Dwane Casey Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Casey, Knicks, Towns

May 13th, 2015 at 9:51pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Raptors fans should hope that the team reportedly bringing coach Dwane Casey back for another season means that the franchise will allow him to finally put his stamp on the team, Eric Koreen of The National Post writes. For Casey’s system to succeed, he will need GM Masai Ujiri to add a few more capable perimeter defenders, and a mobile power forward to negate some of center Jonas Valanciunas’ natural limitations in the perimeter dominated NBA, Koreen adds.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Casey understands he needs to make adjustments on both the offensive and defensive end, Koreen writes in a separate piece. “I take accountability not establishing the offensive style of play we should have. … We had a false sense of security because we were winning playing that way after DeMar [DeRozan] went down,” Casey said after the season ended. “We never got back to our roots defensively. We never could get the horse back in barn.”
Fran Fraschilla, ESPN’s NBA draft analyst, believes Karl-Anthony Towns might be a better choice than Jahlil Okafor for the Knicks, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “[Town is] not as ready-made as Okafor may be offensively, but he’s got tantalizing shot-blocking potential and he’s developing into a low-post scorer,” Fraschilla said. “… He’s the grand slam and Okafor is the home run.”
If the Knicks are looking for young, affordable players to develop, Begley (on Twitter) suggests that they take a look at D-League standout Eric Griffin. The 6’8″ swingman averaged 19 PPG and 6.6 RPG last season for the Texas Legends.

Eddie Scarito and Zach Links contributed to this post.

Raptors Likely To Retain Dwane Casey

May 12th, 2015 at 9:08pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Dwane Casey will return as the coach of the Raptors next season, sources have told Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, confirming an earlier report from Mitch Lawrence of NBC New York (Twitter link). Fellow Sun columnist Steve Simmons also appeared to indicate that Casey is safe. The 58-year-old is under contract for the 2015/16 campaign and Toronto has a team option for the 2016/17 season. Casey’s job status came into question after the team struggled over the last few months of the season and were subsequently eliminated from the playoffs by the Wizards in the first round.

There will likely be some changes made to Casey’s coaching staff, though no moves have been finalized, Wolstat notes. This is not the first time that the team has urged Casey to make alterations amongst his assistants, the Toronto Sun scribe adds. Of the four assistants who are most involved with the team’s tactical strategy, only Tom Sterner was with the organization prior to May 2013, when Masai Ujiri took over from Bryan Colangelo as the Raptors’ president and GM, Wolstat adds. Assistants Bill Bayno, Jesse Murmuys and Nick Nurse were brought in after Ujiri was brought on board as an executive.

In his four seasons in Toronto, Casey has led the Raptors to a 154-158 overall record during the regular season, and a 3-8 record in two consecutive trips to the NBA playoffs. He has also helped lead the Raptors to set the franchise record for victories two straight seasons. Casey also spent two campaigns as the coach of the Timberwolves, and he notched a 53-69 record while in Minnesota.

Raptors Notes: Future, Casey, D-League

May 7th, 2015 at 3:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

Today’s revelation from the Wizards that John Wall has five non-displaced fractures in his left wrist and hand is tough news for Washington, but it has to sting Toronto, too. There’s no timetable for Wall’s return, but the Raptors will surely wonder what would have happened if the injury had occurred a couple weeks earlier when Toronto was playing the Wizards in the first round. Regardless, Toronto is still picking up the pieces from Washington’s four-game sweep. Here’s more from Canada:

The Raptors abandoned the idea of rebuilding when their level of play surged following the Rudy Gay trade in 2013/14, but GM Masai Ujiri acknowledged that revisiting those plans isn’t out of the question as he spoke Wednesday on TSN 1050 Radio (audio link), notes John Chick of the Score. “That’s an option,” Ujiri said. “Everything we are going to do is going to be what’s good for this organization and competing for a championship in the future.”
Ujiri also said during the radio appearance that he didn’t read anything into Kyle Lowry‘s comments about Dwane Casey in the team’s season-ending interviews, remarks which some have interpreted as backhanded praise, as Chick relays in the same piece. Still, Ujiri made it clear in that interview and one with Sportsnet 590 The FAN that he still hasn’t decided whether to bring the coach back for next season, Chick also passes along.
Casey is set to enter the final guaranteed season of his contract in 2015/16, and while the Raptors are unlikely to sign him to an extension this offseason, Toronto probably won’t fire him just yet, either, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
A one-to-one D-League affiliate for the Raptors has appeared more likely for 2016/17 than for next season, but regardless, Ujiri, in his TSN radio spot, left little doubt that securing the affiliate is a priority, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets. “We’re busting our butt hard to get this done because this would be a huge victory for us,” Ujiri said. “Were in deep, deep talks.”

