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.”
The Los Angeles Daily News (Elliot Teaford) reports: There are multiple reasons why the Lakers’ defense hasn’t been as effective as it was to start the season. No matter which you choose, the bottom line is that the Lakers aren’t dominating teams because they aren’t playing the same caliber of defense. The Lakers started their three-game trip by giving up a season-high 118 points in a one-point loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. They continued by giving up 102 during a 12-point victory Wednesday over the Philadelphia 76ers. They played the first seven games of the season without giving up 100 points in a game. But they have surrendered 100 or more points in four of their past six games and are giving up an average of 95.9 points going into tonight’s against the Washington Wizards. “We’ve talked about the kind of intensity we want to play with defensively,” Bryant said. “We have a tendency to turn it up in spurts as of late as opposed to coming out and doing it from the top, and that’s something we’ve needed to address.”
The Globe and Mail (Michael Grange) report: One of the most accomplished players in Canadian basketball history, Jay Triano, 50, will make his debut as the Toronto Raptors’ bench boss tonight in Salt Lake against the Utah Jazz, becoming the first Canadian-born head coach in the NBA. Those in the NBA and elsewhere in the basketball community are optimistic about his chance to succeed. “I think he’ll be fantastic,” NBA star and fellow Canadian Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns said. “He absolutely loves the game of basketball. He’s passionate, a workaholic, and the kind of coach guys love to be around. He’s got all the ingredients to be an NBA coach.” “He’s got extreme confidence, extreme knowledge of the game,” said Tony Ronzone, the Detroit Pistons’ director of basketball operations. “He can adjust to different styles of play. I’d think he’s going to be terrific.”
The Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports: Charlotte Bobcats forward Sean May assembled a double-double, his first in 21 injury-filled months. That was the foremost of many surprises in a 103-97 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday night. May’s conditioning was such a disappointment that after starting the opener he was shelved for several games. He’s worked his way back into the lineup, and finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. May’s contribution wasn’t the biggest factor, but it was surely the most unexpected. “When I came out, Mike asked if I needed an oxygen mask,” May said of Jordan’s needling next to the team bench. “I said, ‘No, just give me a minute.’”
The Detroit Free Press (Vince Ellis) reports: Arron Afflalo does have a growing offensive game. He works constantly to be known as more than just a defensive specialist. But Curry tells him if he plays defense and keeps the ball moving, he will earn more playing time to display his offensive ability. Afflalo’s teammates aren’t all that concerned about his offense as long as he keeps accepting the challenge of guarding opponents’ top guns. “I always tell him when he gets minutes, I ain’t got to say nothing to him because he hangs his hat on defense,” Rasheed Wallace said. “He’s always wanted to guard the best guys, and he did somewhat of a good job on Manu tonight. That’s not an easy task guarding him.”