# Dwane Casey maybe to Raptors?



## SteveHartfiel (Jun 8, 2003)

"Sonics associate coach Dwane Casey flew to Toronto yesterday morning to meet with the Raptors about their coaching vacancy, according to sources familiar with the hiring process. The Raptors reportedly began with an expansive list of candidates that general manager Glen Grunwald whittled to four after completing informal interviews at last week's predraft camp in Chicago. Along with Casey, Philadelphia assistant Mike Woodson, Milwaukee assistant Sam Mitchell and Detroit assistant Kevin O'Neill are expected to meet with incoming owner Larry Tanenbaum and president Richard Peddie." Seattle Times

Just read........ and I hope not


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## Vince Carter (Jan 9, 2003)

Yeah Dwane Casey was an early candidate when the Raptors announced that they fired Lenny Wilkens, I would not mind him being are coach, but I rather have O'neill or Carlisle. But I would not be angry if they annouced Casey as there Head Coach.


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## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

i don't think any of us knows enough about these guys to even assert an opinion. i mean, it's sad but true. i trust grunwald- and if he hires ronald mcdonald, i'd think that he had good reason to do so. 

we just don't know enough about casey or woodson or mitchell or o'neill or how they are behind closed doors. i don't know who would be the best coach for the raps right now; all i can hope for is that grunwald is comprehensive & thorough in his search. 

preferring one coach over another, from a fan's perspective, is usually foolish. we don't know enough about them. our knowledge of their style is purely superficial and doesn't really mean anything.

peace


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

*Re: Dwane Casey mabye to Raptors?*



SteveHartfiel said:


> "Sonics associate coach Dwane Casey flew to Toronto yesterday morning to meet with the Raptors about their coaching vacancy, according to sources familiar with the hiring process. The Raptors reportedly began with an expansive list of candidates that general manager Glen Grunwald whittled to four after completing informal interviews at last week's predraft camp in Chicago. *Along with Casey, Philadelphia assistant Mike Woodson, Milwaukee assistant Sam Mitchell and Detroit assistant Kevin O'Neill* are expected to meet with incoming owner Larry Tanenbaum and president Richard Peddie." Seattle Times
> 
> Just read........ and I hope not


Who says we don't have any new ideas? This is a FORWARD THINKING FRANCHISE. Right on the cutting edge.

We have hired and fired O'Neill and Mitchell. Now we're looking at Casey (again).

Woodson went 206-286 with the Hawks but won 100 games in the last two seasons (08-10) before being replaced by Larry Drew. Maybe we'll look his way again too?


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Vince Carter said:


> Yeah Dwane Casey was an early candidate when the Raptors announced that they fired Lenny Wilkens, I would not mind him being are coach, but I rather have O'neill or Carlisle. But I would not be angry if they annouced Casey as there Head Coach.


Quitter!


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

:laugh: 

Wow @ this.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

According to reports the shortlist for the job includes Casey and Larry Frank.


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## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

Good find. I has completely forgotten they had considered him before. That really does say a lot about the organization. The only thing that really stands out in my mind about Casey as a coach is that scandal he was involved in at Kentucky. He was so under the radar in Minny it's ridiculous.


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## Junkyard Dog13 (Aug 9, 2003)

Cheeks in the mix as wellhttp://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6646004


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## Pain5155 (May 28, 2006)

We should take a look at Brian Shaw, we already missed the boat on Avery Johnson, but I doubt he would ever want to come up here haha


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## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

lol, eight years ago... have mercy. 

"evolving, moving forward..."

peace


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

For what it's worth, if we do land Casey, I wouldn't be disgruntled. 

Those Mavs were a well run team and played some good zone defence, something that this league doesn't exploit enough, especially with the lack of shooters around. Casey is the guy credited for teaching this Dallas team how to play it, that must count for something. He also has been around Dirk for a while now and hopefully use that experience to extract more from Bargnani.


