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The Toronto Raptors‘ roster has made strides with the arrival of Serge Ibaka, but his addition would not have been possible without letting go of young swingman Terrence Ross, a player head coach Dwane Casey held in high regard.
“It's very difficult because he's almost like a son,” Casey told reporters of delivering the trade news to Ross. “You watch a young man come into the NBA, he's wet behind the ears, learning the league, growing up right in front of you, it's difficult.
“Like I told him, it's a business. As much as I'd love for him to stay here forever, it's not going to happen. He's going to be successful, he's going to be a good player in this league, but it's just the business of basketball.”
Casey had been at the helm of the Raptors since Ross was drafted eighth overall in 2012, to playing his way into the rotation and eventually becoming a key cog in Casey's arsenal.
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Despite the many ups and downs, Ross was beloved by the organization — feelings which he reciprocated in a special letter to the city of Toronto in The Players' Tribune following his departure.
Casey recognized Ross' comet-like ability to light it up at any moment, only to quickly come back to Earth the next game with a subpar performance.
“I remember that distinctly,” Casey said of Ross' 51-point game. “I remember the next game he had two (points), I remember that… he did a heck of a job that night. He couldn't miss. It was one of those games where he was in that zone. Everything he threw up went in.”
While he actually had 10 points, the coach's point was clear — Ross can be the X-factor in one game, and the lacking factor the next — a trait which he'll need to polish into consistence with the Orlando Magic for his pro career to take off as far as it possibly can.
