Under head coach Dwane Casey, the Toronto Raptors went from a middle-of-the-road team into a serious and legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. Casey’s Raptors just could not get over the hump in the playoffs, especially when it crossed paths with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. So, when the Cavs swept the Raptors – the No. 1 seed club in the East – in the second round of this year’s postseason, Toronto’s management decided that Casey had to go.
It did not take long for the Raptors to part ways with Casey, whom they fired less than a week after getting eliminated by the Cavs. Toronto general manager Masai Ujiri admitted it was one of the toughest decisions he’s made in his career, but also said that the proximity of Casey’s firing from Toronto’s final game of the season was a product of goodwill. Ujiri wanted Casey to hit the coaching market as early as possible to allow him more time to find a new gig, per Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
“That was tough,” Ujiri said of relieving Casey of his coaching duties. “It was one of the toughest things I said I’ve done. Casey is an unbelievable man. I really congratulate him for the job he did with us and the job, I know, he’s going to do with Detroit. We had to go in a different direction, and that was tough, but those conversations are always hard. Casey is a good man, I believe a good friend, and I know he will go on to do better things – even better than the ones he did in Toronto, and he did excellent with us.”
Ujiri spoke to Casey in person when informing him of the coaching change and wanted to give him an opportunity to get another job, which factored into the timing of the decision.
True enough, Dwane Casey did land on his feet, as the Detroit Pistons recently inked the head coach to a five-year deal.
Casey mentored the Raptors from 2011 to 2018. During that span, he compiled a record of 320-238 and guided the team to five postseason appearances, including a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016.
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