Perhaps the saddest thing about the NBA regular season coming to a close is that we’ll have fewer reports on the terminally desperate plight of the Toronto Raptors and Head Coach Sam Mitchell, like this one from the Sun’s Chris Zelkovich.
This just in: Sam Mitchell does not think Don Landry and Gord Stellick are a couple of puckheads who know nothing about basketball.
“I try to have fun with them,” says the Toronto Raptors coach, who has verbally battered the FAN 590 morning hosts every Wednesday since the season began. “I’m really a fun-loving guy.”
That will come as good news to Landry, who admits that he wasn’t really sure this verbal sparring was all in jest. That would put him in the same position as most listeners, which is why the show has a 9.8 cringe factor at times.
“At first I wasn’t sure what to make of him,” says Landry, who has never spoken to Mitchell off the air. “I went into it with a little trepidation, not really sure what to expect.
“Is this guy just a complete dink or what’s the deal here? It’s taken a few months, but I think we’ve come to the conclusion he’s just having fun with us.”
It certainly hasn’t always sounded that way, though there’s no denying that the Sam Mitchell spot is one of the most entertaining shows on the dial.
A few weeks back, apparently angered by what was a rather uninformed question about his background, he told the radio guys to start doing some research. The Internet might be a good start, he told them.
Another time, obviously less than engaged by the line of questioning from two guys who admit their basketball knowledge is lacking, he apparently started doing some housework while being interviewed.
Last week, Stellick got a little defensive after a few Mitchell barbs and mentioned that he was once assistant general manager of the New York Rangers.
“You were what?” an incredulous Mitchell asked. “Get outta here.”
Mitchell admits that wasn’t entirely in jest.
“That kind of caught me off guard,” he says with a laugh. “But they’re good guys, they can take it.”