And since Colangelo is a natural meddler, and he will still have an office in the same building, and he has a deeply vested interest in his plan working out — not only for any future basketball jobs, but in terms of his own stubborn pride — well, Leiweke said it’s up to him to make sure this works, which for a man with a lot to do doesn’t sound like the kind of make-work structure he would happily create. Leiweke says this is his decision, but the fingerprints of minority owner Larry Tanenbaum are all over this.
For the Raptors, the why remains muddy. Some believe Bryan’s father, Jerry, weighed in on his behalf; Jerry is an NBA power, with close ties to the league office, which Leiweke says he consulted. Leiweke said the team wanted to re-brand itself as it heads to the 20th anniversary, with a focus on its bid for the 2016 All-Star Game. It is probably not a good idea to alienate some of the most powerful people in the league, if that is part of Leiweke’s plan.
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/sports ... 2013-05-21
