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NBA Rumors: 5 coaches to replace Dwane Casey in Toronto

By John Buhler

Apr 10, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey looks on against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey looks on against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 21, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Nate Tibbetts against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Blazers 118-113. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Nate Tibbetts against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Blazers 118-113. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

This past run through the coaching carousel has been great for former NBA assistants. Kenny Atkinson went from the Hawks to his hometown team in the Brooklyn Nets. Fizdale finally got his opportunity to lead an NBA team by leaving the Heat to go coach the Grizzlies. Even former NBA head coach and point guard Nate McMillan usurped Vogel in the Pacers’ pecking order this summer.

That being said, there are still a few NBA assistants that might be ready to lead an NBA team in the next year or two. Along with San Antonio’s Borrego and Charlotte’s Ewing, the Portland Trail Blazers top assistant coach Nate Tibbetts might be the guy Toronto tabs to replace Casey should both parties not achieve a widely expected contract extension.

Tibbetts was part of a team in Portland that nobody outside of the Pacific Northwest thought could make it to the Western Conference Semifinals. The Trail Blazers lost four of five starters in 2015 NBA free agency and were expected to win less than 30 games in the brutal Western Conference.

Under head coach Terry Stotts and general manager Neil Olshey’s direction, Portland earned a No. 5 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs and knocked off a strong Clippers team in the first round with a roster built around two slight back court players: point guard Damian Lillard and shooting guard C.J. McCollum.

Toronto has an elite back court tandem in Lowry and DeRozan. What the Raptors have going for them that Portland does not are two-fold: 1.) Toronto plays in the East. 2.) Toronto has superior front court players than what Portland has to offer.

Surely the pressure would be immense on a first-time NBA head coach in Tibbetts having to replace the best coach in Raptors franchise history in Casey, but Tibbetts’ experience in being around the 2015-16 Trail Blazers might be the spark that the Raptors need to get over the hump in 2016-17. Toronto can win with Tibbetts with the group they now have on the roster, as well as play competitively should the Raptors go into a brief rebuild.

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