The Sports Corner

Raptors fire Sam Mitchell

In a surprising move the Toronto Raptors today announced head coach Sam Mitchell had been fired in the wake of the Raptors 39-point thrashing in Denver.

Mitchell was in his fifth season as the Raptors coach and won the 2006-07 NBA Coach of the Year Award after leading the team into the playoffs. Last season the Raptors regressed a little and posted a 41-41 record but were never considered a real championship threat.

“This is a difficult but necessary step the franchise must take,” Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo. “We appreciate all that Sam has done for the organization, applaud him for his successes and wish him nothing but the best with his future in basketball.”

Mitchell leaves the Raptors with an all time record of 156-189 record.

The Raptors have struggled out of the gate this season have posted a meek 8-9 record after an off-season spent retooling the roster and talks of taking the next step towards being a serious playoff performer. The move surprised many because Mitchell had only just commenced the second year of a four year $12 million contract and was highly regarded by many players and seen as a real recruiting bonus for the team.

Assistant coach Jay Triano, the former Canadian Men’s National Team coach, will assume Mitchell’s role on an interim basis. Triano has been with the team for seven years.

The move also creates NBA history as Triano becomes the first ever Canadian born NBA head coach. Triano’s first game as head coach will be this Friday against the Utah Jazz.