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## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

That is exactly why we went with KO before. He was the D genius behind the Pistons and a tough no-nonsense coach. Its just as random as picking a college guy or an ex player. Until you are a head coach you can't judge how someone will manage a staff, relate to players as THE boss about playing time, etc and relate to the media. 

Some MIN fans say Casey lost the locker room quickly and could not relate to players. Did not get a fair shot there maybe but you could say the same of Babcock who was villified in TOR.

We need a true, experienced head coach that has a proven track record. Going the assistant route again is just typical MLSE rinse and repeat mode. I would prefer Woodson who had some difficult personalities in ATL but got results. Raps don't have that kind of problem here so he should do even better. Much more of a track record to go on.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

It's getting the established head coaches out here that is the problem. 

If you ask me, it's not going to happen.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Casey is interviewing for the Pistons gig this week.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Reports out that Casey will be hired/introduced next week in time for the draft.

Big high fives ring out in the MLSE front office as the guy we didn't think was good enough eight years ago now is, for some reason likely related to Rick Carlisle being a good coach and his residue possibly sticking to Casey's suit jacket.


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## scdn (Mar 31, 2011)

Who knows? Players can improve over time, coaches have the same possibility. I have no reason to believe that Casey will be succesful, all I can do is hope.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

scdn said:


> Who knows? Players can improve over time, coaches have the same possibility. I have no reason to believe that Casey will be succesful, all I can do is hope.


TBH, more so than the other major sports, coaching in the NBA isn't so important. Occasionally you get someone who is a great coach but you need to have a great team to get anything done. Phil Jackson can't get us 50 wins.


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## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

This could end up being a good choice but its just so obvious and easy a choice. You put in any rookie GM and ask them to hire a coach and they likely look first at the top assistants for the top teams first. You would hope that an experienced GM like BC would be more inclined to bring in a proven coach, even one with a strong personality and reputation that might scare off a new GM. But we just get the predictable outcome again. Another coach in a weak position that will do BC's bidding. So for that reason I cannot be too optimistic.


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## mvP to the Wee (Jul 14, 2007)

At least Casey isn't going up against Del ***** for another coaching job.


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## Zuca (Dec 4, 2003)

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/story/2011/06/18/sp-casey.html


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## Junkyard Dog13 (Aug 9, 2003)

good move, frank is a prick, a good d coach but not a players guy, Casey should be good for 2-4 years to work all the young guys hard and maybe he can be the guy that leads us deap nto the playoffs, time will tell, but he will work DD, James J, Amir Davis and Kemba hard.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Good to see we aren't repeating the mistakes of the past. Can't see any issues hiring a mostly unproven assistant coach who is known as a defensive specialist, but worked with a team with better defensive players than our own.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

Honestly speedythief what do you expect? ... Phil Jackson? 

We're the Toronto Raptors. We don't have any star player. We were a horrible team last year, in fact, we have been a horrible team for 5 years or so now. 

Why would a proven coach want to come here? 

Give the man a few weeks to show what he can do. Afterall he is his own man, you can never judge him off what has gone before, stuff he had no control over.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

And I think my last post disrespects Casey a little too much. He was a winning coach when he had the full-time gig in 'Sota. His firing is still baffling to many and I think it's more than likely it's because he fell out with the backroom staff, and just look at the TWolves backroom staff, it's like a who's who of ineptitude.


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## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

i love it.  this team has a stranglehold on the toronto media. all we hear is good news, half-full, optimism holds true, lol. they're now trying to sell this guy as the reason for dallas' title.  dallas has won 50+ for the last 11 seasons, folks... casey's been there for two. at best, he helped a great team become a champion. not sure what they have in common with us. 

and the way our media talks about it, you almost forget he wasn't even the head coach! they were carlisle's team, not casey's. deal with it. i mean, do we credit jim todd with our division title? no. not even close. most people don't even remember JT was here. but for some reason our standards change conveniently when we need them to. could have hired dallas' waterboy and it'd be like, "this is the mavs' waterboy! instrumental hire. don't say we don't give you the goods."

i just feel like, you know, give it a rest. say he's the new guy, fine. but leave it at that. i just feel like this team's always trying to make a sale, and i mean, it gets tiresome.  stop trying to make me feel better with fake news. you're just priming toronto for more disappointment. this guy's gonna be public enemy #1 in no time. we've seen this story before. 

peace


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Porn Player said:


> Honestly speedythief what do you expect? ... Phil Jackson?
> 
> We're the Toronto Raptors. We don't have any star player. We were a horrible team last year, in fact, we have been a horrible team for 5 years or so now.
> 
> ...


