Raptors GM has big plans By LANCE HORNBY, SUN MEDIA http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Basketball/NBA/Toronto/2009/04/21/9187046-sun.html Bryan Colangelo wants Jay Triano to coach, retain an affordable Shawn Marion, more toughness, depth behind Jose Calderon, the return of Carlos Delfino and starter Anthony Parker to switch to a bench role. The Raptors general manager can have a big say in all these issues, but one thing he can't control is what franchise player Chris Bosh will do in the next 16 months. The shadow of July 1, 2010, already was clouding Colangelo's rallying call yesterday at the Air Canada Centre. "I had a very good conversation with Chris the other day in Chicago in our formal exit interview," Colangelo said. "We didn't talk about the future, we talked about some of the things we experienced this year (a sad season of just 33 wins and no playoffs). "Clearly, I want him to say 'I want to be be here long term, don't worry about me'. But we haven't taken that blood oath together. It's not going to happen (yet). "Chris has pretty well made it clear that it won't happen in the near future. I will sit down with his agent and talk about the possibility of an extension. We can add up to three years to his deal under the current terms of the CBA on the three-year anniversary of his last deal (this July)." Colangelo insisted Bosh is the top 10 NBA star he was last summer, before team chemistry went awry and off-court issues popped up. "Depite the things that distracted him, despite the trade (first for Jermaine O'Neal, then O'Neal for Marion as the team reversed field more than halfway through the year)...it would be foolish to simply decide today that we're going to trade him because there is a possibility he might leave a year from now. Chris is still the best player on the team. If Chris is ever traded, there will be sound reasoning. There will be no panic leading to us making a bad deal." The GM's first order of business is talking with Triano this week, likely a prelude to bringing him back officially in May. He confirmed an earlier story that Triano's old deal as assistant was going to be honoured regardless in 2009-10, but partly because Colangelo likes to be close to the day-to-day dynamic of the team, he has been supportive of working under the same arrangement with the Canadian-born coach who replaced Sam Mitchell in early December. The Raptors lost 49 games, 40 of them on Triano's watch, but Colangelo prefers to look at the final product, a team that went 9-4 in late March and April and in his belief, likely would have made the playoffs if that version had begun the schedule. As far as the rest of the staff goes (assistants Alex English and Mike Evan were both bypassed for Triano), Colangelo said "it's safe to assume there will be change, it's just not certain where." Back on the court, Colangelo vowed to get a tougher team, either encouraging it within the ranks or importing someone with a mean streak. "I said to every one of our guys: 'I love you, but you're too nice as a group,'" Colangelo said. Enter Delfino, whom Colangelo says could return after a one-year absence. Finding an adequate backup for Calderon is also an issue. Colangelo says he hasn't lost faith in young Roko Ukic, but everyone, even Steve Nash if he became available, would be looked at. -- ※ 編輯: BColangelo 來自: 24.3.16.9 (05/01 14:59)