The Toronto Raptors have made a substantial leap for themselves these last couple of seasons under the leadership of GM Masai Ujiri and head coach Dwane Casey, winning the Atlantic Division two years in a row, but there’s no telling yet if Casey will be part of the next plan to reshape the franchise.
After being swept by the Washington Wizards in the first round of the playoffs, the Raptors have to begin looking at what it will mean to re-tool for next season and the future. Ujiri addressed those topics with a level of uncertainty about Casey, from Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun:
Masai on Casey: “I think everything is a process. Should be doing this press conference normally in a week couple of weeks.”
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) April 28, 2015
Ujiri said he met with Casey yesterday about what they did well, what they didn’t. Does not commit to Casey one way or ever.
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) April 28, 2015
Ujiri indicates if Casey was gone for sure he’d probably come out and say it now. Still not decided.
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) April 28, 2015
Masai blames defensive slippage more on injuries than on Casey. “He was forced to play maybe a certain way to survive (injuries).”
— Ryan Wolstat (@WolstatSun) April 28, 2015
Ujiri signed Casey to an extension when he arrived in Toronto, and per his admittance, it doesn’t seem like Casey’s job is openly on the ropes just yet.
ESPN’s Marc Stein weighed in on what he’s heard about Casey:
Initial indications, though, suggest that Casey will indeed be back next season, according to the latest whispers on the Toronto grapevine….
The Raptors, for all their undeniable financial resources, also happen to be investing in a new practice facility, as well as their own D-League franchise, and presumably would not love the idea of absorbing the remaining money on the coach’s contract if there was a sudden clamor to make a change.
As mentioned by Ujiri, it was an injury-ridden season for Casey’s team. The most important factor, which can be attributed to how poorly the Raptors performed on both ends of the floor at the end of the season, has to be improving the roster. Without the necessary components of added specialists and veterans, as Greivis Vasquez himself referenced, to supplement the talent core of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, this Raptors team won’t have a very high ceiling.
It at least seems that that will be the priority as opposed to canning Casey after a second consecutive first-round loss in the playoffs.
