At long last, it appears the fate of Bryan Colangelo will be resolved.

There are those who believe a decision will be made official by as early Monday.

Unofficially, Colangelo’s option year is expected to be picked up, a route many in basketball circles had anticipated in the days leading up to the Raptors’ season finale.

In the absence of an official announcement, there’s been no shortage of speculation surrounding Colangelo and the path new top dog Tim Leiweke wants to take a basketball franchise that has missed the post-season for five straight springs, a first for a team that has only advanced beyond the first round only once in its existence.

Leiweke’s ties in Los Angeles with Phil Jackson raised the spectre of the Zen Master surfacing in Toronto, a connection that keeps getting revisited each time Jackson’s name gets mentioned with any opening around the NBA.

Whether it’s New Jersey, where ex-Raptors assistant P.J. Carlesimo was told his services were no longer required, whether it was in Detroit, where the Pistons turned to Jackson as a consultant to address the team’s coaching vacancy.

On the weekend, Jackson’s name was being linked with Seattle.

Cache aside, it’s hard to glean what exactly Jackson would bring to the Raptors in this rumoured scenario that would see Jackson serve as president.

What the Raptors franchise needs is clarity in the executive suites and results on the hardwood, not exactly the hallmarks that have characterized the club in recent years.

With the NBA’s pre-draft camp set to open in Chicago on Wednesday, the process of connecting the dots is in full swing.

Bell CEO George Cope, who is said to be on Colangelo’s side, was knee deep into CRTC hearings involving the Astral-Bell merger deal.

Leiweke is only beginning to understand the landscape he inherited, but this big-thinking executive must realize no name, regardless of stature, can turn the Raptors overnight.

It’s why the decision to give Colangelo one more year seems so logical that it’s laughable why nothing has been done.

In Boston, Celtics president Danny Ainge told reporters the Raptors had sought permission to speak with assistant Tyronn Lue, who has been out of the NBA long enough to distance himself from players, but at the same time maintain a pulse on today’s modern player.

One of the many issues surrounding the Raptors last season was communication.

Many felt there was a disconnect between the coaching staff and the players, an issue that led to dysfunction.

Lue played the point, a position that was handed over to Kyle Lowry once Jose Calderon was dealt in the three-team deal that landed Rudy Gay.

Colangelo made it abundantly clear in his media availability following the Raptors’ season that Dwane Casey would be back, assuming Colangelo would be back.

All along, it seems there was an understanding that changes to Casey’s staff would be initiated.

What remains to be seen is what becomes of Johnny Davis, who first became Casey’s assistant when Casey got his first head coaching gig in Minnesota.

Changes were inevitable in Raptorland and there’s a growing sense that some concrete news will become official this week.

The Raptors closed out their season on April 17.

A week later, Leiweke came to town with visions of greatness for every MLSE property.

But Leiweke must realize there are so many misconceptions and legitimate issues of running an NBA franchise in Canada that any wasted day serves no purpose.

The annual gathering in Chicago brings together every team executive.

Draft-eligible candidates get tested and are interviewed, but it’s also an occasion for the seeds of trades to get planted.

Andrea Bargnani’s name is certain to get floated, despite his declining stock.

It would be prudent if Colangelo and his team were the ones gauging whatever interest may exist or exploring all options in moving the Raptors forward.

Colangelo is very much like Leiweke in that he thinks big and is extremely competitive.

But he first must be given a mandate, even if it is for one more year.

BARNES A REMINDER OF BLIND LUCK

Under the department of what could have been involves Harrison Barnes, Golden State’s starting small forward, who has been a revelation during the Warriors’ post-season run.

Anyone watching Barnes can’t help but notice his ability to put the ball on the floor and knock down perimeter shots.

The Raptors could have gotten their hands on Barnes had a coin flip with Golden State gone Toronto’s way.

It didn’t and the Raptors took Terrence Ross with the eighth overall pick last June.

Blind luck sometimes plays a big factor in how franchises are retooled or remade.

When the Raptors won the draft lottery in 2006, there was no consensus first overall pick, selecting Andrea Bargnani when many wanted Brandon Roy.

Roy was waived by Minnesota late last week, his career once again in question following knee injuries.

This year’s draft lottery takes place on May 21 with the chances of the Raptors winning the lottery pegged at 0.7%, slightly worse than the 76ers, who won the coin flip with Toronto after posting an identical 34-48 season.

In the history of the NBA’s draft lottery, only the Chicago Bulls won the process with the worst odds.

In 2008, the Bulls had a 1.7% chance, but their ping pong ball turned up and Chicago landed a franchise point guard in Derrick Rose.