http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/01/raptors-fire-triano-as-head-coach TORONTO - When Toronto's dismal 22-60, last-place season concluded, it sure seemed like Jay Triano would return as head coach of the Raptors next season. "Clearly he did everything we asked this year. He deserves a lot of credit," said president/general manager Bryan Colangelo back in April. "All the players thought he did a great job considering the obstacles. "He fared well. If I'm not back, he deserves consideration." After getting a contract extension a couple of weeks ago, Colangelo did give Triano consideration and in the end, decided it was time to reassign him to a different position within the organization. What changed? In a sentence: The pressure on Colangelo got more intense. He got his new deal, and with it, clearly came a mandate to get the Raptors on the right track sooner rather than later. No longer could he take a chance on Triano's continued development. He needs a winner and he needs it now. Triano did a nice job developing his young charges like DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, Amir Johnson and James Johnson, but it seems the time for developing is already winding down. "Jay fared well in a lot of areas but at the end of the day, my gut feeling of where this needs to go and how quickly we want to get there in terms of accelerating the process ... I decided it was time to change the voice, change the leader at the helm," Colangelo said in a conference call. Triano did about as well as he could with what he was given. Yes, his teams went 87-142 (.380) and ranked last in the league in defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions), but it wasn't as if Triano was working with a bunch of competent defenders. His Raptors were fatally flawed. There was a gigantic hole in the middle, the point guard couldn't stop anyone and there simply wasn't a big enough commitment to defence. They tried zone, they tried man to man and everything in between. Nothing worked, but that's hardly all Triano's fault. On the plus side, under his watch, the team consistently played hard and generally executed well offensively. The aforementioned youngsters progressed and were challenged every day to get better. He was candid and honest about his situation and how his players were performing. Though he sometimes seemed too lenient with the maddening Andrea Bargnani, Triano did take some shots at his leading scorer when it was warranted. Triano is a survivor, hanging on while three coaches above him got the axe and he wasn't about to lament the roster hand he was dealt and the unfortunate won-loss record he now has to carry. "I am grateful to the organization for the opportunity to be a head coach in the NBA," he said. "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." Triano was a hard worker and was liked by his players, but often in the NBA, long-time assistant coaches like Triano was before he took over for Sam Mitchell, never quite are backed like proven bench bosses. Colangelo and his corporate masters seem to be serious about bringing in a replacement who has been around the block and will address that concern. Triano might even resurface here as an assistant one day, depending on the preference of the new coach. It might have been nice to see what Canada's first NBA head coach could do with a competent roster, but Colangelo doesn't have the luxury of finding out. And now, neither does anybody else. Jay Triano coaching timeline: 1988-1995: Head coach Simon Fraser University 1992-93: Assistant coach Canadian senior national team 1993-94: head coach junior national team 1998-2004: Senior team head coach, 52-42 record 2002: Joins Raptors as assistant coach to Lenny Wilkens 2008 – Named assistant coach for USA Basketball Feb. 2008 – First Canadian to coach an NBA game (Sam Mitchell away) Dec. 3 2008 – Named interim coach after Mitchell’s firing (team 9-4 under him to end season) May 12 2009 – Signs three-year extension June 1 2011 – Reassigned from head coaching role 暴龍隊決定開除總教練 --

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