2:23pm: The Pistons have officially announced Casey’s hiring, issuing a press release to confirm the move.
“Dwane is one of the most successful and highly respected coaches in our league,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “He’s a great communicator and a leader who will connect with our players and accelerate their growth. Having spent many hours with Dwane over the last few weeks, I’m confident he is the right person to get us to the next level.
“In our meetings he displayed great insight into what this roster can accomplish, and great passion about our city and the team’s role in bringing people together,” Gores continued. “He’s an outstanding man with impressive character. He embodies our culture and will be a great representative for our franchise.”
10:52am: The value of Casey’s new deal with the Pistons is slightly above $7MM per year, according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press, who notes (via Twitter) that it’s similar to the five-year, $35MM contract Van Gundy got from the club.
10:14am: The Pistons are hiring Dwane Casey as their new head coach, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, Casey and the Pistons reached an agreement on a five-year contract for the former Raptors coach.
Having been on the lookout for a new coach since parting ways with Stan Van Gundy last month, the Pistons reportedly identified Casey, Spurs assistant Ime Udoka, University of Michigan coach John Beilein, and TNT analyst Kenny Smith as finalists who met with team ownership. However, Beilein withdrew from consideration and the decision appeared to come down to Casey and Udoka. Detroit opted for the candidate who has spent the last seven years as an NBA head coach.
Casey, who took over as the Raptors’ head coach in 2011, became the winningest coach in team history, leading Toronto to a 320-238 (.573) regular season record during his tenure. The Raps enjoyed the best run in franchise history during the last five years, winning between 48 and 59 games each season and making five straight postseason appearances, but their playoff struggles – particularly against LeBron James and the Cavaliers – ultimately resulted in Casey’s ouster.
While Casey’s teams in Toronto struggled to make deep playoff runs, the veteran coach is well regarded around the NBA for his ability to help build a team’s culture, develop players, and get the most out of his roster. He’ll bring those traits to Detroit, where the Pistons will be looking to get back into the postseason with a roster led by Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, and Reggie Jackson.
Casey was named the 2017/18 Coach of the Year by the National Basketball Coaches Association last month. In addition to winning that award, which was voted on by his coaching peers, Casey is a finalist for the NBA’s official Coach of the Year award, voted on by media members.
The Raptors are now the only NBA team without a head coach in place.
[RELATED: 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]
Since Van Gundy was the Pistons’ president of basketball operations as well as its head coach, the franchise has also been seeking a new head of basketball ops this spring. While it may seem backwards to hire a new head coach before deciding on a new general manager, newly-hired executive Ed Stefanski led the Pistons’ coaching search and figures to have a strong voice in the basketball operations department in the coming years in his special advisor role.
As they seek a new GM, the Pistons are said to be looking for a young, up-and-coming executive who is capable of being the face of the front office for the next decade. The list of candidates being considered by the club includes several men who were playing in the NBA – or another league – within the five or 10 years. Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon, Hawks manager of basketball operations Malik Rose, TNT analyst Brent Barry, and former Pistons players Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince are among the names that have surfaced in recent weeks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Anyone else think LeBron is watching this? Stays in the East. Maybe brings CP3 with him? Need a shooter or two but clear some cap space and let Blake eat the rebounds. Longshot and definitely not a Pistons fan but worth watching.
As a Pistons fan, I can confidently say there is an absolute zero chance of that happening. I would love to be wrong.
Agreed. If only…
Less than zero percent chance. They don’t have cap room and the supporting cast would be worse than what he has in Cleveland. 2 of 3 (Drummond/Blake/Reggie), if not all 3, would need to be moved to afford LeBron and CP3
Lebron dont care about Dwane Casey
To get lebron we would have to have do a sign and trade with Cleveland.
Solid hiring, the Pistons will be in the playoffs next season.
If there’s one guy that can maximize the current rosters talents, it’s Casey. Detroit won’t be championship caliber for a few more seasons but if they’re able to draft well, sign a few good free agents, and maximize Blake’s talents(who’s probably a 3rd option on a championship team), I think they can be one sooner than later.
Except that they have no 1st round pick and no cap space to add. But agreed on Casey being the best to maximize the talent they do have.
They’ll probably be a buyer in the 2nd round of the draft. Should be interesting who’s on the roster when the season ends.
Anyone else thinks how desperate Casey was for this job, like all the guys been interviewed this spring, I wouldn’t like this new way of hiring HC, I was very impressed with Beilein’s way, if they are not certain of me I am not certain of them, I mean if they want you they want you & if not then not. All this interviewing a bunch of guys taking weeks to decide, man is garbage. In years past they would just approach a guy, interview him & if all happy gave him the job. So I assume all these guys accepting all this nonsense from teams must really need the job, to put up with it all, I certainly wouldn’t (if I was in their place) & yes I know I will never be.
So how much time is adequate to make a $35 million decision that could elevate or crush an organization for years to come?
Completely agree. This whole interviewing thing is just a giant unnecessary circus, and it only lets me know that an organization is usually pretty dysfunctional and inept.
All these guys are in the public. It’s not like they got a huge glut of resumes from unknown people from CareerBuilder.com.
This organization just can’t ever get it right. Why would they ever higher a coach before getting the GM. What GM wants to go to Detroit now with a head coach already in place.
I think plenty of GMs would like the opportunity to work with a coach that’s shown the ability to do a lot with a little. Also the team does have talent (if healthy) that should get them back into the playoffs. Also expectations aren’t that high in Detroit, so it gives you an opportunity to establish yourself without a quick leash