In the last 5 years much has happened around the Toronto sports landscape in the way of change. MLSE, which pretty much has the monopoly on Toronto sports franchises finally seems to becoming wise in that they have removed themselves from the day-to-day operations of their biggest sports commodities, the Toronto Raptors in the coup that was Bryan Colangelo's signing and recently a similar scenario in which the Leafs got their man Brian Burke.
These men have great minds in their respective sports, but more than individual talents, they have the perspective to surround themselves with other great thinkers, and the confidence to utilize them without paranoia and ego meddling with their vision or mission to take their teams to greatness. Brian Burke (President and General Manager), on the hockey side, has Dave Nonis (Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations), Dave Poulin (Vice President of Hockey Operations), Jeff Jackson (Assistant General Manager), Cliff Fletcher (Top Advising Consultant) and a strong willed veteran Coach in Ron Wilson who Burke has said deals with the players and day-to-day hockey side by himself. On the basketball side Bryan Colangelo (President and General Manager) has surrounded himself with an extensive brain trust which includes Maurizio Gherardini (Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations), Marc Eversley (Assistant General Manager), Masai Ujiri (Assistant General Manager), and Wayne Embry (Senior Basketball Advisor). These men who are two of the most sought after, successful minds in their sport have made the commitment to improve themselves by insulating themselves with creative minds, not responsive ones and it seems to be rubbing off.
I have not talked a lot about Jay Triano and how his appointment as coach will affect the team coming into this season. This is because I have always been of the opinion that coaching in professional sports is in large part vastly overrated. Unless a team has the top 3 percent of coaches in the league, a team can win with just about any coach given the right circumstances. That being said the culture that is being created around the Toronto Raptors franchise thanks to Bryan Colangelo, and now Jay Triano's philosophies are beginning to excite this particular fellow. The Toronto Raptors hierarchy has become something of a model on how to put together a management team. Evidence of this was when Burke was brought in on the hockey side, and the same model is already gathering steam when discussing the Toronto Blue Jays. Get the best guy, and build the best brain trust around him.
Triano, in his first full off-season with the team, and now first training camp is taking this philosophy and running with it. First, it was the hiring of Marc Iavaroni, a former assistant coach to Mike D'Antoni and head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies. Then it was keeping on Alex English, which he was a lead assistant with under Sam Mitchell. Then it was bringing in Alvin Williams, a former player for the Raptors who came into the coaching ranks with much fanfare. These three moves are significant, Iavaroni was once thought of as the successor to Sam Mitchell and thus an easy target for Triano to avoid if he felt threatened by the former Memphis coach. Instead, he hired him as a lead assistant. English's hire is interesting because very rarely would a new head coach hire on an old coach's assistants, instead the new coach usually prefers to have 'one consistent message' by bringing in his own guy. Finally having the perspective to hire on a young mind that isn't far off from playing in Alvin Williams, he will have the chance to reach players in the inevitable times the locker room doesn't feel like listening to a 50 year old white guy from Canada eh.
Now with training camp underway more evidence of his willingness to learn and listen to others that have come before and potentially after is evident. Triano carries a notebook around with him in which he has documented any idea that he liked or could use at some point over his coaching career. The defense will look very similar to the same structure Kevin O'Neil (remember him, the guy that one-punched a lamp) had in place when he coached the Raptors. If you check out the court in Ottawa (where they are holding training camp) this week you will notice that the key/painted area has been transformed into the shape of a house (with the roof peak pointed up to the top of the college 3 point arc). This is an old tactic used by non other than Bob Knight to try to keep team defense focused on keeping opposing players out of the painted area and 'protecting the house'. Triano has also taken lessons from his time with Mike Krzyzewski. At the begining of each day he plays the part of school teacher by setting the desks of a classroom up in a circle and draws his message up on a white board, the thought being there will be a greater focus in a classroom rather then a basketball court. Time will tell if these things work, but the fact that Triano has taken strategies from proven coaches that have proven to work very well in the past is encouraging.
The Raptors seventh head coach in franchise history is also doing his best to pay it forward and possibly fill up his notebook in the process. He has invited local coaches from around the area including National Coach Leo Rautins, to come and observe practices during training camp, ask questions, and Triano has been open to not only receive their thoughts but has also encouraged his assistants to do so as well. One of the coaches is Jasmin Repesa a man that is regarded as one of the top basketball minds in Europe. Over his 15 year coaching career he has been under the tutelage of our own Maurizio Gherardini, and has coached Raptor Marco Belinelli and former Raptor Roko Ukic. Open practices are not common by NBA head coaches, especially open practices where head coaches encourage their 'inferiors' to give advice, however this open-mindedness by Triano is a breath of fresh air and particularly encouraging to a Raptors fan-base.
A forward thinking culture has been created by Bryan Colangelo, its trickle down effects are beginning to show through the franchise and the hope is, all this philosophical BS will translate onto something special on the court. If not, at the very least Colangelo could probably do a heck of a seminar for big business, am I wrong?
- J.Moore
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