| | ESPN.com news services
TORONTO -- Praised for his work on the basketball court,
Toronto Raptors head coach Butch Carter was fired Tuesday for his
actions off it.
Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald cited Carter for his work
in turning around the team but said ultimately the coach was paying
the price for the cloud of controversy that has swirled around the
team in recent months.
There was no immediate word on Carter's successor.
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Tue, June 13
I think that the firing was the culmination of several
months of strange things going on in Toronto. Butch had,
for some reason, picked a lot of fights with a lot of
people. He started with the hockey people up there. He
accused the NBA of having a conspiracy to get Tracy
McGrady out of Toronto, as well as Vince Carter. He then
refused to wear the microphone -- I though he was right
by doing that, by the way -- for NBC. And then obviously
the last couple of things were suing Marcus Camby and
then pulling the lawsuit back, and when he tried to gain
control of the general manager's job in Toronto.
I think all of those things added up to make it impossible
for them to be able to keep him around as head coach. It was just a bad situation. I saw
Antonio Davis at Game 3 on Sunday and he said you just wouldn't believe how unhappy
everybody is ... it was just a tough situation.
And I think they
now know what everyone else knew months ago, which is that McGrady's leaving. And
once McGrady left, I don't think Butch had too many allies left in the organization.
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Carter's comments and actions have resulted in criticism from
the team's veterans, perhaps cost the club a chance to re-sign
coveted young forward Tracy McGrady and forced Grunwald into damage
control mode.
On Tuesday, Grunwald put an end to the distraction that Carter
had become, saying there was no other alternative.
"We have a great team, we have some great guys in our locker
room," Grunwald told a news conference. "We have great ownership.
We play in a great arena before some magnificent fans. Our future
is very bright.
"But I think we've lost track of that story a little bit in
some of these off-the-court things, and I think we need to refocus
upon that and keep improving."
Carter was calm and seemed almost relieved when he met reporters
later in the day at a separate news conference at the Air Canada
Centre.
"I feel OK," he said.
He thanked team ownership and said he loved Toronto.
"I didn't want out of Toronto. I wanted out of a bad situation.
I'm not running out of town," he said with a laugh.
Carter led the Raptors to their first postseason berth in the
franchise's history and was rewarded in December with a contract
extension that takes him through the 2002-03 season.
Team president Richard Peddie declined Tuesday to discuss
details of the settlement between the club and Carter.
Carter has been in the spotlight in recent months for actions
away from the court. He declined to get into specifics.
"Anything that is regretted should be kept professionally in
house, it's not for discussion with you people," Carter told
reporters.
But Carter, who called his coaching style "workaholic," was
obviously not happy at the way some team beefs were aired outside
the locker room and in the media.
Carter made plenty of news himself, however.
In a book written with his brother Cris, he attacked Indiana
coach Bobby Knight for his behavior while Butch Carter played
there. He sued former Raptor and current New York Knick Marcus
Camby for calling him a liar and then dropped the lawsuit after his
legal challenge received widespread criticism.
Carter made headlines again after a report that he had asked for
Grunwald's title in his annual job review before Grunwald and
Peddie. Carter said he did not want Grunwald's powers but only his
title for added influence in dealings with free agents.
Carter also came under fire from veterans Antonio Davis and
Charles Oakley when he said there was a lack of leadership in the
Raptors' locker room.
Perhaps the last straw came last week when McGrady, on the verge
of free agency, cited the veterans' dissatisfaction with Carter and
ensuing turmoil as reasons why he wouldn't be back in Toronto.
"It is clear that this change, while disappointing to me on a
personal and professional level, is necessary if we are to continue
to build towards an NBA championship," Grunwald said.
|  | | Butch Carter made plenty of headlines last season. |
On the issue of McGrady's future, Carter said: "The kid is
smart enough to make his own decision."
"Signing Tracy McGrady was no slam-dunk regardless," he added.
Grunwald praised Carter's work as coach.
"His accomplishments in Toronto should not be discounted.
However, in the end that success was clouded by off-court
distractions that were disconcerting to our fans and our
organization," he said.
Under Carter, the Raptors finished third in the Central Division
with a 45-37 record. The team was eliminated in a first-round
playoff sweep by the Knicks.
Carter noted the club played "without a center and ... point
guard."
Carter was also seen as instrumental in grooming McGrady and
Vince Carter, the two young stars of the team.
"A young coach took a bunch of guys who were unhappy ... and we
made it work here," Butch Carter said.
Carter was appointed head coach on June 12, 1998, after being
named interim coach on Feb. 13, following Darrell Walker's
resignation. He joined the team as an assistant coach prior to the
team's third season.
Carter's regular-season record with the Raptors was 73-92.
He followed Brendan Malone and Walker as head coaches with the
Raptors, who joined the league in 1995-96.
Prior to joining the Raptors, he was an assistant coach with the
Milwaukee Bucks from 1991 to 1996 and a Bucks scout in 1996-1997.
Before that he was an assistant coach at Dayton and Long Beach
State.
As a player, he was a second-round draft pick of the Los Angeles
Lakers in 1980. He went on to play 361 games over six seasons with
the Lakers, Indiana, New York and Philadelphia, averaging 8.7
points, 1.9 assists and 1.5 rebounds. | |
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 The Toronto Raptors announce the firing of Butch Carter.
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Butch Carter responds to being fired by the Toronto Raptors.
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 Butch Carter wanted out of a bad situation.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Toronto Raptors GM/VP Glen Grunwald says the team needed a change in order to compete.
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