Toronto Raptors are right to retain Dwane Casey – for now

In unsurprising and uninspiring news, the Toronto Raptors are retaining head coach Dwane Casey. The move may not please some fans, but it’s the right decision – at least for now.

Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey will remain at the helm up North next season, as Casey himself confirmed on the Naylor & Landsberg radio show on Thursday.

The retention of Casey will discourage many Raptors fans eager to see wholesale changes after an uninspiring 2017 playoff run.

This unscientific, unreliable, yet definitely accurate Twitter poll shows the thoughts of Torontonians:

Casey is a likable guy, and he’s the only coach in Raptors history with a winning record. To some extent, he’s the victim of his own success. Leading Toronto to the playoffs – as Casey has done four straight years – is no longer satisfactory. Raptors fans crave playoff success, and Casey has not delivered.

In 2014, the 6-seeded Nets knocked off No. 3 Toronto in a seven-game round one series. The next year, the Raptors were embarrassed by the lower-seeded Wizards, who swept them in the first round. 2016’s Eastern Conference Finals appearance prompted a three-year contract extension for Casey, but this year’s sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers has changed opinions.

Casey’s offense has been derided as “stale” and rudimentary, and it is. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry essentially take turns handling the ball in pick-and-rolls and isolation sets. The ball gets sticky, the three-point line is underutilized, and the pace is sloth-like (The Raptors have never finished better than 21^st in pace under Casey.)

Some of these problems come down to personnel. You need frontcourt playmaking to run a truly dynamic offense, and Toronto has zilch. Add in DeRozan, a pick-and-roll wizard who poses no threat away from the ball, and you understand why Casey relies so heavily on DeRozan and Lowry.

But at some point, even limited players need to stretch their legs and try new stuff. General Manager Masai Ujiri gave a striking interview after Toronto’s loss to Cleveland. Here are some key quotes:

"“We need, after that performance, we need a culture reset here. We need to figure it out. Yes, there’s been some success, but at the end of the day we are trying to win a championship here.“One of things I discussed with coach Casey is how we play. We’ve done it the same time over and over again, is it going to work the next time. We have to figure that out, the one-on-one basketball we play, we have to question that, we have to really look at it, look at the league and evaluate the way we play and say, is this working?“Because Coach Casey has been a phenomenal part of our success here, you know, and in some ways we owe that to him. But I’ve told him that we all have to be accountable.”"

In that same interview, however, Ujiri insinuated that Casey would be back next season. Thursday’s news should come as no surprise, even if Raptors fans aren’t particularly thrilled.

In truth, giving Casey one last chance is the right move – at least for now. On the Jeff Blair Show on Wednesday, Casey said all the right things about the culture reset. “We’re in this to get better,” Casey stated. “Because if you stay the same and don’t improve or don’t stay up on what’s going on in the league, you get left behind.”

If Casey is ready to buy in, the Raptors should give him the chance to make the necessary changes. Casey has coached the franchise to its most successful period ever, and while teams can stagnate, it’s important to avoid change just for change’s sake. Just look at the implosion in Indiana following Frank Vogel’s departure:

To some extent, Casey deserves an offseason to assemble the puzzle pieces. He got little more than a quarter of a season with Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker, and only four regular season games with those two midseason acquisitions and a healthy Kyle Lowry.

Next season, Casey will have a full year to work with what will probably be – assuming Lowry and Ibaka return – his most gifted roster yet. If he fails to make progress, cut him loose then. At least at that point, Ujiri would have clear evidence Casey can’t modernize a talented team.

Of course, there’s also the issue of finding a replacement. Ujiri wasn’t going to fire Casey with two years left on the coach’s deal to sign just anybody.

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Many fans have clamored for Jerry Stackhouse, the coach of Raptors 905, Toronto’s title-winning D-League affiliate. He’s not a bad shout. But there’s also little precedent for coaches making an immediate step up from the D-League to an NBA head coaching gig in just a year.

Letting Stackhouse develop on-the-job would be a massive gamble for a team that wants to compete now. Letting him develop for another year or two with 905 is a better long-term strategy.

Of coaching veterans, few great options are available. Jeff Van Gundy, in addition to being a generational talent as a color commentator, hasn’t been the subject of coaching rumors in over a year. Scott Skiles has never led a team to 50 wins. Kevin McHale isn’t very exciting.

Spurs assistant and EuroLeague legend Ettore Messina is the only no-brainer option. He’s a ball movement specialist who would supposedly prefer a veteran team, Arnovitz reports. At 57, he’s as well-traveled as any NBA assistant . With few teams looking to fill coaching vacancies, however, Ujiri can afford to wait out this summer if he views Messina as a top target.

Next: 5 potential landing spots for Kyle Lowry in free agency

In the short-term, at least, Dwane Casey is Ujiri’s best option. He brings continuity and pedigree, as well as commitment to changing Toronto’s style of play. Give him another year to reach contender status, but also give him a short leash. It may not bring immediate gratification, but retaining Casey is a smart, calculated decision.