Dwane Casey will go back to face the team that once fired him after the 2017-18 season, the reigning champion Toronto Raptors. While many have hinted he could be “salty” about his former team winning the title the year after he was forced to part ways with the team, the Detroit Pistons head coach made sure to note there's nothing but good vibes in his life.
“It irks me when I read the narrative that Dwane is salty… No, Dwane Casey is not salty at all. I'm happy for everything who's here… There's no animosity in my heart whatsoever,” said Casey, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN. “I can live, I can sleep at night. There's no saltiness, no pepper, no hot sauce.”
Perhaps what adds to this storyline is that it was Nick Nurse, Casey's understudy and former assistant coach who led the Raptors to a title after taking down an injury-plagued Golden State Warriors team in six games.
Casey had his chances to win with Toronto, but it all changed drastically soon after he was let go. The Raptors traded longtime franchise star DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard and consequently re-shifted to a load management season in which Leonard was carefully observed after returning from a quad injury.
The rest helped Leonard play high-caliber basketball in long minutes, resulting in many outstanding playoff performances, including a Game 7 game-winner in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and many clutch buckets in the NBA Finals.
Casey never had a star player like Leonard on his roster during his tenure with the Raptors, but he was able to land on his feet with the Pistons, who have goals of their own this season.
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