Dwane Casey Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Pistons, Raptors, Rondo

April 6th, 2017 at 4:02pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pistons are all but eliminated from playoff contention and coach/executive Stan Van Gundy plans on using the last few games to evaluate the team, Keith Langlois of NBA.com writes. “We’ll try to get to 10 guys a night,” Van Gundy said.

He added that he’s seen enough out of Aron Baynes, who’s been playing well lately. “We may occasionally give one of our guys who’ve been in the rotation a rest, but not all of ’em at the same time. The guy who will be affected the most – doesn’t mean he won’t play – is a guy who’s been playing really well, Baynes,” SVG said.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Raptors believes Serge Ibaka and P.J. Tucker have helped to alter the identity of the team, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays. “They gave us physical toughness,” coach Dwane Casey said, “that we haven’t had.”
Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo is day-to-day with a sprained wrist, Sam Smith of NBA.com relays. Rondo won’t play tonight against the Sixers.
John Henson is expected to return to the lineup over the last two games of the regular season, Sirius XM Radio passes along via Twitter. The big man has missed the last eight games for the Bucks with a thumb injury.

Atlantic Notes: Atkinson, Tucker, Thomas, Knicks

March 9th, 2017 at 7:10pm CST by Milo Taibi

Chris Mannix of The Vertical spoke with Nets coach Kenny Atkinson about the team’s rebuild; a process Atkinson admitted can be overwhelming.

“I look at it like I deserve … like I deserve to start at the bottom. This is how it should be. I shouldn’t be handed some prime job,” Atkinson said. “I really believe that I have to pay my dues, and it’s great. It’s funny the situation we are in, without our picks, we never use that as a crutch. We never talk about the past. We’re talking about getting better in the here and now, and getting better in the future.”

Atkinson certainly has paid his dues; the Nets are currently 11-52, having won just 3 of 34 Eastern Conference games. Atkinson discussed the vision he shares with GM Sean Marks.

“Sean and I knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task,” Atkinson said. “We needed guys that were going to be able to keep pushing through and guys with high character that, despite the won-loss record, they’re going to come in here with a smile on their face and keep working their tails off, and that’s exactly what we’ve gotten from one to 15. We push these guys pretty hard, but everyone wants to be coached, accepts coaching. That attitude, that work ethic, that’s eventually going to pay off.”

Raptors Rumors: Ibaka, Gallinari, Gibson, Ross

February 13th, 2017 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors’ hold on a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference is tenuous, as the team has won just four of its lost 14 games to slip to 32-23, fourth in the East. While injuries have played a part in Toronto’s slump, the club could use some roster reinforcements, particularly at the power forward spot, where the Raptors have been on the lookout for a long-term solution in recent years.

Here’s the latest on the reigning Atlantic division champs:

The Raptors have been “actively involved” in discussions for at least three power forwards, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, who identifies Serge Ibaka, Danilo Gallinari, and Taj Gibson as potential targets. Ibaka and Gallinari have been linked to Toronto recently, but Gibson hasn’t been mentioned in many trade rumors this season. Back in July, a report indicated that the Raptors had been close to acquiring Gibson before Dwyane Wade agreed to join the Bulls.
The Raptors are “playing hardball” in trade talks, per The Sporting News. A source tells Deveney that the club has resisted the idea of giving up Terrence Ross, and Deveney says Toronto also wants to keep Bruno Caboclo, who is a “project the team wants to complete itself.”
According to Deveney, the Raptors are reluctant to give up substantial packages for players like Ibaka, Gallinari, and Gibson, who are all eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer.
Following the Raptors’ Sunday loss to the Pistons, Kyle Lowry aired his frustrations during a conversation with reporters. The star point guard suggested that things need to change in Toronto, and his comments were interpreted by many as a veiled criticism of head coach Dwane Casey. However, Lowry said today that he wasn’t directing his comments at anyone in particular, and Casey stressed that the club is sticking together through its rough patch (Twitter links via Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun and Josh Lewenberg of TSN).

Who Should The Raptors Target At The Trade Deadline?

February 10th, 2017 at 7:16pm CST by Milo Taibi

The current owners of the fourth-seed in the Eastern Conference, there’s every reason to believe the Raptors will be active buyers at the trade deadline. But who will team president Masai Ujiri and GM Jeff Weltman target? As things currently stand, the Raptors will enter the second half with their 2015/16 rotation in place, sans Bismack Biyombo.

