6:30 update: Mitchell out in Toronto

ORLANDO, Fla. - Well, that didn't take long, did it?

Toronto's 39-point loss in Denver on Tuesday night was Sam Mitchell's final game as head coach of the Raptors, done in by a team that management deemed had stopped responding to his coaching. He was relieved of his duties on Wednesday, replaced on an interim basis by assistant Jay Triano, a long-time assistant and former head coach of the Canadian national team.

According to a statement released by the Raptors, the remainder of the coaching staff is staying put within the organization. Mitchell finished 156-189 in his four-plus years in Toronto.

That whole "coaching falling on deaf ears" reasoning is weak, because the fact of the matter is that the Raptors weren't tough enough to be a factor last season and haven't been healthy enough to do accomplish what they envisioned going into this one.

Jermaine O'Neal returned from an ankle injury last night and found that most of his teammates had lost their fire to play. When a whole team disconnects like that, it's only a matter of time before the coach is the next to go.

"It's embarrassing not only for us but for those who support the Toronto Raptors, the organization, the city and the country," O'Neal said after last night's loss in Denver. "That should never happen. This is a business. We get paid a heck of a lot of money to play a certain way and if we think we can turn it on and off like that then we are fooling ourselves."

Mitchell will be paid a heck of a lot of money not to be around the Raptors anymore, being due close to $4 million this year and next with some additional income due to him in 2010-11. By that season, he'll probably be coaching again, considering as many as three teams, Charlotte, Indiana and Memphis, were hot for his scent before he re-signed with Toronto in 2007.

That alone makes it hard to feel too sorry for him, but he does deserve some sympathy because the man didn't forget how to coach overnight. He did lose some control of his team, though, aided in part by personnel decisions which have cost him adequate depth over the past few seasons.

The job of inspiring the Raptors now falls to Triano, the longest-running assistant on Mitchell's staff, who gets another opportunity to bring Canada basketball glory after having served as both captain and head coach in the country's Olympic program.

If he can handle the job, the Raptors would undoubtedly be thrilled to add the draw of a native son guiding the team to Toronto's appeal. If he can't, don't be surprised if Memphis' Marc Iavaroni ultimately surfaces as a candidate at season's end. The current Grizzlies coach has a contract that runs through 2010, but hasn't made much progress with the team's extreme youth thus far and might not want to run into the final season of his deal as a lame duck.

As Al Jefferson said when he heard the news that the 2007 Coach of the Year got fired, "man, this is some business."

Here today, gone tomorrow, man.

Iavaroni could avoid a hairy situation in Memphis if an opportunity presents itself in Toronto.

The Raptors are also one of the favorites to land the first European-born head coach in NBA history, since many around the league look at the makeup of their roster and refer to them as the Euro Raptors as it is. Behind Bryan Colangelo, assistant GM Mauricio Gherardini has a lot of clout and commands the utmost respect from the international community. Don't be shocked to see Italian Eltore Messina, the most lauded international coach of the current era, emerge as a candidate.

For now, it's Triano's job to lose. He's got a tall order, though. For one, he must rely on O'Neal to stay healthy and provide the presence management brought him into deliver. He's got to keep Chris Bosh from getting too frustrated, Jose Calderon from getting too worn out and Andrea Bargnani from getting too complacent. All that and develop a bench from a group that's been shaky to date.

Best of luck.

Mitchell's ousting means Theus no longer has company on the hot seat. With the losses mounting in Sacramento, he's likely next.