About the damn time for great news.
Now the search for a headcoach shall begin:
I think the canditites are: Fratello, George Karl and Jazz Assistant Carmisello.
GM - Rob Babcock
Asst. GM - Wayne Embry
Director of Player Personal - Alex English
sambrialian, seems like a great front office, could be a kickass front! :k: McCloskey, Peddie, and Tannenbaum deserve some credit for putting together such a team. It was a drawn-out process, but if these three guys are the ones to take over Raptors franchise, it’s well worth a try.
Embry and English is a sweet team of assistant GM’s. Embry is an HoF guy, English is a borderline HoF guy… awesome. A great team of knowledge, experience of basketball.
Regarding Babcock: He spent his 12th season with the Timberwolves and second season as the team’s vice president of player personnel. Later, he was promoted to that position after spending the previous eight years as the team’s director of player personnel and two years as a full-time scout with the organization. Before joining Wolves organization, Bobcock had part-time scouting positions with the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Clippers and Indiana Pacers. Prior to that, he had coached college team(NCAA) of Arizona at Pheonix.
Embry and english came seemingly out of nowhere. Babcock is certainly going to have some support in the head office which is a privilege that Grunwald never enjoyed. You almost have to feel better that the organization is learning from its past mistakes (in order to forge a better future) instead of just sticking to the same path.
I think English’s position (dir. player personnel) is one Raptors should have had all along, and I’m excited to see what kind of an impact he can make. Serving as a buffer between team & manager is crucial these days; and this guy commands respect from both sides, which makes him a good fit.
Either way, the short term future should be exciting for the Raps. It doesn’t look like Dr. J has any place in Toronto, but English should fill the same role admirably. Embry will give Raps some fantastic managerial experience, in all likelihood, and Babcock will certainly be able to use him as a sounding board as he works through his growing pains.
The bottom line, in my opinion, is that these three are all well-respected in the NBA circles. Raps new direction is in place. Let’s see where it goes.