Raptors: ‘We Still Really Believe in Bryan Colangelo’

Colangelo’s boss gave the embattled GM a vote of confidence, and wants to extend his contract. The Toronto Star reports and is unimpressed: “A decent half season might score Colangelo the long-term contract extension he has been coveting. Heck, if you listen to the man who’ll largely decide Colangelo’s fate, you get the idea a passable 25 games could do it. That’s not to say a disastrous beginning couldn’t end Colangelo’s four-plus-year tenure in Toronto. But on Wednesday Colangelo’s boss gave the impression that a decision on the GM’s future will be made sooner rather than later. And if you’re laying odds, it’s a short bet he’s not going anywhere. ‘I will make a recommendation to the board (on Colangelo’s future) at some point during the season,’ said Peddie. ‘I’m not going to leave Bryan hanging out. He’s got kids in school here.’ Kids in school? It’s good to know Peddie, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, is looking out for Colangelo’s brood, if not the heart-scarred youth who’ve celebrated advancement in precisely one playoff series on Peddie’s circa-1996 watch. Still, while some among the fan base might see Colangelo as a lame duck whose performance has dipped since his 47-win Toronto debut — and while Las Vegas has the over-under on Raptors wins at a dim 28 1/2 — the GM isn’t viewed nearly as harshly in the MLSE boardroom. He is beloved and trusted by chairman Larry Tanenbaum, among other board members. And the buzz on the inside is that Colangelo has successfully cast himself as the did-all-I-could victim of Chris Bosh’s summertime of self-serving delusion, not to mention Hedo Turkoglu’s immaturity and the Charlotte Bobcats’ late-stage pullback on a trade that could have improved the Raptors. ‘We still really believe in Bryan Colangelo,’ said Peddie.”