Dwane Casey’s departure is Toronto’s loss and another team’s great gain. Which team, though?
The most shocking news of the NBA season has to have been the May 11 “Woj bomb.” Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the Toronto Raptors had just fired head coach Dwane Casey.
The news took many by surprise because Casey led the Raptors to a franchise-best 59 wins this year–the most wins in franchise history. But the failure to get past LeBron James come playoff time was the problem.
That series loss notwithstanding, the reality is that Casey is an accomplished NBA coach. Here are the teams I think are in the running to land Casey as their new head man.
Detroit Pistons
Griffin oils the Pistons (photo, NBA.com)
Coach/GM Stan Van Gundy was fired on May 8 and the Pistons need of a new leader. The Pistons are a very solid team stuck in mediocrity. That status should be changing with the acquisition of star Blake Griffin via trade in the midseason.
With an arsenal of Griffin, Andre Drummond, and Reggie Jackson, Casey in Motown could help seal the transition to win-now. But to do that Casey would need to adjust his focus–from the backcourt in Toronto to the frontcourt in Detroit. The Pistons seem to be interested.
Milwaukee Bucks
Courtesy: The Sporting News
The Bucks need direction and identity to help propel the team–and superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo–to the next level. The main problem for Casey in Milwaukee would be the club’s shooting woes. With Eric Bledsoe, Deandre Liggins, and Jon Henson this team lacks shooting and spacing.
If Casey is somehow able to establish spacing to enable backdoor plays underneath–while giving more playing time for shooters Mirza Teletovic and Matthew Dellavedova–then (just maybe) the Bucks can become a threat in the NBA East.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Courtesy: SI.com
Is this farfetched? Perhaps. But it’s not entirely unreasonable to suggest that Billy Donovan has outworn his welcome in OKC. One reason is that Donovan hasn’t been able to adapt to the rotation of second options for Russell Westbrook.
That’s where Casey comes in. He could transplant Toronto’s iso-heavy system to OKC, which would be a great strategy for renewing OKC’s offense–creating more one-on-one scoring chances for Westbrook. Keep in mind, too, that Casey is a solid defensive coach. His oversight could help the Thunder establish the two-way play that has been lacking in previous years.
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WHAT’S MY PICK? I’m going with the long-shot, OKC. I predict the Thunder will fire Billy Donovan and hire Dwane Casey. That’s the best opportunity to get the Thunder back to the NBA Finals.
