The Detroit Pistons are still searching for a head coach and Dwane Casey is still on the market. Could he be the right guy for the job?
Dwane Casey is a name that has lingered around as a candidate for the head coaching vacancy with the Detroit Pistons. He seems to be one of the final candidates as the front office gets closer to a hire.
Casey met with the Pistons and then had a second interview with owner Tom Gores. He can bring a number of qualities to Detroit.
Casey’s coaching experience
The Toronto Raptors had some of their best seasons as a franchise under Dwane Casey. They’ve had at least 50 wins in each of the last three seasons. They’ve advanced past the first round of the playoffs in the last three years as well.
It wasn’t always pretty. Casey took over a franchise that was in shambles. They went 22-60 in his first season as head coach and then progressed in each year following.
Casey’s criticism mostly comes from Toronto’s success in the regular season not translating over to the postseason. Casey deserves some of that criticism. On the other hand, the Raptors ran into that guy named LeBron James in each of the last three seasons. That has a lot to do with why Toronto was unable to advance.
After Toronto set a franchise record in wins, they fired Casey for just that reason. He did a lot for Toronto but it clearly wasn’t ever enough.
No matter how you look at it, Casey is the candidate with the most NBA coaching experience from the group. That should be a big factor in who Detroit decides to hire.
Casey can develop talent
Here’s something interesting to think about. This is from Albert Burneko’s article with Deadspin.
"“Here’s a fun fact: This season the Raptors gave regular minutes to 11 players, and only three of them—Lowry, big man Serge Ibaka, and sharpshooter C.J. Miles—have ever played even a minute for another NBA team. Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Jakob Poeltl, Delon Wright, Norm Powell, Fred VanVleet, Valančiūnas, DeRozan: all developed in-house, under Casey’s and Ujiri’s stewardship.”"
That says a lot about Casey’s ability to work with what he has and develop the younger players on his roster. Look at some of those names mentioned above and it’s clear that Casey was much more than a coach that underachieved.
That team won 59 games! Kyle Lowry became a significantly better player after coming to Toronto. DeMar DeRozan has also become one of the league’s best guards under Casey’s watch.
The Pistons could use a guy that can develop young talent. Stanley Johnson comes to mind immediately. So does Henry Ellenson. If those two could emerge as effective rotational players, the outlook of the Detroit Pistons is much different.
Let’s face it, Casey got the most out of the group he had. He can’t be completely at fault for their playoff miscues.
Can Casey connect with Detroit Pistons players?
It could be argued that an older coach like Casey would have a harder time connecting with the younger players on a roster. Stan Van Gundy was criticized for the same things in Detroit and back in Orlando.
When Casey was fired, some of his current and former players jumped to his defense. That speaks volumes about the person he is on and off the court.
Rod Beard from the Detroit News had this to say on the matter.
"“Casey is regarded for having good working relationships with his players, one of the biggest criticisms of Van Gundy in his four seasons with the Pistons. Casey helped to nurture a budding DeMar DeRozan, who was just beginning his career with the Raptors and helped build the chemistry to make Toronto a perennial contender.”"
It’s less of a concern considering the success he had in Toronto. To have that kind of success, players have to believe in the abilities of their leader.
All signs are pointing to Casey
On ESPN’s First Take, Casey had nothing but great things to say about Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson. Could there already be a deal in the works to hire him?
Who knows. What we do know is that Dwane Casey has the right experience. He’s proven he can develop talent and build relationships with players. The Detroit Pistons can’t miss on this head coach.