Raptors Decide to Fire O’Neill

The Toronto Raptors fired first-year coach Kevin O’Neill on Friday, a day after he questioned the team’s commitment to winning.

The Raptors finished 33-49 and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. General Manager Glen Grunwald was fired on April 1 after a rift between O’Neill and Grunwald became public.

Team President Richard Peddie said two weeks ago that a new general manager would decide whether O’Neill would return, but the team decided not to wait.

O’Neill became the fifth Toronto coach in June after being the top assistant with the Detroit Pistons under former coach Rick Carlisle.

The Raptors gave O’Neill a two-year, $3.5-million contract to replace Lenny Wilkens.

O’Neill said Thursday the franchise is more excited about being part of the NBA than winning.

“I can just tell you right now, the focus is not on winning here all the way through the organization all the time,” he said. “There needs to be drastic measures taken.”

The team also fired assistant coaches Tony Brown, Bob Buyer, Jim Sann and Ron Oliver.

*

Real estate and banking executive Robert Sarver is heading an ownership group that plans to buy the Phoenix Suns for $401 million.

The amount is a record for an NBA franchise, the Suns said, and could rise to $415 million if performance incentives are met over the next three seasons.

Former NBA players Charles Barkley and Sean Elliott will be among about a dozen others who will own a share of the team, Sarver said at a news conference at America West Arena in Phoenix.

The transaction includes covering about $200 million in debt, with the remainder in cash. The WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League are part of the deal.

*

Rasheed Wallace (sore left arch) and Mike James (groin) sat out most of practice Friday, but the Detroit Pistons expect them to be ready for the start of their Eastern Conference playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday at Auburn Hills, Mich. They took part only in non-contact drills for the second consecutive day.