DeMar DeRozan has been vocal in his push for Toronto’s front office to acquire help; telling Laura Armstrong of the Toronto Star “help is a great word with any team. Anybody could take help any day if it makes you better, a team better, anything.” DeMarre Carroll echoed DeRozan’s sentiments, noting that the team’s starting unit has been stretched thin amid a playoff run.

One form of help (albeit a flashy one) could come in the form of Serge Ibaka. This past week, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders indicated the Raptors as a potential “long-term fit” for Ibaka’s services. Ibaka’s in the final year of a four-year, $49MM contract, but the Magic’s asking price is believed to be high. Provided Dwane Casey and the Raptors don’t need to sell off rotation players to acquire him, Ibaka would be a considerable upgrade over Patrick Patterson and Pascal Siakam in Toronto’s frontcourt.

Josh Lewenberg of TSN doubled-down on the team’s need to pursue a trade, citing the team’s recent struggles (Toronto has gone 4-6 over their last 10 games). While the team had offseason acquisition Jared Sullinger tabbed for a starting role, the former Celtic is still working to get in shape after suffering a fractured right foot in October. The Raptors have long admired Paul Millsap‘s game, Lewenberg writes, but the Hawks appear unlikely to deal him amidst their pursuit of a four-seed.

Ryan Wolstat of the National Post cited Ibaka and Millsap as ideal fits, while throwing Taj Gibson, Trevor Booker, and Wilson Chandler in the mix as potential trade targets. While Booker isn’t a “sexy name,” compared to Ibaka or Millsap, he has quietly enjoyed a productive for the 9-44 Nets. Averaging 10 points with 8.7 rebounds, the 29-year-old Booker is in the first year of a two-year, $18.375MM pact. Booker’s “doggedness,” on each end of the court is a trait the Raptors could use, Wolstat notes.

What do you think? Which target makes the most sense for Ujiri and Weltman to pursue? What’s Toronto’s ceiling for a 2016/17 playoff run?

And-Ones: Roster Moves, Bulls, Rudez, Onuaku

October 23rd, 2016 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Monday afternoon is the deadline to reach the roster limit of 15, and nine teams still have cuts to make, tweets salary cap expert Albert Nahmad. The Celtics, Cavaliers, Rockets, Lakers, Pelicans, Thunder, Sixers, Suns and Kings all remain over the limit leading into what should be an eventful day, says Nahmad. By our count, the Grizzlies still have a move to make as well. The Pacers were the latest team to trim their roster, waiving Jeremy Evans and Julyan Stone tonight.

There’s more news from around the NBA:

J.J. Avila, who was waived Friday by the Bulls, has agreed to play for Chicago’s D-League affiliate, tweets Dennis Silva II of Monitor News. The 6’8″ power forward from Colorado State signed a training camp contract with Chicago in September. Guard Thomas Walkup of Stephen F. Austin, another Friday cut, will also be joining the Windy City Bulls (Twitter link).
Damjan Rudez and Arinze Onuaku both traveled a lot of miles to realize their dream of returning to the NBA, writes John Denton of NBA.com. After playing overseas and in the D-League, both veterans were told Saturday that they had earned a place on the Magic’s final roster. “It was a big blessing,” Onuaka said. “When you are out here fighting for a spot every day it’s stressful and to get that news, it was great. You’ve always got to wait to hear if you’re in or you’re out, so it wasn’t easy sleeping at night.’’
Fred VanVleet won the Raptors‘ final roster spot, but coach Dwane Casey said all the training camp invitees were impressive, tweets Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun. Casey said Drew Crawford and Brady Heslip have the talent to be NBA players, adding that he was disappointed he didn’t have room to keep all of them.

Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Young, Bayless, Raptors

October 6th, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jordan Mickey, James Young, Demetrius Jackson, R.J. Hunter and Ben Bentil are the players on the bubble for the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports in a slideshow presentation. The fate of Mickey and Jackson may hinge on whether the Celtics decide to carry 14 or 15 players, while Young has helped his cause with a strong showing early in training camp, Blakely continues. Hunter has struggled with his shot thus far while Bentil, a second-round pick, is likely to fall victim to the team’s frontcourt depth, Blakely adds.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

Thaddeus Young was misled by the Nets prior to be shipped to the Pacers in a draft-day trade, Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders writes. The veteran power forward was told he was part of the team’s plans, then shortly afterward got dealt. “Initially when the summer had started, I was told by Brooklyn that they were looking toward the future and that it was going to take some time, and I was going to be around for it,” Young told Brigham. “Then, all of a sudden you’re hearing that you’re being shopped.”
Point guard Jerryd Bayless could miss the start of the season because of a wrist injury, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The Sixers signed Bayless, an unrestricted free agent, to a three-year, $27MM contract to solidify their point guard spot.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey is already showing signs of frustration with his team three games into the preseason, Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun reports. Casey believes the team’s defense, in particular, has been shabby. “We are way behind defensively, way behind on both ends of the floor,” he told Ganter and other members of the media.

Raptors, Dwane Casey Agree To Extension

June 7th, 2016 at 8:09am CST by Luke Adams

The Raptors have agreed to a new three-year extension with head coach Dwane Casey, the team officially announced today in a press release. The agreement was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowksi of The Vertical, who noted that the Raptors and Casey “essentially tore up” the remaining year on his previous contract, so the new three-year deal only runs through 2019, rather than 2020.

While at least one report indicated that Casey’s job would have been in jeopardy if the Raptors hadn’t defeated the Pacers in the first round of this year’s playoffs, Toronto ultimately squeezed past Indiana in seven games and did the same against Miami in the second round. The Raptors then became the only team so far to win a game against the Cavs in this year’s postseason, ultimately falling to Cleveland in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

On the heels of that playoff run – the most successful in Raptors history – reports surfaced indicating that the team would offer Casey an extension, which GM Masai Ujiri later confirmed. ESPN’s Marc Stein suggested that there was optimism in Toronto about Casey’s new deal getting done by the end of last week.

A longtime assistant coach in Seattle and Dallas, Casey also had a brief stint as the Timberwolves’ head coach before he was hired as the Raptors’ coach for the 2011/12 season. Toronto has increased its win total every year since Casey arrived, going from 23 wins in 2011/12 to a franchise-record 56 this year. Overall, in his five seasons as the Raptors’ head coach, Casey has a 210-184 regular-season record, three playoff appearances, and a 13-18 postseason mark.

Casey’s three-year contract will be worth $18MM, according to Wojnarowski. Prior to the agreement, Stein had wrote that Casey’s deal figured to be similar to the one Terry Stotts received from the Trail Blazers after their playoff run. Stotts, who also had a year left on his contract, agreed to a three-year extension worth approximately $5.5MM per season.

Dave Zarum of Sportsnet.ca first reported that the Raptors and Casey were closing in on an extension agreement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Southwest Notes: Gasol, Kalamian, D’Antoni, Thomas

June 5th, 2016 at 11:38am CST by Arthur Hill

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who missed the end of the season after breaking his foot in February, is still very limited physically and may have to skip the Olympics, he said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper As (hat tip to Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). “I’m not going to lie; it’s very difficult,” Gasol said. “The training camp starts in less than a month and I still can’t run.” Gasol has been part of the Spanish national team since 2006 and won silver medals at the Olympics in both 2008 and 2012. It’s too early to say whether the injury will affect Gasol’s participation in Memphis’ training camp, which will start in late September.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

In the same interview, Gasol remains convinced that his brother should join the Spurs. Pau Gasol has a player option with the Bulls for next season worth less than $7.77MM, which he is expected to turn down. He has said the idea of going to San Antonio is intriguing and it’s one of the spots he considered during free agency two summers ago. “I think that the Spurs are the best option for him,” Marc Gasol said. “What that franchise represents, their winning culture, how they treat players. Everything is great there.”
The Rockets and Wizards are trying to lure Raptors assistant Rex Kalamian, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. New coaches Mike D’Antoni in Houston and Scott Brooks in Washington are both working hard to add Kalamian to their staffs, but Dwane Casey wants to keep him in Toronto. James Harden is reportedly a fan of Kalamian, who was an assistant in Oklahoma City when Harden broke in with the Thunder (Twitter link).
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski likes D’Antoni’s chances of succeeding with the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Krzyzewski, who hired D’Antoni as part of his USA Basketball staff, thinks D’Antoni and Harden will be an effective pairing. “When you have plays and reads, it’s the best combination,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s especially good if you have a special player, and they do in James. It will be interesting to see how that develops because James is not just a really good scorer; James is a heck of a passer. Who knows what their roster will be next year, but it will start with James.”
Adonis Thomas attended the Rockets‘ free agent camp and plans to be at similar events for the Spurs and Jazz, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The 6’7″ small forward, who played for the Magic and Sixers during 2013/14, started last year with the D-League’s Grand Rapids Drive but was released in December with a season-ending wrist injury.

