Raptors' Dwane Casey reportedly on hot seat

Raptors’ Dwane Casey reportedly on hot seat

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 05: Head coach Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors reacts while playing the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2018 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on May 5, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Despite being a top candidate for Coach of the Year, the Toronto Raptors’ playoff failures mean that Dwane Casey is expected to be let go.

It’s been hard to be a fan of a non-LeBron team in the Eastern Conference. Ever since LeBron James’ consecutive Finals streak started in 2011, he has been a hurdle that teams have never been able to clear no matter how much promise they have shown. Whether it’s the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors, James’ dominance against the Eastern Conference has left them all with some serious soul-searching.

The Raptors are the latest example of that. A 59-win season, the No. 1 seed in the East and a culture reset have given Dwane Casey a strong case to win Coach of the Year. But all of that progress will be for naught if the Raptors end up getting swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even if they steal a game, any chance they had of winning this series went out the door when James hit that buzzer beater in Game 3.

No matter how good James may be, this season was regarded as the Raptors’ best shot at making the Finals. Winning two games against the Cavaliers in three years should ultimately be viewed as a failure which is why, according to Kevin O’Connor, many executives around the league expect the team to fire Dwane Casey.

Even if the Raptors come back next season with the same core, it appears they’d rather do so with a new coach at the helm. In the same article, Kevin O’Connor stated assistant coach Nick Nurse should be the favorite for Casey’s position since he’s been credited with “leading the charge in changing the offensive system.”

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If Casey were to win Coach of the Year, he’d be the first coach to get fired in the same season since George Karl in 2013. While he has gotten as much out of this core as he possibly could, the Raptors’ greatest drawback is not having a third star to push them over the top. And if they can’t make a Finals run this year, it’s only going to get harder next year when the Philadelphia 76ers improve and the Boston Celtics get healthy.

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