Coach of the Year Dwane Casey Was Fired by Raptors… Haha
Everyone on Twitter during the regular season “Dwane Casey is the clear favorite to win Coach of the Year.” Or “What Dwane Casey has done in Toronto is far superior to what Brad Stevens has done in Boston.” Today:
Toronto has fired coach Dwane Casey, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 11, 2018
All I can do is laugh, so I will. HA. The Raptors have been an absolute joke since becoming relevant over the last couple of years. Is that necessarily Casey’s fault? Some would argue no, but I think you have to take some responsibility for your team getting absolutely shit-pumped by LeBron James every year for three years in a row. This year might have been the most embarrassing one of them all given that the Raptors had a WAY better team than they’ve maybe ever had. What good is a good team if you can’t get the best out of your players? I’ll let you guys decide.
I think something that really stuck out to me was Kyle Lowry’s comments following the news:
Kyle Lowry on decision to dismiss to Casey: “They made a decision — and for me, as a leader in the organization — it’s my job to support the decision that (President) Masai (Ujiri) and GM Bobby (Webster) made.” https://t.co/XPTTugUOdQ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 11, 2018
If Lowry really respected that guy, I feel like he would have gone a little bit harder in trying to defend his head coach rather than immediately focusing on the negatives. And Lowry is hardly one to talk considering he’s a huge part as to why the Raptors have been such a joke in the playoffs.
Anyone with NBA knowledge would have been able to tell you that Cleveland was going to murder Toronto in the playoffs this year. I think that speaks a lot to how good of a head coach Casey really was. But who knew that LeBron’s final act as a Cav (yes I still think he’s leaving this Summer) would be absolutely decimating a franchise from the inside out. An all-time savvy move to say the least.
All I know now is that if Brad Stevens doesn’t win Coach of the Year, we riot through the streets of Boston.
-Nick Cherico (@NickCherico2)