I don't have beef with Casey. He isn't the issue. My problem is with our predictable and uncreative management team up to and including the board. I never get the sense from them that they know how to develop a winning sports program. They make big blustery hires like Colangelo and Burke but a world of good it does. A flash here and there but otherwise a continuing ride down mediocrity lane. And they are making so much money doing it that you can hardly blame them, unless you are a fan of one of the franchises, and pity the fool that is.

Last five years: Marlies (.480), Leafs (.431), Raptors (.446), TFC (.283)

Is it any wonder MLSE is for sale and the major players in Canada aren't interested?

I'm sure Casey will do a fine job making excuses for our team and pandering to our rag writers (until they turn on him 12-15 months in, with Granger giving him a few more months, Feschuk a few less, and Smith won't be surprised), and I'm sure we'll continue to win 30-40 games a year with the occasional blip up or down. With the way things are at the very top of the organization I just don't envision success forthcoming. 

So when I see some rehashed ideas coming out of the franchise's PR department it makes me sick. Maybe Dwane Casey is a great coach but he is the same guy we passed on at least once, possibly twice. He worked under Rick Carlisle (who did a splendid job) but mentioning Casey's ring is like saying someone like Scott Brooks wouldn't succeed because he was an assistant for the Knicks. Never mind that Casey was fired from Minnesota after hardly half a chance and barring some kind of episode from their dodgy ownership and management team at least some red flags have to go up over that situation. Yeah, he won a ring. So did Lenny.

The firing of Triano/hiring of Casey just seems like nothing to me. Just an aesthetic change. I mean, have they even explained what the problem was with Jay? He didn't lead our ragtag team of youngsters and disinterested veterans to the playoffs? Or are they just expecting someone with a Midas touch to come in and change our fortunes overnight? I guess I'm just waiting for the moment where I can reinvest in the franchise and it isn't coming.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

Ahh, I understand your point better now. It's more of the recycling and the media making it out like we've landed a gem that is bothering people rather than Casey himself. Definitely valid points. 

As for Triano. We were a bad ball club and yet we played horrible on the defensive end. That for me is unacceptable. If you don't have the most talent, you need to bust your ass defensively. Triano wasn't getting that out of our players and that bothered me. Did it not bother you?

Will Casey be able to extract more? Who knows. Is it worth a shot? I don't see why not. 

Maybe it's because I'm still invested and no matter how terrible the team performs or back management performs, I will still be invested. The teams I follow for sports don't generally win much, so perhaps I am just used to it. I don't expect much from this Raptors franchise, if I wanted to be in it for the winning, I would have went for the Lakers when I made my choice as a kid.


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## scdn (Mar 31, 2011)

My expectations for change have become so low with any coach coming in that even if Phil Jackson or Red Auerbach became the coach, I still wouldn't expect much. Right now any coach is interchangeable in my mind until the team actually plays better.


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## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

I am right there with Speedy on this one. Its a totally uninspired and unimaginative hire. Its the typical 'win the press conference' move that Armstrong always talks about. Lead Assistant from World Champions comes to Raptors!! Hurray!! What a coup!

I think Woodson did in ATL what we want to see happen here and was a better option. I would even consider Larry Brown for a couple of years to really put in a disciplined D system. Especially if Jose is staying - he is a perfect lead guard for LB's offense. You know he isn't long term but he is desperate for another chance to repair his legacy. Even Mike Fratello. Very experienced, worked with a superstar in Nique and had success in ATL, CLE, and MEM.

