Though the Detroit Pistons have rostered quality talent for a few years now, they always seem to underwhelm once the season gets underway, paving the way for their recent firing of former head coach Stan Van Gundy.
With summer quickly approaching and head coaching vacancies filling up, the Pistons have their eyes set on one particular candidate: former Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. Following from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Former Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey will be a primary target of the Pistons coaching search, league sources tell ESPN. Full story soon on site. https://t.co/GpB9Qs9qXt
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 24, 2018
Coming off arguably his best season as a head coach, Dwane Casey led his Toronto Raptors to the top seed in the Eastern Conference and was even a Coach of the Year candidate. The split between the two was more so because both sides needed a fresh start and it was evident that Toronto’s ceiling had leveled off, requiring a change of scenery.
Either way, Casey is certainly one of the brightest basketball minds today and it should be no surprise that teams are already clamoring for his services this early on after his firing. Casey has the ability to take a solid roster to new heights, something he has proved to do with the Raptors plenty in years past.
Casey is a coach with championship pedigree, helping steer the Dallas Mavericks to their championship ring in 2011 as an assistant and leading the Raptors to a Conference Finals of their own. For a team devoid of playoff success such as the Detroit Pistons, a coach with proven success this recent has to be an attractive option.
Though it remains to be seen whether they land the coveted head coaching candidate, Dwane Casey has the ability to transform this serviceable Detroit roster into a perennial playoff team out East.
