Fansided

Could Dwane Casey be the next head coach of the Pistons?

By Rucker Haringey

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Detroit Pistons are remaking their basketball operations staff in the wake of Stan Van Gundy’s departure. Dwane Casey could be their next addition.

Dwane Casey wasn’t good enough to help the Toronto Raptors overcome LeBron James, but that doesn’t seem to bother the Detroit Pistons. The team’s new look front office is reporteddly strongly considering bringing Casey to Motown to help revitalize the Pistons.

The team’s recent decision to hire Ed Stefanski away from the Memphis Grizzlies now means the team is ready to seriously consider who their next head coach will be. Stefanski and Casey are connected due to their time together in Toronto. He was a key part of the Raptors front office that originally hired Casey back in 2011.

If Casey does get the job in Detroit, he’ll face a much different challenge than he encountered with the Raptors last season. The Pistons roster isn’t set up to challenge for a berth in the NBA Finals. Instead, ownership will be focused on getting the team back into the playoffs.

Casey’s solid record as a regular season coach will appeal to Detroit on that front. Despite his playoff struggles, he did guide the Raptors to the best regular season in the Eastern Conference this year.

Anything approaching that level of success would be considered a massive win for the Pistons. The team acquired Blake Griffin prior to the trade deadline last season with the hopes that he could earn them a postseason berth. Unfortunately, injuries to point guard Reggie Jackson made that mountain too tall for Van Gundy and company to climb.

The move to acquire Griffin also means that Detroit’s current roster will largely be the group their new head coach will be charged to work with in the near future. The Pistons will lack the financial flexibility to make drastic changes to the roster’s current construction for the foreseeable future.

In the end, Dwane Casey might not be the high-risk hire some Pistons fans would like to see, but hiring the reigning NBA Coach of the Year would be a pretty solid move for the new regime in Detroit.

Home/Detroit Pistons