Peddie, as well as Bryan Colangelo and Rob Babcock. MLSE is a first-class organization, and I hope I have positioned the franchise to move in the right direction.
I will miss Toronto. I have grown to love the city and believe Raptors fans are among the best in all of professional sports. Together we brought to the organization its first divisional championship and I will always cherish that.
I feel that I have grown as a coach and a person over the course of my time with the Raptors. I value the relationships that I have developed with the coaching staff, players, support staff and media. I assure you that Jay Triano and the coaching staff will continue to do all they can for the franchise to reach its potential and goals.
I wish the organization all the best the remainder of this season and in the future.”
