Days after winning the NBA Coach's Association Coach of the Year honor, seven-season Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has been fired.
This past season, Casey led the Raptors to an all-time franchise record of 59-23 that put them atop the Eastern Conference standings heading into the playoffs. Despite being a No. 1 seed, Casey, DeMar DeRozan, and Kyle Lowry could not get it done. Yet again, the team up north ran into LeBron James in the second round and got swept in four games, getting utterly embarrassed in the process. Perhaps Casey could have held onto his job if the Raptors made it a competitive series, but all hope was lost when even commentators began referring to the team's home as "LeBronto" and "Brontario."
Although it cannot be denied that Casey has brought regular-season success to Drake's favorite NBA team, Casey's lack of any real success in the playoffs, and inability to get past LeBron year after year, ultimately led the team to show him the door. Casey will exit as the most successful coach in franchise history, with a 320-238 record and five consecutive playoff appearances. He had one year left on his contract.
According to ESPN, former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer will be getting serious consideration to take the spot.
In an official statement, Raptors president Masai Ujiri said, "We celebrate everything Dwane has done for the organization, we thank him, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future. He was instrumental in creating the identity and culture of who we are as a team, and we are so proud of that."
