To Do List For The Raptors' New G.M

Within 30 days we are told we will know who in fact will be the Raptors new G.M. Once that person is in place here is a quick to do list of things that need to be addressed entering into this off-season and beyond.

1. Dwane Casey and his coaching staff: You need to make a decision on if you want to allow Dwane Casey to remain on for one more year and extend the assistants on his staff whose deals need to be redone. Do you run the risk by keeping case of being married to him long term as it went for Bryan Colangelo with Sam Mitchell. Do you make a clean break and start with a brand new coaching staff? What role do the players play in this if any?

2. Dealing with Amnesty Clause: The Raptors still have the Amnesty clause able to be used and realistically it will only be used on one of two people, either Linas Kleiza or Andrea Bargnani. When Colangelo was expected to be running the show no one could have imagined it being used on anyone but Kleiza but would a new G.M just simply cut his loses with Bargnani and save the aggravation of trying to trade him? Colangelo has always claimed a deal for Bargnani was possible will a new G.M think the same or see him as an asset that can not be moved without an added cost attached to it. The only other candidate you could use the clause on would be Amir Johnson and that is clearly not going to happen based on his play last season.

3. Bargnani Exit: If you decided not to use the amnesty clause than you must try to figure out how to move Andrea Bargnani from this roster. It is safe to say that Andrea coming back at this point is not something that either side would look forward to at this point. How Bargnani is dealt with and how quickly could impact on a great number of things heading into both the draft and the off-season.

4. Point Guard Position: What do you do here with Kyle Lowry with just one year left and a team in need of a back-up should you decide to keep him. What will you have in terms of money to find a point guard? Do you try to accomplish getting one as part of a trade? Would you entertain jumping into the draft if a prospect like Myck Kabongo was still around in round 2? Bottom line something big or small needs to be done to sure up this position.

5. Destruction or Construction: Will the new G.M see this team in the same light as Bryan Colangelo as on the verge of the playoffs and contention? Or will he see it as team flawed to fail and want to tear it apart. The temptation to tear it apart would be rather larger with Andrew Wiggins sitting out there in next season’s draft. That said would MLSE sign off on another rebuild? Can they afford to with 5 straight season of missing the playoffs.

Those are just some initial questions for the person that will fill Bryan Colangelo’s chair. It is a tough mess they have been left to deal with from a contractual point of view. It is a much less friendly situation than the one Colangelo was handed. The trade of Jalen Rose to the Knicks was able to free up a lot of space for an incoming Colangelo. Trading pieces like Andrea Bargnani or even Rudy Gay or DeMar DeRozan would not be easy even if that was the route you wanted to take.