[CanadianPress] Babcock lands Raps GM job
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Jun. 7, 2004. 12:58 PM
Babcock lands Raps GM job
CANADIAN PRESS
The Toronto Raptors finally have a new general manager.
Rob Babcock was officially named the Raptors' GM at a news
conference on Monday.
He'll be joined by a couple of Hall of Famers. Wayne Embry
was named special adviser to the GM while Alex English is
the new director of player development/scouting.
"This has been a goal of mine for a long time," Babcock
said. "For me personally, this is a really great day."
The decision comes after nine weeks of searching and
interviewing by the Raptors following the firing of longtime
GM Glen Grunwald April 1. Jack McCloskey has served on an
interim basis since.
Babcock, 52, has spent the last two seasons as Minnesota's
vice-president of player personnel, helping team president
Kevin McHale build a team that had the best record in the
league this season.
He also spent five seasons as the director of scouting for
the Denver Nuggets before joining Minnesota.
Babcock was among the five candidates granted interviews
initially by the Raptors. It was widely reported that NBA
legend Julius Erving was also a candidate.
But with the NBA draft less than three weeks away and the
chance to attract anyone else dwindling, the Raptors decided
to give the job to a lifelong NBA front-office employee with
close ties to McCloskey.
"I have a very simple basketball philosophy," said Babcock.
"And that is, it's a game. Yes it's a business but it's a
sport. And in order to be successful in basketball . . . you
have to play it as a team and the team values you have are
extremely important."
Babcock has a big job ahead of him. In addition to the
upcoming draft, he inherits a team with only seven players
under contract and far over the salary cap already. He also
has to hire a coach and figure out who the Raptors will
expose in the coming expansion draft.
While Babcock admitted time is tight, he said he has been
getting ready for the draft with Minnesota, although he'll
have to brush up on potential first-round picks since the
Timberwolves won't be selecting a player in the first round.
"When you're in the NBA, you're preparing for the draft all
the time," said Babcock. "Is the timing a little tough? Yes.
"But, I know several of the people that are here and they've
been working very hard. It's a matter of just coming together
and meshing."
Babcock said he's not concerned that the Raptors' reputation
has taken a hit following the highly criticized GM search.
"I don't see it as a tattered image at all," said Babcock. "I
see it as a very strong organization. They're financially
stable, they want to win a championship and they want to give
the GM the tools to do that."
Babcock also added that he sees Raptors star Vince Carter as a
player "we can build around."
"He's had a lot of different coaches over the past couple of
years," he said. "It's difficult when you keep changing styles
and systems.
"We plan to have continuity."
Carter had openly backed the hiring of Erving.
Embry and English bring a wealth of experience to the Raptors.
Embry is a former president and chief executive officer of the
Cleveland Cavaliers. While he's been in semi-retirement since
leaving the Cavs after the 2001 season, he was the team's
general manager for 13 years and president for two.
English played 16 seasons in the NBA, scoring 25,613 points.
He's worked as an assistant coach and scout with the Atlanta
Hawks and spent last season as an assistant coach with the
Philadelphia 76ers.
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