Jay Triano out as head coach of Raptors

[htown11]

WojYahooNBA Adrian Wojnarowski

Toronto has let go of Jay Triano as coach, the team says.

[AboveLegit]

johnschuhmann John Schuhmann

Raptors just released statement on declining Jay Triano's option.

johnschuhmann John Schuhmann

Raptors: "Triano will be retained as a consultant to the basketball team as a special assistant to the president and general manager."

http://twitter.com/#!/johnschuhmann

[Built Ford Tough]

This is a misleading title. He isn't really gone, he is just no longer the head coach.

 

He is still with the team and will likely take over Gheradini's job as assistaint GM at some point in the future. There was speculation about him moving into the front office for a while now as a lot of people within the organization think he is much better served with a front office job than being a coach as he has a great basketball mind and is very respected there (as well as in Team USA circles and from his work with Team Canada).

 

“I have great respect for Jay Triano both as a person and as a basketball mind,” said Colangelo. “Jay deserves tremendous credit for developing our young players this past season and our most recent win-loss record does not appropriately reflect his many positive contributions to this organization.

 

“This was a difficult decision to make, but after almost three full seasons of observation and evaluation I believe that bringing in a new voice as head coach will accelerate the progress we are looking to make in the coming years.

 

“I am very pleased that Jay has agreed to stay on and help see through the plan that we have designed and initiated together.”

 

“I am grateful to the organization for the opportunity to be a head coach in the NBA,” said Triano. “I am proud of the work that I and the coaching staff have done with our young players and feel confident we have laid the foundation for a team that will continue to improve. I look forward in assisting Bryan to deliver a championship team to Toronto.”

 

http://sports.nationalpost.com/2011/06/01/jay-triano-out-as-raptors-coach/

 

This isn't a surprise, though. When his option wasn't picked up fairly soon after Colangelo's extension, you knew that his future as head coach of the team was bleak.

Edited June 1, 2011 by Built Ford Tough

[Sħãlïq™]

Been expecting it. Good move for the Raps, IMO.

[Check my Stats]

Hopefully the new coach doesn't jerk our guys around next year. I'd love to see us bring in a guy with a defense first mentality, change the culture of this team.

[BasX]

inb4 kevin o'neill

 

srsly tho, lawrence frank maybe... i actually have no idea which way to go

[Built Ford Tough]

For what it is worth, it doesn't sound like Colangelo has any plans of just promoting PJ Carlesimo and will look outside of the organization for a replacement for Triano.

 

It seems like the Raptors want an expereinced coach and aren't going the whole rookie approach like they have with Kevin O'Neil, Sam Mitchell and Jay Triano.

 

Also, Eric Smith tweeted this, which makes it even more likely that the Raptors are looking for a guy with experience.

 

Eric__Smith Eric Smith

Colangelo said someone with "pedigree" or a "resume" would be an ideal choice for this young Raptors team. i.e. Veteran coach I'd assume

 

bruce_arthur Bruce Arthur

Colangelo says he wants a more experienced coach, with "a defensive-minded perspective." So, no Mike D'Antoni, then.

 

 

So who is out there?

 

Obviously there are guys like Rick Adelman, Larry Brown, Jerry Sloan and Lawerence Frank (who I would love to have), but what other experienced coaches are out there? Ettore Messina's name will undoubtedly be thrown around given his Euroleague career but outside of those five, all of which are probably unlikely to be interested in coming to a rebuilding team like the Raptors (except maybe Frank) I can't think of too many people that would be available that have legitimate NBA head coaching experience.

 

I've always liked Frank so he would definitely be my number one choice. A good defensive coach, who will probably even be better after spending time in Boston under Rivers, is solid when it comes to drawing up plays and the X's and O's and is young so he makes sense to bring in with the young Raptors. He has experience with a variety of different teams as well, whcih is an added bonus. I'd love to have him be named the next Raptors coach and unlike the other guys I mentioned, I can actually see him coming to Toronto so it isn't too far fetched to thinkn he could be Jay's replacement.

[Clutch]

i think adelman would be good for the young core, either him or sloan....i LOVE larry brown and would love to see him back coaching (still sad he had that situation in charlotte) but i dont think he would be a good fit for the raptors

 

lawrence frank would be a great option too no doubt..i think this is a good move for raps, next up they should get rid of bargs lol

[BasX]

You sold me on Frank, though he was likely my top choice anyway. Lock him up.

[The Lone Granger]

In all honesty, Triano isn't a good coach. The guy I see them going after is Frank Vogel. He's good with young players and also would be able to help motivate a team that has gotten used to losing over the last couple years. What other coaches do you see them going after? Maybe Rick Adelman?

 

And as for an update, I have read that Lawrence Frank is the front-runner and they are interested. I'll get a source if I can.

[Built Ford Tough]

Colangelo is on PTS right now and he has mentioned that there has been a lot of interest in the job and has received numerous calls from agents of coaches and some coaches themselves since the announcement that Triano won't be back next season. He also said that the coaches calling are what he considers to be "A-List coaches".

 

Obviously he is going to say something like that, so who knows if it is true or not.

 

He also did mention that he has a couple of leading candidates already in mind, although he doesn't want to make anything public as of yet in regards to who they are and when he will be meeting with some of the candidates.

 

Ideally he said he would like to have a coach in place by the draft, but he said that he won't rush the process just to have a coach in place by the draft. If it takes 3 months he said he will take 3 months before making a decision as he wants to find the right guy for the team and organization.

 

He said that Triano may even end up as an assistant again if that is what the new coach wants. He also said that if Jay wants to leave the organization and go somewhere else to try and resume his coaching career, whether as an assistant or a head coach, he will let Triano go if that is what he wants. He mentioned that Triano will be advising him on things like the draft, free agency and even in their search for a new coach.

 

That was about the extent of the interview.