MLSE fires Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo—but asks him to stay as president

MLSE fires Toronto Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo—but asks him to stay as president

(Image: chensiyuan)

This could get awkward: Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment brass axed Bryan Colangelo as general manager of the Toronto Raptors today, but he’s keeping his second, more corporate role as the team’s president. MLSE’s new CEO Tim Leiweke told reporters that a five-season playoff drought finally caught up with Colangelo, and that while the former GM is “ticked off,” he’s accepting the reshuffle. (Of course, Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke was also fired-but-not-fired earlier this year, and he only stuck around for another six weeks.) Leiweke plans to find a new GM within a month, and Denver Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri, Raptors vice-president of basketball operations Ed Stefanski and Oklahoma City Thunder assistant GM Troy Weaver are all reportedly on the short list. [TSN]