Raptors Fire General Manager

Glen Grunwald was fired as general manager by the Toronto Raptors on Thursday with two weeks left in a second consecutive losing season.

Grunwald, the Raptors’ general manager for seven seasons, was replaced in the interim by Jack McCloskey, a former general manager of the Detroit Pistons.

Team President Richard Peddie said the new general manager will decide if Coach Kevin O’Neill returns.

Grunwald’s contract expires at the end of this season. Peddie told Grunwald of his decision Monday, and allowed Grunwald to decide what date it would be announced.

“We didn’t make the strides that we thought we would,” Peddie said. “We’re standing here with 30 wins. It’s time for someone else to come up with a master plan.”

Fans booed the Raptors after they lost their fifth consecutive game Wednesday to drop to 30-44, 11th place in the Eastern Conference.

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The NBA is planning to form a minor-league system similar to baseball’s, where players could be shuttled between affiliates and NBA teams, Commissioner David Stern said.

The minor league would be made up of teams in the NBA-owned and operated National Basketball Development League, which would be increased to 15 teams from six. “I’m for it if the coaches and general managers are for it,” Stern said.

Unlike Major League Baseball, where each of the 30 teams has its own minor-league affiliates, two NBA teams would share one minor-league club, Stern said. Details of the system must still be worked out, he said.

Having a minor-league affiliate would give NBA teams the chance to develop young prospects who wouldn’t get much playing time if they were on an NBA roster.

For example, Detroit rookie Darko Milicic is averaging under five minutes a game this season even though he was chosen second in the 2003 NBA draft.