Bryan Colangelo Meets With Raptors About GM Post

[sunsfn]

Colangelo Meets With Raptors About GM Post
20th February, 2006 - 12:33 pm

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East Valley Tribune - While in town for All-Star weekend with his family, Suns president and general manager Bryan Colangelo met with representatives from the Toronto Raptors about their vacant general manager job, sources told the Tribune Sunday.

Reached at the All-Star game Sunday night, Colangelo again refused any comment regarding Toronto or anything about his job future other than to reiterate “I am under contract with the Phoenix Suns and that is where my heart and focus remains.”

Colangelo, who won the executive of the year award in the NBA last year and has been mentioned as a strong candidate to repeat after revamping the team again this year, is in the midst of a threeyear contract that expires at the end of next season.

Reports earlier this month have had Colangelo at the top of Toronto’s list since Rob Babcock was fired in January and Wayne Embry was installed as an interim GM.
http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/39235/20060220/colangelo_meets_with_raptors_about_gm_post/

 

[Dr. Jones]

Sickening

 

[fordronken]

What if he traded Nash, Marion and Stoudemire to the Raptors and then switched teams?

But honestly, I'm not gonna read too much into this. They met during All-Star weekend, when everybody is in the same place at the same time. It's not like he flew to Toronto to meet with them.

And I'm still pretty sure that this is all contract posturing for him. Bryan Colangelo knows how this works.

 

[Yuma]

I hope so. If not, I know initially the Colangelos were here to help Sarver in the transition period of ownership. I also know Sarver is high on all his UofA buddies. Maybe Bryan is looking for a new job before Sarver doesn't resign him after his last year in Phoenix?

 

[sunsfn]

It just does not seem possible that Sarver would not sign him to another contract. BC was GM of the year and has done a great job this off season and is up for the award again.

BC is also an owner and Sarver would have to buy him out.

My theory is Sarver is will not want to buy him out, and will extend his contract.

I guess someone else could buy him out, it is not like Sarver is the sole owner. I think there are apx. 6 other owners in this deal.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Beware of your friend Sarver, we all see him sticking his faomy finger up in the air doing gorilla tricks and the like. I think he is arrogant and very ruthless, and might be willing to let Brain a chip off Jerry's block walk just to speed up the vision for this team.

Some guys really defend this Sarver guy to the death but I am very worried about this guy I see the dark side of the force in him.

SOmeday the Sarver fan club may really hate this guy and there will be nothing we can do about it.

Can you say Arizona Suns, mark it down the UA times are about to begin.

 

[nathan]

I could be persuaded to part with BC for Chris Bosh.

 

[George O'Brien]

Maybe this is just a smoke screen and BC is talking about a trade. I can't really think the Raptors have anything the Suns want, but you never know.

 

[nathan]

SOmeday the Sarver fan club may really hate this guy and there will be nothing we can do about it.

Everything is good right now as the Suns are winning. Still, I don't completely trust Robert Sarver at this point. We'll see what he's really like in a few years when Nash is worn down and Diaw also has a big contract.

 

[scotsman13]

personally i think that sarver is just letting BC talk to the raps to get an idea of his value. just like he wanted to do with joe johnson.

 

[khilari]

I thought BC had a minor stake in the Suns??? I do remember reading it somewhere..

 

[Wally]

Mailman says BC has been FIRED

No, not Malone, my mailman - who sometimes is a little off, says BC was fired today. I told him No-way, but then I thought I'd better check with the experts. Anyone know anything??????????????????

 

[MastersofCombat]

Raptors offered him $7million a year? WOW

 

[elindholm]

Raptors offered him $7million a year?

That sounds like a lot, but I have no idea what the going rate is for NBA GMs. Do they tend to make more or less than head coaches?

Colangelo won't be fired, but I suppose it's possible he could resign to take the Toronto job. Doing it in the middle of this season would be extremely strange, however, especially with the trade deadline only a couple of days away.

