San Antonio Spurs star DeMar DeRozan hopes that Dwane Casey gets a huge ovation in his return to Toronto on Wednesday night. Casey, now the head coach of the Detroit Pistons, coached the Raptors for seven years before being fired at the end of last season. DeRozan called Casey a “legend” and the best coach in Raptors history:
"I definitely want to see the crowd giving him a standing ovation and love for sure. He's a legend when it comes to that organization. He is the greatest coach to ever coach in Raptors history," ex-Raptors star @DeMar_DeRozan to @theundefeated on Dwane Casey's return to Toronto.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) November 14, 2018
Indeed, Dwane Casey is excellent at what he does. He was awarded the coveted Coach of the Year award for leading the Raptors to a franchise-best 59-23 regular-season record last season. Casey also built a winning culture in Toronto, finishing with an overall win-loss card of 320-238 as Raptors head coach. He led the Raptors to five consecutive playoff appearances. The team reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 2016, losing the series to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 4-2.
On top of that, Casey did a great job bringing out the All-Star potential in DeRozan. Coming into the league as a scorer, Casey helped polish DeRozan's all-around skills in his ascent to become a four-time All-Star.
Despite being surprisingly fired by the Raptors right after the playoffs, Dwane Casey doesn't hold any grudges for his former team. Dana Gaurader of the Detroit Free Press mentioned Casey's comments on returning to Toronto after helping the franchise become one of the powerhouse teams in the East:
“I'd be lying if I said it didn't (carry mixed emotions), just because I spent seven years there building a program that has been successful.”
Casey's Pistons still have a lot of work to do this season as they are off to a slightly disappointing 6-6 start.
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