The Toronto Raptors Fired Dwane Casey Two (2) Days After He Was Named Coach Of The Year
Live look at LeBron taking down yet ANOTHER head coach.
This is a pretty fascinating decision. The Raptors just made the playoffs for the fifth time in a row under Casey, won 50+ games for the third straight year, and set a franchise record for wins in a season (59). I’m pretty sure the coach before Casey has been wiped from the memory of NBA fan on the planet. No not Sam Mitchell. Jay Triano was his name.
But the Raptors were bounced from the playoffs yet again by their boogeyman LeBrawnnnnn Jaaaaaaames. I’m sure you all saw the dinosaur and Drake memes that made their way around the internet. If you win all those games, sooner or later you are expected to at least play for a championship.
The kicker of all this is that Casey was just named Coach of the Year by his peers less than 48 hours ago.
Dwane Casey is the most successful Raptors coach in franchise history. His most recent season was arguably his best with the team. He coached Toronto to 59 wins, claimed the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and finished top-five in offense and defense. His accomplishments have made him a prime candidate to receive Coach of The Year honors in June during the NBA Awards. For Casey’s peers, that’s exactly what he’s proven to be this season. Starting last year, the National Basketball Coaches Association began handing out their own Coach of The Year Award and this year they’ve named Casey as the recipient of the award.
The craziest thing of all this was that Brad Stevens did not receive one vote. Not ONE.
Others to receive votes include Nate McMillan of the Pacers, Brett Brown of the 76ers and Doc Rivers of the Clippers. Interestingly enough, Celtics coach Brad Stevens received no votes.
The Cavs are in the Eastern Conference Finals because of LeBron and the Celtics are there because of Brad. If I am Brad Stevens, I am wearing a hoodie just like this that has the definition of Coach on it before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Nonetheless, that is a rough look for the NBCA. The NBCA award ceremony is definitely going to feel like the MVP award ceremony Dirk winning the MVP a couple of weeks after the 1 seed Mavs lost in the first round to the 8 seed Warriors.
Then again, it’s not like Coach of the Year gives you job security for years.
Or even a month.
We clearly know what Masai thinks about job security (replace “Brooklyn” with “Job security”).
So what’s next for the Raptors? Coach Bud is out there. But he has had as much success as every other coach in the Eastern Conference against LeBron, which is to say NONE and the Raptors will have to battle the Bucks for him. No matter who Toronto hires, the most important move that will be made is if LeBron wants to go West this summer or not. Then at least the Raptors will have a chance of making it to the Finals before they are reduced to ash and we get all the extinction and fossil jokes back in our life.