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Raptors name Wilkens coach
Posted: Wednesday June 21, 2000 12:39 PM
TORONTO (CNNSI.com) -- Lenny Wilkens, the career leader in NBA coaching victories, was introduced Wednesday as the Toronto Raptors' new coach. Wilkens, the NBA's all-time wins leader, resigned after seven seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. He has coached Seattle, Portland and Cleveland as well as Atlanta, with a combined regular-season record of 1,179-981. In Toronto, he inherits an up-and-coming team led by superstar Vince Carter. Another young star, Tracy McGrady, is a free agent who has previously indicated he will leave the Raptors. "If you can't beat him, join him," Wilkens joked about Carter, a tormenter of Wilkens' division-rival Hawks. According to published reports, Wilkens agreed to a four-year contract. Raptors ownership has moved swiftly to fill the team's coaching vacancy. Butch Carter was fired last Tuesday after a tumultuous end to the season. Wilkens arrived in Toronto on Monday and met with Raptors GM Glen Grunwald, president Richard Peddie and minority owner Larry Tanenbaum. Center Kevin Willis, the only Raptors player coached previously by Wilkens, said hiring him would be a smart move. "The older guys will respect Lenny instantly, and to me that's the most important thing," Willis, who played under Wilkens on the Atlanta Hawks, said Monday. "With any team, it's the veterans who set the tone. If the veterans are comfortable, the young guys will follow." Wilkens resigned as coach of the Hawks at the end of the season. As part of a settlement, the Hawks owe him close to $11 million, to be paid during the next two seasons. Whatever the Raptors pay Wilkens will be deducted from the amount the Hawks owe him. "He's a winner," Willis told The Sun. "He got the most out of the team when I played for him and he did a lot for my confidence. "He's not the type of coach who makes you nervous about making mistakes. He motivates you by letting you play your game. He doesn't hold you back."
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