Rumour mill: ESPN reports Bryan Colangelo may be on the way out

The corporate drama at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment gets more intriguing with each passing day. ESPN.com hoops guru Marc Stein reported yesterday that the Toronto Raptors are already starting to prepare for Bryan Colangelo’s ouster. Citing sources close to the situation, Stein alleged that the Raptors have a backup plan if management decides to make an immediate change, be it before or after Colangelo’s contract expires on June 30. According to Stein and the National Post’s Bruce Arthur, the staunchly anti-Colangelo Glen Silvestri, an Ontario Teachers Pension Plan representative on the MLSE board, is leading the charge to bounce the Raps president and general manager.

Sources tell Stein that the powers that be are considering replacing Colangelo with Raptors special adviser Wayne Embry, who would serve as the interim GM. ESPN.com’s True Hoop blog has the story:

In that scenario, Embry and longtime Raptors senior director of player personnel Jim Kelly would then either be asked to oversee Toronto’s draft in Colangelo’s place, or Embry would simply become interim GM as of July 1.

Embry, 74, has already served as interim GM for the Raps once before, taking temporary charge of the team’s basketball operations in January 2006 from the ousted Rob Babcock—even making two trades before the trade deadline that season—before Colangelo was hired on Feb. 28, 2006.

With the entry draft only two months away and a work stoppage looming on the horizon—not to mention a for-sale sign firmly planted on MLSE’s front lawn—the off-court action in the off-season is shaping to be more interesting than anything the Raps did on the court this year. Stay tuned.

• If not Colangelo, Raps to draft in Embry? [ESPN.com]
• Colangelo’s record might not matter [National Post]