The Toronto Raptors have scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference for this afternoon where it's reported that GM Rob Babcock will be fired.

In just the second year of his contract, Babcock has been the focus of plenty of speculation about his job security following a number of questionable moves and decisions during his brief tenure.

In Babcock's first year, he was highly criticized for signing volatile "street-baller "point guard Rafer Alson and for receiving next to nothing in return for the trade involving franshise star Vince Carter.  He's also faced significant criticism for the selection of centre Rafael Araujo with the No. 8 pick in the 2005 NBA draft. Araujo has struggled a lot in his first two seasons in the NBA, and is widely viewed as a bust.

The Raptors, having just returned from a 1-4 west coast road trip, looked lethargic last night in a 104-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls at the Air Canada Centre before a sparse gathering of 14,198 fans. The loss, Toronto's third in a row, dropped their record to 14-29 on the season, one of the worst marks in the NBA. They struggled to finish with a 33-49 record, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season last year.