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March 12, 2006

Richard Peddie meddles with the Toronto Raptors

LangLang wrote this today:

I know it’s become quite fashionable in Toronto to hate on Richard Peddie, the CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. And why not? Both the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs are vying for playoff spots like two hobos looking into a bakery window.

Well, for those of you who are tired of Peddie’s apparent meddling, you’d be be quite interested in reading yesterday’s Globe & Mail article which reports that it was Richard Peddie’s decision to not trade Donyell Marshall and to buy out Alonzo Mourning’s contract. All you Babcock haters should be ashamed of yourselves.

The Globe & Mail is said to have close ties to the Raptors organization; most articles originating from there tend to carry significant merit. Here are some excerpts from the piece:

    At last year’s trading deadline, Babcock was prevented from trading forward Donyell Marshall because he’d been instructed by Peddie that he couldn’t take on players whose contracts continued past last season.
    According to two sources, Babcock was determined not to buy out the last two years of Mourning’s deal, convinced that Mourning — who was sidelined with complications from his kidney transplant –was so determined to pursue a championship with the Miami Heat that he would agree to dissolve his existing contract in exchange for becoming a free agent, costing the Raptors nothing.

    Peddie didn’t want to take the risk. If Mourning retired, citing his medical condition, the Raptors would be left paying out the entirety of his contract, or about $17-million (U.S.).

    Instead, Peddie worked directly with Mourning’s agent, Jeffrey Wechsler, on a buyout, one that eventually saved the Raptors about $6-million, even as it was widely seen as another sign of weakness from Babcock.

Peddie’s direct involvement with both teams was a prominent issue during the search for a new GM, and at Colangelo’s press conference, Peddie assured the media that Colangelo will have autonomy over basketball.

I, for one, do not believe him. What do you think?

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* Filed under: Raptors Forum

One Response to “Richard Peddie meddles with the Toronto Raptors”

  1. boggie Says:
    March 14th, 2006 at 2:55 pm

    it remains to be seen if b.c. has full authority.
    in this blog i found in nba forum , the top 10 reasons why colangelo accepted the GM job are listed
    http://shootfirst-ihatetheraptors.blogspot.com/