Poll: What Will Be Dwane Casey's Fate? | Raptors Republic: ESPN TrueHoop Network BlogRaptors Republic: ESPN TrueHoop Network Blog

by Zarar Siddiqi December 4, 2013

He’s having a terrible season and is looking more and more lost by the game. Do you think he’ll recover? I’ve been sticking up for him for a while but the in-game decision making along with the static, motionless offense has now become indefensible. Worst of all, the team isn’t putting in the defensive effort any more, and that’s the one are where he deserved commendation (especially his first year).

There’s no doubt he’s a lame-duck coach (hence the contract situation) but I honestly thought that Masai Ujiri was going to give him a real shot at earning the job permanently, but based on results so far I simply don’t see Ujiri being impressed. If he keeps Casey on while the results continue to go south, it might appear that he’s endorsing tanking.

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Tags: Poll

YaMon

Loll, I don’t even know what to say/feel/think. Side note: Hire a real coach, Masai.
Reed

Keep until the end of the season. If you bring in George Karl or Hollins this team will win more games than they should even after trading players like Rudy and Lowry. I’d rather have Casey coaching to make sure we have the worst possible record which secures us a lot of ping pong balls. Then Hire a Brad Stevens type coach to a long term contract. Wouldn’t mind George Karl or Hollins as well.
- Jose
  
  Agree. Keep him till the end of the season.
Shadow Of Christ

He. CANNOT. Coach. That is all
Captain_Dog

I posted this earlier, but I think it applies here…

*Coach Casey during every timeout…*

“Alright guys, Jonas, you’re torching them fools! You sit, Novak?
You’re in at the 4, we’re going small! Alright boys, from this inbounds
play, we’re going to get the ball to Rudy, I want everyone to spread
out, and Rudy, I want you shoot a long contested two pointer! Alright,
pound the rock!”

*Raps down by three*

Casey: Alright guys, Jonas, you’re torching them fools! You sit, Novak? You’re
in at the 4, we’re going small! Alright boys, from this inbounds play,
we’re going to get the ball to Rudy, I want everyone to spread out, and
Rudy, I want you shoot a long contested two pointer! Alright, pound the
rock!”

Landry Fields: “Umm Coach? we’re down by three…”

Casey: “Fuck you Landry.”
- some random guy
  
  My thoughts exactly.
W

if he’s not gone, it’s an insult to the fans and a clear sign that this team is attempting to tank… I understand there are great players coming up in this draft, but to go out there and put the team in a position to lose in an attempt to win down the road is just stupid and ruins the integrity of basketball. fire this clown… i think rudy is coachable, he’s still young, but the problem is that theres no coach with any great history and respect that would turn rudy into a team guy. This team sucks
- Nilanka15
  
  No coach can come in mid-season and get this group of misfits to change. Tanking is the only smart play here. It’s a shame some fans think of that as an insult.
- some random guy
  
  If we want to tank, simply keep Casey as Coach, regardless of trades.
  - moe
    
    but must trade Lowry/gay because they are not part of the future and better get a 2nd round pick then nothing right?
AB4EYE

I voted fired this road trip but I think it will be once they get back home and before the next home game.
John

Hey guys he can coach. Only one aspect of the game though. It’s the side where more effort is needed and sometimes the players just don’t play as hard as they could. But his coaching on offence is terrible. They know the flaws of the team and I still don’t know why I see the same iso plays a lot of times during the game. I guess he’s just better fitted as an assistant coach.
- Muggsy
  
  It’s true but you do need good offence to play good defence. Bad offense leads to turnovers, fast break points, etc. If you make baskets you can set up your defence.
FREEJV

he can coach defense? umm wtf did i just watch in the 4th quarter then GS scored 42 POINTS!!!!
UjiriIsOverrated

If he is not gone, then I am calling for Masai Ujiri’s head instead, because any other GM would have fired Casey by now.
One relaxed fella

To me personally this whole idea that Casey is a bad head coach and that he should be replaced was clear since November of 2012. All the emotions aside, he really has no qualities to be a head coach in NBA. To me it’s just a surprise that it took more than two seasons for the entire Raptors community to want to replace this head coach. When I watch Raptors games I ask myself these questions:
1) Why Lowry doesn’t make PnR plays with the bigs and why he barely moves without the ball? Is it really something that he just simply can’t do or maybe it’s something that Casey doesn’t want him to do? I kinda like Lowry, because he does a lot of good things when he’s on the floor (rebounding, defense, scoring, passing, good in transition offense), I like his overall performance. In Rockets he used to move well without the ball and managed to open up for good shots, he made PnR plays as well.
2) Is Gay really that inefficient on the offensive end? Or maybe he needs some actual offensive sets and plays so he could get into better positions? I think it’s both on Gay and Casey. Gay is not that effective when he is the number one option on the O. But his efficiency is very low also because of Caseys’ inability to run Raptors offense. The same “awful offense” story was with Bargnani because back then he was the No 1 option and Casey (same as now) had no clue how to create a productive offense.
3) Why Jonas and Terrance are struggling? Not only this whole struggling process falls on the youngsters themselves but also on Casey because he obviously has no competence to develop young players. Non at all. In fact, only few (DD and Lowry, that’s probably about it) players play well under Casey, but the rest of the team just can’t find themselves with this man running the show.

