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Elmore joins line for Raps' GM jobLen Elmore will be interviewing soon for the vacant general manager post of the Toronto Raptors according to sources of the Toronto Star. "Portland Trail Blazer director of player personnel Mark Warkentien, Tony DiLeo, a senior vice-president and assistant general manager in Philadelphia; Denver assistant general manager Jeff Weltman and Minnesota player personnel director Rob Babcock already have interviews scheduled, according to a number of sources." According to the Star, it appears that a GM will be hired in mid-to late-May so the new general manager has time to prepare for the expansion and college drafts. Seattle's Rick Sund, New York's Jim Stack and Kevin O'Connor and Walt Perrin of Utah could also get interviews. The Raptors have been without a GM since April 1 when they fired Glen Grunwald. Via Doug Smith of the Toronto Star Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Harris not interested in RaptorsThe Toronto Raptors are interested in Mavericks assistant coach Del Harris but apparently he is not interested in them. Before Game 1 of Dallas' first-round series with the Sacramento Kings, owner Mark Cuban confirmed that the Raptors requested permission to speak with Harris and would grant it but that Harris wasn't interested. "Harris declined comment, saying: "I don't talk about those types of things." Harris, set to coach the Chinese national team at this year's Summer Olympics in Athens, is in his fourth full season as an assistant with Mavs." The Raptors fired Kevin O"Neill on Friday after going 33-49 in his only season as the team's head coach. Via Art Garcia and Dwain Price of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Raptors fire O'Neill: `I'm not for everybody'The inevitable became a reality yesterday when the Toronto Raptors fired coach Kevin O'Neill. The move came on the heels of an O'Neill outburst where he blasted the organization, saying that too many people want to be around the players just so they can say they know a Raptor. "I've learned this," he said in a final, funny, self-deprecating news conference, "I would never want to be part of IBM or Bell telephone or anything like that. I'm not very good in ... the quote corporate world." No, he isn't. He may be an excellent technician, highly respected for his knowledge of the game, but his one-year tenure at the helm of the Raptors ended badly, with him calling out the organization Thursday and his subsequent dismissal. But to think O'Neill has any regrets would be foolish. "I'm not for everybody, on or off the court," he said. "But the bottom line is I think I did a good job with this group." O'Neill was a defensive minded coach who did the job the way he wanted. He was honest in his assessments, almost to a fault. "I'm not a very good word softener guy," he said in the understatement of his media session. "I was just watching Dr. Phil up in the room and Dr. Phil is great at that stuff. He was telling this woman she was a moron without her even knowing it. And he's good at it. And she's like, `Yeah, thanks, Dr. Phil.' I'd be just saying `You know what, you're a moron, you better do something about yourself, straighten up.' "I'd be great having my own self-help show, wouldn't I? `You look like you're a little bit down, maybe you should kill yourself.' Whatever." Fired along with O'Neill were the four assistants he brought with him — Tony Brown, Jim Sann, Bob Beyer and Ron Oliver — while Jay Triano remains on staff at least until his contract expires in the summer. O'Neill will be paid the $1.7 million (all figures U.S.) he is owed on the second year of his contract and is now able to look for work wherever he wants. He plans to take some time off to relax and expects to be on an NBA bench, as a head coach or a lead assistant, next season. Most expect him to land in Indiana as a Rick Carlisle assistant. "He's a strong-minded Irish guy like a couple of other guys I know. That would be the one thing, if he were just a little bit more flexible," said interim general manager Jack McCloskey, who had to deliver the news to O'Neill yesterday morning. "If that inflexibility is a negative, then that's okay with me, I'm cool with that," said O'Neill. "I'm probably an inflexible guy because I just have certain things I believe in and I don't waver on. If you win 50 games, it's a strength; if you lose 49, it's a weakness. That's just the way it is." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Raptors Apr 2004 Archive
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