 

[Diamondback Jay]

No, not Malone, my mailman - who sometimes is a little off, says BC was fired today. I told him No-way, but then I thought I'd better check with the experts. Anyone know anything??????????????????

Your mailman is full of crap.

No way the Suns fire the guy who's probably going to win the NBA Executive of the Year award in mid season, when they're hot in the hunt for the Top Spot in the Western Conference Playoff Chase.

That's a disasterous nightmare that would break the team right down the middle. Sarver may not be on many of our "top ten favorites" list, but he's still too saavy to do something like this.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

7 mill a year would make him by far the biggest paid gm in the league...... 500k is a nice salary for a GM. 1 mill a year is above average....

To be honest, I cant imagine that 7mil a year was offfered. That is just way too far above going rate

 

[green machine]

7 mill a year would make him by far the biggest paid gm in the league...... 500k is a nice salary for a GM. 1 mill a year is above average....

To be honest, I cant imagine that 7mil a year was offfered. That is just way too far above going rate

What about with the exchange rate?

 

[sunsfn]

For you out of towners.
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Colangelo meets with Raptors, may leave Suns
Toronto reportedly offering to more than triple salary

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 22, 2006 12:00 AM
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo appears to be close to becoming the Toronto Raptors' next general manager after meeting with Raptors officials Tuesday in Toronto.

Three league sources said Colangelo appears ready to accept the position in Toronto as soon as the "final details," as one Eastern Conference source put it, are worked out. That would include salary talks that may more than triple his salary, said to be among the bottom third of NBA general managers at an estimated $1 million.

For one source to call it "done" and another to say he "can't see him not doing it" is a startling turn after Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver just granted Toronto's request to woo Colangelo earlier this month. [/FONT]
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Colangelo and Sarver were unavailable for comment. It is possible, although considered unlikely, that Sarver or Colangelo's childhood ties to Phoenix still could persuade the reigning Executive of the Year to stay. But the sources believed Phoenix would finish this season without Colangelo, a front-runner to become the second repeat winner of the executive award.

Talks between Colangelo and Sarver during All-Star weekend in Houston, where Colangelo first met with Raptors board members, were not cordial. Before Colangelo met with Toronto, Sarver had asked for a decision by the end of February.

In his only comment on his son's situation, Suns Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Jerry Colangelo said: "He's got a contract (which expires after the 2006-07 season). He's a loyal individual. He'd like to see things through. I think all of that is still there."

The elder Colangelo will remain CEO and chairman until June 2007, when the team's sale to Sarver's group will be complete. The sale agreement had him staying on as chairman for another five years.

Some people thought Bryan Colangelo would always want to venture out beyond the Suns, where he holds the job his father once had with a team his father helped start. A working relationship with Sarver that was deemed difficult at times, despite the success, may have hastened that notion.

Many staffers from opposing NBA teams said during the All-Star weekend that they thought the Toronto interest was merely leverage for a new deal in Phoenix.

Since Sarver purchased the team in 2004 with Bryan Colangelo getting his own stake, there was talk of Suns management committee member Steve Kerr (an investor and consultant) becoming GM.

Despite all that, Colangelo started this process with the sound of a man who wanted to stay, saying: "I have every intention of staying with this organization." But something soured in Phoenix and sweetened in Toronto.

The Raptors fired Phoenix native Rob Babcock as their GM on Jan. 26. He was replaced on an interim basis by Wayne Embry, one of Jerry Colangelo's best friends in the NBA for decades. As much as the money is better, the respect, recruitment and unquestioned authority in the Toronto job are lures.

Colangelo, 40, is clearly a target of Toronto, where his renowned collective bargaining agreement knowledge and ability to put together a winning but financially reasonable team is desired. The Raptors have a dynamic, young power forward in Chris Bosh to build around with a payroll that becomes more functional next season. Sound familiar?

And don't underestimate Toronto's flights to Italy.

If Colangelo were to leave, Sarver could have Assistant General Manager David Griffin assume the duties. Griffin has been at Colangelo's side for the recent years' roster retooling. Sarver could use a committee or ask Kerr, who many feel would decline, to take over or help pick a successor for next season.

