Feschuk: Colangelo Extension Coming Soon

[Built Ford Tough]

Anybody who knows Colangelo knows he thinks of himself as a basketball guy, first and foremost, and the CEO job isn’t currently on his wish list. And while he has failed to build a winner, save for that 47-victory campaign in his 2006-07 honeymoon phase, those who know the way Colangelo is viewed in the MLSE boardroom will tell you that he is appreciated for his swing-for-the-fences approach to deal-making. (Even if Colangelo’s would-be home runs, and we’re thinking of Jermaine O’Neal and Hedo Turkoglu, turned into weak groundouts, the buzz those moves created helped the sales staff move product).

 

With Colangelo’s contract extension expected to be consummated in the near future, you can expect pre-trade-deadline action, although the Raptors aren’t exactly dealing from a position of strength.

 

Colangelo has millions in a trade exception he acquired in Bosh’s exit, which he’s hoping to use before it expires. And he has Reggie Evans’s expiring contract which, if Evans could get healthy, could theoretically fetch something of value. And certainly Colangelo will continue to speak positively about the chances of squeezing into the playoffs in a top-heavy Eastern Conference.

 

http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/raptors/article/923316--feschuk-raptors-have-limped-through-past-decade

 

I pray to god that the bolded isn't true because that definitely means the Raptors will be blowing their TPE on some aging vet with a terrible contract who will make the Raptors finish in that dreaded treadmill terriotory.

 

As for the extension, meh. I couldn't care less if Colangelo is with the team next year or not. They probably won't find anybody who brings a better "name" than he does, but they probably can't find anybody who has done a worse job over the past few years than he has either. The way I see it, he can only improve considering how bad he has been.

[Check my Stats]

I think BC has done a terrific job post-Bosh.

 

I think the biggest problem all came from management wanting us to be a playoff team too fast (after winning the lotto), just like the Leafs with Burke (though not to the same extent as dealing two amazing picks for a 1 dimensional player lol) he resorted to an abundance of band-aid fixes (Hedo, JO, Marion, dealing picks). We clearly overachieved his first year winning 47 games, and the expectations were always too high the coming years. BC put together talented teams though, at least relative to past Raptors teams lol, but it just didn't work out. We should have easily been a playoff team last year so 3/4 years in the playoffs would have been as good as anyone who has managed the team probably.

 

Thank god he fixed the Hedo situation though, that would have been the worst situation in franchise history owing that piece of garbage 40M over 4 years while he sat and looked pudgy on the bench.

[Built Ford Tough]

I think BC has done a terrific job post-Bosh.

 

I agree he has done better since Bosh left, probably in part due to him not trying to appease Bosh with every move and just having more freedom to make decisions, but terrific? I don't know if I would go that far.

 

I like the drafting of Davis, but really, that was a no brainer pick. He should've been a top 10 pick and would've if he hadn't injured his wrist, forcing him to miss the 2nd half of his college season and not allow him to really take part in any of the combine activities.

 

The Jack/Bayless trade was nice as well. It gave the Raptors a decent young guard while also creating cap flexibility.

 

I could use more examples, but the basic point of what I am saying is that while I do believe he has done a nice job since Bosh left, I don't really see how what he has done can be considered terrific. He has made a couple of solid moves, a couple of meh moves and one really good move (Turkoglu for Barbosa). Terrific is a bit of an overstatement, if you ask me.

 

I do have to admit that I am very much a Colangelo "hater" (for lack of a better word). I have absolutely no faith in the guy after the past 4 years and there may be some bias in my opinion towards him.

[Check my Stats]

I think he has done a really good job setting the direction and acquiring mediocre prospects/pieces like Wright and Bayless that could help us long term, especially if that Jose deal goes through too. Anyways, to basically discount what he said at the end of the article about the Raptors pushing for a playoffs spot:

 

@RaptorsDevlin Matt Devlin on Twitter wrote:

Its that time of year where NBA teams are out scouting college games. Bryan Colangelo attended Kansas vs. Baylor game yesterday.

Edited January 18, 2011 by Check my Stats