Finally, Caseys’ Raptors are an awful team offensively and an average one defensively. In 17 games he made so many crucial mistakes that this fact itself is enough to understand how bad he really is. I believe that in any team sports players are tools and that they can be used properly or they can be used in the wrong way. Sure, every player has his own limitations, but that’s one of the things that separates good coaches from bad ones – an ability to get out of players the best there is. Casey is light-years to figure that out. So here’s where I’m going: I don’t think that there is a need to make
huge changes in the roster in order to get better results. I think there
are more good pieces than most of the fans think (like trade everyone,
leave DD and JV, that kind of nonsense) and that changing the head coach should be the most important and the first change that needs to be done.

The sad thing is, that I think he will remain for the rest of the season and Raptors just won’t extend him. I would like to see some changes now, like the rest of the fan base, but I’d like to see this roster with another head coach. I think this change itself would improve this team. Yesterday I read this article in nba.com that Hollins wants to get back to coaching again and that he wants to be in a young team, to be in a building and development process again. This kind of attitude and the coach himself is perfect for Raptors…
- Saul Goodman
  
  This is perfect. After the 4-19 start last season up to this moment, I’m still chanting Fire Dwane Casey after ball games at ACC. Lionel Hollins is perfect for the development of Valanciunas. Just see what happened to Marc Gasol in Lionel’s tenure with the Grizz.
Nilanka15

If you fire Casey, promote one of the assistants on an interim basis and ride out the stink until the offseason. No point trying to find a real coach with this current mismatch of delinquents.

Wait till the offseason, determine our draft position, assemble a roster, and THEN find a coach who best suits the players assembled.
- mike, prague
  
  Fire him and trade Gay (possibly Lowry as well) … Then I don’t think it would be such a mismatch of delinquents. We need a veteran coach. Something that hasn’t been in these parts since Lenny was king on the pine.
  - mike, prague
    
    can a head coach be moved to an assistant coach? Casey is a good asset when played with correctly he is a relatively good defensive coach and I wouldn’t mind having him as an assistant. Though it would look bad.
  - Nilanka15
    
    I really can’t see any coach fixing this roster midway through the season. The season’s already over. Time to set our sights on the ’14 draft.
- Crossovers
  
  Why are you so pessimestic in all your posts, I feel the urge to slap you.
  - Nilanka15
    
    What you refer to as pessimism, I call reality.
    
    This team stinks. I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings.
some random guy

If we truly want to tank keep Casey as Coach, don’t need to trade anyone.
Rick

Raptors need to make a move. I like dwane but he’s not cut out for this squad. He’s better suited a defensive coach on a championship team. We need a new coach and get rid of players on this team as well. Time to make changes. Build around demar please and jonas and draft. If we trade demar then raptors are truly crazy. Changes starts now. Need a bench, and some playmakers. Go after Tristan Thompson for starters to play alongside jonas. Amir is good ball needs that pick and roll game.
Rick

Or get a point that’s decent will playmaking. All the back ups ain’t doing well. We need play making trade Lowry if you have too but he’s playing well. If you could find a better past first backup that would be better. Trade Rudy unfortunately unless you find a good replacement coach to hold him responsible for taking to many useless shots. It’s falls back on no coaching on offense and plays.
tmk

Looking at how Ujiri seems to do business, I think he’d probably wait it out until the season ends and just let Casey’s contract expire quietly. I think it’s clear that this team and roster is flawed, and even with a good coach will at best be a playoff team, so it seems that tanking is the only option. I mean, the players on the roster, I doubt, yield much in terms of talent to turn things around, so building through the draft would probably make the most sense.