As for the few people with Suns ties who would comment on the situation, they are still hoping Colangelo might stay.

Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said: "I'd hate to see him go."

Suns star Amar� Stoudemire said: "I think Bryan did a great job so far. As far as I know, he's been a great guy. I don't have any complaints about him. But whatever happens businesswise is pretty much out of my control. So my main focus is this Phoenix Suns team and what we're looking for."

Agent Warren LeGarie, who represents Suns coaches, said: "We're all collectively holding our breath that Bryan will stay. As a friend and someone who has common interests in the coaching staff, he would be sorely missed."[/FONT]
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[sunsfn]

Craving of attention suggests Sarver wants only his guys
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 22, 2006 12:00 AM
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Poor Bryan Colangelo.

Just when he found his stride, his dad sold the team.

Just when he found respect, he went to work for Robert Sarver.

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And at the peak of his professional career - a year in which he repaired a wounded team on the fly, saving the owner's backside from certain ridicule - Colangelo is off meeting with the Raptors about becoming their next general manager.
The timing is ludicrous. The outcome is inevitable.

Tough break, kid. Good luck with the conversion rate.

If he hasn't already, Colangelo must accept this job in Toronto, even if it seems below the reigning NBA Executive of the Year. In fact, Colangelo is odds-on favorite to win the award again. That would be a remarkable accomplishment and one that should mean a little more to Sarver.

But if Sarver really wanted Bryan Colangelo, he wouldn't have granted permission for Colangelo to speak with the Raptors in the first place, to ultimately return with a lucrative offer Sarver can't possibly match.

You know, just like he couldn't afford Joe Johnson.

But this is different from that fiasco, when Sarver compounded mistake with mistake and somehow ended up with a basketball team that is 35-17 and making a mockery of the critics, namely the one over here at Gloom Depot.

At its roots, this is about Sarver's look-at-me quest for respect and glory. This is about fast-forwarding the transitional period of ownership, ushering out a surname that is still looming on the marquee.

Remember the night that Sarver fired a security guard on the spot, the night that brought a lingering fog of queasiness and uneasiness to Jefferson Street? That night, Sarver allegedly told the worker: "You will never tell me where to sit in my arena." And that's about all you need to know.

Ever since, the Suns organization has been conducting business on eggshells, with good folk worried that Sarver might fire them on the spot. It is unhealthy and unbecoming, and in some ways, the vibe and the pulse of this organization will be smoother when the transition is complete, when Sarver installs all of his people and, by extension, is in line for most of the credit.

Although it's his prerogative, Sarver should be very careful with these assumptions. Winning in the NBA is not as easy as it may look to a newbie owner who has won 106 of 149 games in his foam-fingered reign. Clearly, he has been blessed with good fortune, and a general manager on quite a roll.

Shawn Marion and Amar� Stoudemire were blue-plate Bryan specials. Both were grand slams. His achievements last season shed the silver-spoon image for good, finally getting a son out of his father's lengthy shadow. And his intimate relationship with coach Mike D'Antoni should be making this the most joyous season of Colangelo's young life, his crowning achievement in a turbulent career.

But it's not. It has been a year fraught with tension and worry. It has been a year when D'Antoni has been frantically shoveling coal to keep the train moving in the right direction.

Problem is, Sarver does not mind playing a high-stakes bluff. And if Sarver doesn't offer an extension now, Colangelo's options are limited:

He can move out of the country, take the Toronto job and do the best he can. The Raptors are 20-34, but the pressure will be minimal. And somewhere down the line, he can try to hire D'Antoni for a north-of-the-border reunion.

But that also means leaving home, leaving a team he has pieced together and an unfinished symphony behind. After all these years of proving himself, his surname is again the source of his troubles. And that's got to sting.
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[elindholm]

This is ridiculous. Sarver would have been lynched if he had prevented Colangelo from speaking to Toronto. Now he's getting the same treatment for having allowed the conversation.

If a guy wants to leave a good position for more money, he's going to do it.