The Toronto Raptors have fired head coach Sam Mitchell one day after the Denver Nuggets thrashed the Raptors by a 132-93 margin -- the fifth-worst defeat in the NBA club's history.
"This is a difficult but necessary step the franchise must take," Raptors president and GM Brian Colangelo said Wednesday in a statement. "We appreciate all that Sam has done for the organization, applaud him for his successes and wish him nothing but the best with his future in basketball."
In a telephone interview with CTV Toronto, Colangelo said: "It's safe to say that after the debacle that we all witnessed last night in Denver, a 39-point loss, not to mention many other instances in this early season where we gave up double-digit leads, had mental breakdowns with respects to the effort on the court. It comes to the point where some of the things you want to see out there are just not taking place."
Colangelo said this year's roster is "underachieving."
Mitchell, named the NBA's coach of the year for the 2006-07 season, had led the Raptors to an 8-9 record so far this season.
Jay Triano, a Canadian in his seventh season with the club, has been named the team's interim coach. He will lead the Raptors against the Utah Jazz on Friday.
Mitchell joined the Raptors in 2004, becoming its sixth head coach. His career record with the club is 156-189 for a .452 winning percentage.
With files from The Canadian Press
