Raptors sign coach Mitchell to four-year deal

TORONTO - The Toronto Raptors have rewarded their NBA coach of the year with a new contract.

The Raptors signed Sam Mitchell to a new four-year deal that will vault him from worst paid head coach in the league to one of the best.

Mitchell will reportedly earn a base salary of US$12 million over the length of the contract, which includes performance incentives.

His current contract was set to expire June 30.

"It would have been very tough for me to leave because this is a great environment for me to be successful in," Mitchell said at a news conference Tuesday. "This is the place for me."

The Raptors recorded a franchise-tying 47 wins in Mitchell's third season with the team, and captured their first Atlantic Division title while making their first playoff appearance in five seasons. They lost to the New Jersey Nets in the first round.

GM Bryan Colangelo said re-signing Mitchell would provide "continuity and stability" for the team.

"We've talked a lot about what's gone into making this team and I can't think of a better person than Sam Mitchell to finish the job in terms of bringing us where we need to be," he said. "Sam is being rewarded with a contract that puts him in the upper echelon of coaches in the NBA and I think it's just reward for what he's been able to accomplish in leading this team to our recent success."

The coach had unwavering support from his players, credited with building a team out of a roster this season that included nine new faces.

Colangelo said Mitchell was able to focus on being successful this season despite the fact he didn't have a contract beyond June 30.

"I never felt for one moment that Sam had lost the team," he said. "That's when a coach becomes a lame duck, in my opinion. To Sam's credit, he was able to go forward with the circumstance as they were."

Mitchell's tenure with the Raptors hasn't always been smooth sailing. A young head coach who often let his emotions get the best of him had a tumultuous first two seasons, including well-publicized run-ins with guard Rafer Alston and a shaky relationship with former GM Rob Babcock.

There were time Mitchell wasn't believed to much time left in Toronto - when the Raptors hired Colangelo last year, finished the 2005-06 season with just 27 wins, and opened this year with a 2-8 record.

But Colangelo insisted Mitchell needed a chance to show what he could do with an improved roster, and for his part, Mitchell admits he's learned plenty along the way. He's figured out when to keep his emotions in check, he knows which players he can push hard, and which need a more gentle approach.

"They stuck by me through some tough times," said Mitchell. "Bryan came in, gave me an opportunity, stuck by me. I relish the chance to finish what we started."

Mitchell played 13 seasons in the NBA and then spent two years as an assistant coach in Charlotte and Milwaukee before coming to Toronto. The Raptors amassed a dismal 60-104 record in Mitchell's first two years.

Colangelo had been keen to get a deal done with his coach before the beginning of the NBA's pre-draft camp later this month in Orlando. With numerous coaching vacancies around the league, Mitchell had been rumoured to be at the top of the list for a few franchises.

Charlotte, Indiana, Sacramento, Memphis, Seattle and Houston are all without a head coach. Colangelo said he denied one team permission to speak to the coach.

"We made it pretty clear very quickly we intended to keep him here," said Colangelo.

Mitchell will determine the future of his three assistants - Jim Todd, Alex English and Canadian Jay Triano - but said when the season ended he wanted his staff to remain together, wherever he ended up coaching.