I think those are 3 name guys who would strongly consider TOR. Look what Doug Collins did for PHI and many fans would have hated that hire here.

For pure entertainment I would laugh all season long if we brought in Don Nelson as coach for a couple of years. He's a cool old guy. And we could read all the 'he developed Dirk and now he's working with Bargs' articles.


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## Zuca (Dec 4, 2003)

Official release:
http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/20110621/18351/raptors-name-dwane-casey-head-coach


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Zuca said:


> Official release:
> http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/20110621/18351/raptors-name-dwane-casey-head-coach


Takeaways:

- Rick Carlisle vouched for Casey in a call to BC the night the Mavs won the Finals (didn't Carlisle strongly endorse Kevin O'Neill?)
- Casey's public speaking needs work
- Apparently Dwayne's in the NBA must all spell their name incorrectly
- Doesn't want to run a lot of set plays, will allow the offense to flow, "playoff-style"
- Is a hands-on control freak when it comes to defense (hoping to see him riding Bargnani like Yoda on Luke)
- Wants to instill a defensive "disposition" into our players
- Is going to work with Andrea on his commitment to defense, timing, effort level
- "Culture of hard work" another talking point; "changing the culture" has been floating around for a while, though
- Wants to make things fun for the young players
- Is an "outside of the box hire" for Colangelo, according to BC (lol wut?)
- "Refuses to be part of the choir" that says Bargs can't defend and Calderon can't stay in front of his man (he can only work with what he is given so...)
- Not much word yet on who his staff will consist of but at least one guy will be an offensive coordinator


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

More (slightly less cynical) takeaways:

- "create a team of hard play"
- Talked about DeMar first and foremost, it's crazy how far from Bargnani this franchise has pushed itself recently
- 'Jose is a young player' - wow. 
- Defense will be fun
- Do your job. Meant to set a screen - you better set that screen. Not a ballhandler - don't handle the ball. 
- BC spouted off about 'even if we get a duplicate player' in the draft it's very good


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## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

We have been 'changing the culture' since KO's hiring. That was the big change from laid back country club style Lenny Wilkins to hardass KO. Sam Mitchell was also a culture change coach and did a fairly good job of that.

The idea that Jay did not focus on defense flies in the face of video evidence at training camp where he focused from the start on defensive goals and how those lead to winning teams. We even had 2 assistants that were supposed to be strong defensive coaches in Iavoroni and PJ. Seems like the very definition of insanity to expect much difference with the same players. Bargs has been a pro since he was what, 16 years old. For him to have such poor instincts and feel for basic help D is incredible. I don't see that ever changing at this point.

'Outside the box' hiring. Now that is a joke.

Still, if Ed and DD can take that next step at both ends the team could show nice improvement. And the draft is a wildcard for another night or 2.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Speculation that Casey's lead assistant will be longtime friend and former Grizzlies interim head coach Johnny Davis.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

Casey's staff:

Johnny Davis
Tom Sterner

Micah Nori
Scott Roth
Eric Hughes


Good to see 3/4 of our old coaching staff is still employed by the Raps including Triano (and Williams who was given a development position). Hate to feel like Casey is actually in charge. How long until they force a new assistant on him?


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## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

So which of these guys is the offensive co-ordinator? I thought Raps were insisting Casey bring in a guy to run the O because Casey is not known as a strong X's and O's type on that end.

The in-bred nature of pro sports keeps most of these guys circulating between teams because of friendships and such. Wouldn't see any of these guys being recruited by top teams. Doesn't mean they suck at their jobs but they are far from proven commodities.

Having a hard time getting geared up about next season. Could be really painful.

I believe BC is going to fail himself into a promotion to Peddie's old job (how appropriate) and MG will sleep himself into BC's old job. What a horrible organization if that happens. This coaching hire has me kind of depressed as it wreaks of same old, same old at MLSE.


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

[email protected]


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## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

According to HoopsHype, the Grizzlies are trying to keep Johnny Davis.


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