Atlantic Rumors: Casey, Raptors, Nets, 76ers

May 31st, 2016 at 10:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri seemed confident on Monday at his season-ending press conference that the team would soon work out a new contract for head coach Dwane Casey, and the two sides are indeed making progress toward an extension, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter links). Stein suggests that, while no agreement is in place yet, there’s optimism in Toronto that a deal could happen by the end of this week.

Locking up Casey to an extension would just be the start of what figures to be an eventful offseason in Toronto. As Bobby Marks of The Vertical details, the Raptors will face some tough decisions this summer — without a ton of cap flexibility, the team will have to take advantage of its extra first-round draft pick in order to make the most of its offseason.

Here’s more on Toronto and some other Atlantic clubs:

The Raptors will host the following six prospects at a pre-draft workout on Wednesday, according to the team (Twitter link): Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame), Gary Payton II (Oregon State), Dorian Finney-Smith (Florida), Jalen Jones (Texas A&M), Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga), and Stefan Jankovic (Hawaii).
Wiltjer also recently worked out for the Nets, who are quietly taking a closer look at a large number of projected second-round or undrafted prospects, per NetsDaily.com (Twitter links). NetsDaily.com also adds Keifer Sykes of the Austin Spurs to the Nets’ list of veteran mini-camp players (Twitter link).
76ers head coach Brett Brown hasn’t come out and said he prefers Ben Simmons over any other prospect in this year’s draft, but both Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer get the sense that Brown may be favoring Simmons with the club’s No. 1 pick.
Jake Fischer of Liberty Ballers explores whether the Sixers might be able to find a point guard solution in free agency this summer.

Raptors GM Talks DeRozan, Casey, Offseason

May 30th, 2016 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to the media today at his season-ending press conference, Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri admitted that he’s not sure “how possible it is” to bring back all of the team’s free agents, including both DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biyombo (Twitter links via Raptors reporter Eric Koreen). Ujiri stressed that the team wants to bring back both of its top free agents, but cautioned that “sometimes those things are difficult or challenging.”

Asked specifically about the possibility of offering DeRozan a max contract this summer, Ujiri deflected the inquiry, suggesting that it’s a question to answer at a later time. The GM did say that DeRozan will be the Toronto’s top priority this offseason, however (Twitter links via Koreen).

Here’s more from Ujiri’s session with local reporters:

In the wake of the Raptors’ Game 6 loss to the Cavaliers, a report surfaced indicating that Toronto is expected to offer head coach Dwane Casey a new contract. Ujiri confirmed that today, suggesting that he has been in touch with Casey’s agent and expects a deal to get done sooner rather than later (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN).
Last week, ESPN’s Zach Lowe wrote that Casey likely would have lost his job if the Raptors had lost to Indiana in the first round of the postseason. Today, Ujiri deflected that subject, telling reporters that he can’t say what would have happened in that scenario, since the team ultimately didn’t lose the series (Twitter link via Koreen).
Ujiri acknowledged that power forward is a position the Raptors need to improve, indicating that the team will get creative there (Twitter link via Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun). Getting a solid backup at the three is another priority for Toronto, per Ujiri (Twitter link via Sportsnet’s Michael Grange).
Raptors coaches may not want to add two first-round rookies to the roster, according to Ujiri, who said today that he’s open to any moves involving the ninth and 27th overall draft picks (Twitter link via Koreen).
Per Ujiri, Raptors ownership has always given him the freedom to enter tax territory with the team’s payroll — the GM is waiting until it makes sense to do so (Twitter link via Wolstat).