Raptors' firing of Mitchell wasn't surprising, but was it justified?

Sam Mitchell was fired one day after a 39-point loss to the Nuggets. Damian Strohmeyer/SI Related Links Raptors dismiss Mitchell following slow start Marty Burns's Mailbag Marty Burns will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Another week. Another NBA coach gets the ax. This time it's Sam Mitchell of the Raptors.

Mitchell's firing, like those of P.J. Carlesimo and Eddie Jordan before him, is not a total surprise. This is the NBA, after all, where the revolving door on coaches never seems to stop spinning for long. Plus, there had been rumblings North of the Border for a couple weeks now that GM Bryan Colangelo was not happy about the team's sluggish start and was looking to shake things up. Quite simply, the Raptors have been a big dud this season.

Throw in the fact that Colangelo never hired Mitchell in the first place (the coach was in the job already when BC came aboard), and it stood to reason that he might be axed at some point.

But most around the league seemed to think Mitchell would get at least another month or so. He did after all have a recent Coach of the Year trophy on his mantle, and more important, two more full seasons on his $16 million contract. In fact, the buzz around the league was that the Raptors were trying to make a trade -- not cashier their coach.

Apparently unable to find any takers for his cast of middling talents (Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon are untouchables), Colangelo must have decided to go with Plan B.

Was Mitchell's firing justified?

It depends on how you look at it. Overall he did a good job during his four-plus years in Toronto. But like so many NBA coaches (Jordan a prime example), they just seem to lose their ability to inspire their team after awhile.

And there is no doubt Toronto was off to a lackluster start. Picked by many to be a top-tier team in the East, especially after the acquisition of Jermaine O'Neal, Toronto instead was barely looking like a playoff team. Tuesday night's massacre at Denver was the final straw.

Now Jay Triano gets the chance to turn it around in Toronto. A longtime Raptors assistant and head coach of the Canadian national team, he is a respected basketball lifer who knows the Raptors (and NBA) personnel. He should at least light a temporary fire under them and get them back to playing with some passion and energy.

Colangelo had better like Triano a lot, though. Although Triano is officially an "interim" hire, his Canadian background figures to put him in good standing to keep the job should the Raptors get back on tract. Given the presence of Bosh and Calderon, there's a good chance that will happen.