by Mike Ball
--raptors.com
February 28, 2006

(TORONTO) -- It has been some time since the Toronto Raptors made a move in the front office that fans could get excited about on first glance.

Don’t get me wrong. Everyone from Glen Grunwald to Rob Babcock, and all points in between were all quality individuals and, more often than not, a pleasure to deal with but suffice to say their spots in Naismith’s Hall have yet to be etched in stone and household names - even among basketball aficionados - they are not.

Wayne Embry meets Bryan Colangelo at the podium Tuesday. (Ron Turenne/NBAE/Getty Images)

But then beginning All-Star weekend, rumblings that started as a small rumour built momentum into what may become the greatest coup in the history of the Raptors franchise.

Yes Tuesday in Toronto, CEO Richard Peddie unveiled the franchise’s fourth general manager after the Raptors lured the reigning Executive of the Year, Bryan Colangelo from the Phoenix Suns to guide Toronto through the latest stage of development.

“Bryan was our No. 1 candidate for the job right from the start,” said Peddie. “We were able to demonstrate to Bryan and his wife Barbara that not only do the Raptors present a great basketball opportunity for him, but they would be making a home in an international city that will embrace them and make them feel welcome.”

He is the first general manager in team history with previous experience under the same job title and by far the most reputable of the bunch. How do the Raptors – after missing the playoffs for three-straight seasons – lure the cream-of-the-NBA-general-manager crop away from a team inching closer to a NBA Finals?

Simple: the prospect of building something bigger.

Say what you want about Rob Babcock, but he left a pretty tidy house for the incoming GM. Wayne Embry was a big help as well when he finished what Babcock had reportedly started and rid the Raps of Jalen Rose’s crippling contract for Antonio Davis and his expiring ticket.

``There's just so many positive things about the opportunity that Wayne (Embry) has established in terms of the cap flexibility and the ability to look at free agency in a different light and perhaps explore trade opportunities to acquire the necessary pieces,'' said Colangelo. ``It's not unlike a team we had in Phoenix a couple of years ago.''

It is rare for a sports executive to be presented with such an opportunity to build in his own vision and take the ball and run with it in any number of directions.

Babcock admitted it himself when he was hired for the same position two springs ago. Rarely do you have an opportunity in sports management to come into a situation that isn’t a mess. There’s always a reason and usually a pretty good one, that the guy before you got fired. Babcock was no different, it’s just that his dismissal was apparently of the personality kind more than a results-based moved.

But here’s a situation in a world-class city, with a fantastic fan base, ample young talent, draft picks and salary cap flexibility to boot, along with ownership that’s willing to spend to win and a roster that genuinely gets along. Well this sort of thing just doesn’t happen a whole lot in the NBA and stability in the front office is the only thing missing.

“I’d like to think that the reason that they came after me and the reason they hired me is for that stability that you’re looking for,” said the GM. “This organization is well run. Basketball-wise it hasn’t always been up to par, but there’s been a lot of exciting moments in its young history.

“I think the stability is something that I’ll be in a position to help bring that to the table. I feel like they’ve given me the necessary tools to do that and we’re going to make the most of it.”

When the Raptors cleared the GM post back on January 26, Peddie made it clear that the Raptors were looking for an experienced executive to lead the franchise into the future. Not only does Colangelo have the experience on the job, he has it in his blood.

His father, Jerry is credited with building the Suns from the ground up and the birth of the franchise in 1968. He has coached the team on two different occasions, been the president, general manager and now chairman and CEO.

Colangelo stopped by Raptors NBA TV to meet with Chuck Swirsky Tuesday.. (raptors.com)

His father’s basketball roots run back to his youth in Chicago and after high school he received 66 scholarships for college ball and seven pro baseball contracts.

The elder Colangelo was then set to become a teammate of Wilt Chamberlain at Kansas before the Big Dipper opted to go pro. Colangelo would end up attending Illinois where he went on to captain the team as senior and was later inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bryan followed right in his father’s footsteps as after attending Cornell University and starting his professional career in New York City, his father would lure him back to Arizona to help him build the Suns back into a winner. Now 15 years later, he steps out of the large shadow his father’s legacy casts and heads north to forge his own way.

“I used to say (about my father) those are big shoes to fill, but Wayne’s got bigger ones,” said Colangelo with a smile. “But it wasn’t about trying to overcome that. I’m so proud of my father for everything he’s done and everything he’s brought to the city and the great deal of respect people have for him throughout the industry. And to me I was never competing against him. I was competing for him.

“This was just a natural time for me (to move on). So with the city and the organization (here in Toronto) and I think the flexibility of the situation that has presented itself, I can’t think of a better opportunity to ultimately jump off the ledge – if you will – and that’s where I am right now.”

So the Raptors fourth general manager’s tenure begins and while the fans seemed to be thrilled with the move, no one appears happier than Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

“I feel so excited, so happy that we have someone like Bryan to really lead and to build the franchise into what we all hope will be the No. 1 franchise in the NBA and there’s no reason we can’t be.”