Fansided

Raptors make easy change by firing Dwane Casey

By Brad Berreman

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)
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) /
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The Toronto Raptors have yet to really break through a playoff wall, and head coach Dwane Casey has now paid the price.

The Toronto Raptors set a franchise-record with 59 regular season wins this year, but another playoff dismissal by the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James brought speculation surrounding changes. Head coach Dwane Casey was put firmly on the hot seat, and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has now reported Casey’s firing.

After a meeting earlier this week, Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri suggested Casey was still being evaluated along with everything else. All the players can’t be traded, so firing Casey is the easiest change to make in order to bring in a fresh voice.

Casey had a 320-238 regular season record (.573 win percentage) over seven seasons as Raptors’ head coach, with at least 50 wins in each of the last three seasons. But a 21-30 playoff record is what did him in, with the backcourt tandem of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan notably falling short when it matters most.

The Raptors surely feel they’ve reached their ceiling under Casey, and maybe that’s true as he’s not known as high-level tactician. But trying to replicate what the Golden State Warriors did when they let Mark Jackson go and hired Steve Kerr is a risky proposition. Casey proved he could make adjustments this year, installing a more modern-looking offense which was not so centered on the co-ball dominance of DeRozan and Lowry. The next coach could build on that, and Ujiri is betting he can find the right guy to do so as he hires his first head coach as Toronto’s GM.

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Casey should not be unemployed long. He could be in the mix for any remaining head coaching openings, particularly the Milwaukee Bucks, or otherwise he’ll surely land somewhere as an assistant coach.

If the Raptors don’t find the coach that can take them to the next level, likely with the same core group of players, the decision to fire a Coach of the Year candidate will prove to be the risky move it already seems to be.

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