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Toronto Raptors: Why Dwane Casey’s Extension Is Deserved

By Jordan Treske

May 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey talks to his team during a timeout in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
May 25, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey talks to his team during a timeout in the third quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Less than a week after their season ended, the Toronto Raptors have already secured a big part of their future with the contract extension of head coach Dwane Casey.

The offseason has barely begun for the Toronto Raptors, but they’re already getting some big business out of the way.

On Thursday, it was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical that the Raptors and head coach Dwane Casey had come to an agreement on a three-year, $18 million contract extension that would take Casey to be the team’s head coach until the end of the 2018-19 season.

The agreement shouldn’t come as much of a surprise as there were rumblings, along with comments from Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri, about a deal shortly after the Raptors’ season came to a close.

Though, like on any deal, trade or thing of this nature, this move comes with fans falling on both sides of the fence.

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Now, some of that criticism is valid as Casey has earned his critics throughout his time in Toronto. There might not be a better example of it than the team’s playoff run this season.

It’s easy to forget now, but Casey was barraged with criticism regarding his inability to adjust, his game management and the team’s offensive style when things got off to a rocky start early in their playoff run.

Even though some of those points still stand in retrospect, it’s easy to see how some of those critiques were blurred when you consider the uneven performances of the team’s leading scorers, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

However, Casey eventually made his adjustments, whether it was a lineup move or specific matchups, and although those changes were not the defining reason why the Raptors made it as far as they did this postseason, they certainly did contribute to the team’s playoff success this year.

While it’s good to examine recent results, it’s important to look at the bigger picture with a deal such as this. The agreement to lock down the franchise’s all-time winningest head coach for the next few seasons is a no-brainer for the Raptors.

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    • During his time in Toronto over the last five seasons, Casey has been a driving force behind the Raptors’ steady improvement.

    The team’s win total has climbed from 22 games in his first season to 56 games this season, an all-time high for the franchise. That growth is even made more impressive when you consider the unusual circumstances (i.e. the transition from former general manager Bryan Colangelo to current GM Masai Ujiri) it was made under.

    On an individual level, Casey has made his mark on the team’s current stars in Lowry and DeRozan. Under his guidance, the duo has grown to become All-Stars and he’s empowered them by helping create an offense where they have both thrived in recent seasons.

    Additionally, the progress made by the team’s starting big man Jonas Valanciunas ever since arriving to Toronto a few seasons ago has been a key for the Raptors and it’ll be interesting to see where it goes in the future under Casey.

    All that said, it’s funny how much of a difference a year makes, in regards to Casey’s future with the team.

    It would have been easy for the team, namely Ujiri, to start fresh and let go Casey after the Raptors’ flameout last year in the playoffs.  Yet, Ujiri regrouped and put a solid supporting cast that mirrored Casey’s strengths and that approach alone was instrumental behind the team’s success this season.

    With the coaching question now sorted, the Raptors have one less decision to make in what is shaping up to be a very interesting summer.

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    Wherever that leads to remains to be seen at this point, but the news of Casey’s well-earned extension may be a sign that the team feels that they aren’t too far away in their quest to be a top-tier team in the NBA.

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