Meaning, let Casey keep his job as he’s doing a great one at getting losses, and avoid making unnecessary splashes and noise. Like everyone seems to mention, most GMs usually only have a few coaches they can go through before the fingers start pointing at them, and so letting Casey’s contract expire quietly will allow Masai to choose a coach he sees fit without making so much noise in the league (which comes with firing a coach during a season).
Lyall

I heard once that young teams need a veteran coach to instill a rugged mentlity and dicipline; whereas a veteran team needs a younger coach to instill some energy and be a little more lenient (cuz you don’t want an old raggety coach yelling at a bunch of aging, raggety old basketball players and expect them to be all drill & seargant, you know?) Casey is still fairly young, has head coached before but he got fired because everyone in this f***ing sports league; owners, players and MEDIA ARE EXPECTING TOO DAMN MUCH, TOO F***ING FAST! YOUR GOD! WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?? HAVE SOME DAMN FAITH AND IF YOU PUT FORWARD WHAT YOU WANT THEN YOU WILL GET IT BACK! THE REASON THE RAPTORS ARE LOSING IS THAT -YOU EXPECT THEM TO LOSE- AND WHEN YOU PUT THAT INTENT OUT THERE, THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE GONNA GET! SH!T OR GET OFF THE POT, PEOPLE!! AND STOP THINKING NEGATIVELY OR THE SNOWBALL WILL FLY THROUGH YOUR HOUSES AND MINDS LIKE THE MYTHBUSTERS CANNONBALL!!
- Muggsy
  
  Really?! So if we start wanting them to win then they’ll win?! Do you think Toronto fans are really expecting too much?! Is it too much to expect for a team to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs, with almost 20 years of existence in this league?. Jeez, more than half the teams get in to playoffs each year. I think Raptors fans are just hoping to get into playoffs! In my books that’s pretty damn low expectations. I live in reality not negativity. Reality is that this team is in disarray. Don’t sugarcoat it and think it’s going to get better. It won’t unless we make some moves.
rtzyyz

I spent last night bitching on the reaction post but have a cooler head now. So…As much as I would like Wiggins or Parker in TO…I see 3 flaws…first one guy cannot change a franchise they need a supporting cast, lbj has bosh wade…Durant Westbrook ibaka…Duncan Parker ginobli…We got squat.
2) we need a coach that can develop talent ala Karl pop Sloan we don’t have one and clearly none are coming here.
3) let’s assume we tank…We are in the east…We could start tanking now and we would get out tanked by 3 teams just in our division and most likely half the conference.
Realistically the only option is to get a new head coach now that can teach offense. Rationale…
1) blame Rudy all you want but when every time he gets the ball the call is iso with no offensive sets what is he supposed to do? even if he wanted to pass… Who would be pass it to?
2) same for Dear
3) Jonas and Johnson not being utilized right.
4) really… No one is… Not fields not Novak not Ross
5) Casey is a defensive coach but last night’s collapse says to me he has lost the locker room. No one is listening.
6) demar is lights out lately by only creating his own shot… With so open looks how good could he be?
7) lowry is playing great, give him some people to pass to.

Only Conclusion is to fire Casey.
- http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/ Tim W.
  
  Getting a Wiggins/Parker/Randle/Exom is just the first step in building a contender. The hope is that Valanciunas becomes and important piece. And if Ujiri can turn some of the current assets into foundation pieces, the the Raptors will have a head start if they are able to draft an elite player this June.
  
  Firing Casey is obvious. But that’s not going to turn a team with a mediocre upside into anything but mediocre. And right now they aren’t even that.
  - rtzyyz
    
    Tim, I agree with you 100%. I would like to see val become an important piece in the future but as long as casey is here it will not happen. Val does not play and Casey Does not teach. I would like to see the raps get someone like Ewing or Kareem to teach him.
    
    I would also contend that Demar has proven he should stay. His trade value will never be more that a low first rounder but has proven to be an improved player with heart and desire. Lowry should be traded now while his value is highest and gay trade (obvious) for anything since he is a cancer.
    
    If val demar and draft pick can work I think it would be a great step forward.
ScottSegal

Bring back Butch!
- Phat AlberG
  
  I think Butch was good coach and he knew he was working delinquents with the Raptors franchise, that’s why he wanted to run the whole show.
Phat AlberG

Toronto Raptors fans are the best lol, I swear next home game the fans will be yelling TANK! TANK! TANK!
Kyle

It is obvious from Masai’s interview on Sportsnet that he isn’t sure what to do yet but believes that this is not really Casey’s fault. MU sees it more as the roster is shit and there is no way for Casey to excel. However, he said that Casey will be judged upon player development, and in that regard I don’t think he is doing to well (i.e. JV).

My prediction is that Casey’s contract will not be extended past this season.

I think the 2007 Raptor team's biggest problem was a lack of secondary scoring option. We had Bosh (who was neutralized by Mikey freakin' Moore), and everyone else. Was any team scared of Calderon or Parker dropping 25? Definitely not.

This year, we've got 2 legit scorers in Lowry and DeRozan, and even Salmons and Vasquez have the ability to turn a broken play into 2 points. I'm not suggesting this current team are worldbeaters, but their offense isn't as one-dimensional as the 2007 team, without even saying anything about the improved defense.

Nilanka15

Poll: What Will Be Dwane Casey’s Fate?

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