Atlantic Notes: Casey, Celtics, Stevens

April 28th, 2015 at 6:45pm CST by Eddie Scarito

As the Raptors evaluate coach Dwane Casey‘s job performance, one negative that stands out is the team’s poor defense, Scott Stinson of The National Post writes. Casey, who came to Toronto with the reputation as a defense specialist, places the blame on the team’s offensive woes after DeMar DeRozan injured his groin, Stinson notes. “Where I thought we got discombobulated was, after DeMar went down, our defense took a huge hit, and I take accountability for it,” Casey said. “We kind of got away from some of our defensive principles to hide some weaknesses that we had. Trying to make up for the lack of DeRozan, in other words, despite the team still winning, was creating other problems. That way lies chaos. You kind of get disheveled on the defensive end and you never recover from that.” GM Masai Ujiri hasn’t confirmed that Casey would be retained, though he did indicate that if he had decided against keeping the coach, he would have said so.

Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

Despite being swept out of the playoffs by Cleveland in the first round, the Celtics laid the groundwork this season for future success, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders writes. “We know we can compete with anybody in the NBA,” said mid-season pickup Isaiah Thomas. “People counted us out and we just kept fighting. We kept believing in ourselves, we kept coming to work every day with our hard hat on and working hard and doing the things that we can control. If we can do that in the summer, next training camp, next season, then we’ve got a bright future with this group of guys.”
Guiding Boston to the playoffs this season has proven that Celtics coach Brad Stevens belongs in the league, Ian Thomsen of NBA.com writes. “Where I feel much more comfortable is the understanding of 29 opponents, understanding the schedule, understanding the NBA and the game management,” Stevens said. “Those were all like knock-you-over experiences. Now I feel like I’ve got a handle on all that. Now it’s just about coaching this team as well as we can.“
The Celtics‘ abbreviated playoff run has shown that the team badly needs to add a star player, but also demonstrated that rookie Marcus Smart is a cornerstone who the franchise can build around, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald writes.

Atlantic Notes: Love, Celtics, Brand, Raptors

April 28th, 2015 at 3:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

People around the Celtics were intrigued to hear of what had been Kevin Love‘s growing fondness for the team, and while the C’s plan to pursue him, they believe he’ll back with the Cavs for next season, a league source told Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald. That was before Cavs GM David Griffin announced that Love will likely miss the rest of the playoffs and that surgery on his injured shoulder is a possibility. It’s unclear whether the Celtics will land Love or another star, but an active summer is surely ahead, as I wrote today in examining the Celtics offseason, and Murphy has more clues about what’s ahead for Boston amid the latest from the Atlantic Division:

Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko are among the Celtics who want to re-sign with the team, Murphy notes in the same piece as he looks at the status of every player on the team’s roster. The Celtics are interested in keeping Crowder but haven’t decided on Jerebko or Brandon Bass, whose desire to remain in Boston is well–documented, as Murphy details.
The Knicks expressed their interest in Elton Brand to the big man immediately after free agency began last July, and he’d consider signing with them if they pursue him again this summer, the 36-year-old New York native tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. Brand, who’s also pondering retirement, passed on a minimum-salary offer from the Knicks last year to sign a one-year, $2MM deal with the Hawks, as Berman details. Knicks team president Phil Jackson might have had more than Brand in mind last summer, since Brand’s agent, David Falk, also represents Greg Monroe, a rumored Knicks target, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
Sportsnet’s Michael Grange views Kyle Lowry‘s comments about coach Dwane Casey on Monday as a rather tepid endorsement, though those who know the point guard tell Grange there wasn’t any hidden meaning and that there’s no tension between player and coach. GM Masai Ujiri offered praise for Lowry today but wouldn’t commit to bringing Casey back. Grange argues that Casey couldn’t have been expected to take the Raptors much farther.

Masai Ujiri On Valanciunas, Lowry, D-League

April 28th, 2015 at 11:51am CST by Chuck Myron

GM Masai Ujiri accepts responsibility for the team’s late-season collapse, as he made clear today to reporters, including Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star (Twitter link), at his end-of-season press conference.

“The process is sometimes you get kicked in the face,” Ujiri said, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). “We got kicked in the face.”

Ujiri doesn’t regret not having made a trade at the deadline, and he insists he won’t make any knee-jerk reactions in the offseason ahead, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). Still, he isn’t committing to coach Dwane Casey for another season, as we passed along earlier, and with many questions surrounding the team following a disastrous end to the season in Toronto, we’ll round up the rest of the GM’s relevant comments here:

Jonas Valanciunas is “a huge part of our team” going into the future, Ujiri said, expressing his belief that such big men are still valuable even in an era of small ball, Wolstat relays (Twitter links). “We can criticize Jonas … and it’s a big discussion we’re going to have with coach and the staff, how he was used,” Ujiri also said, as Feschuk tweets.
Kyle Lowry didn’t maintain his level of play down the stretch, but Ujiri said he’s “even more confident” in the point guard now than when the Raptors re-signed him last season for four years and $48MM, Lewenberg notes (Twitter link).
The Raptors and the NBA are in advanced talks about arranging a one-to-one D-League affiliate that could be a part of the organization as soon as next year, as Lewenberg relays (on Twitter). The Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment company that owns the Raptors have given the OK for the team to purchase a D-League affiliate, Wolstat tweets.

Raptors Rumors: Casey, Williams, Lowry

April 28th, 2015 at 10:28am CST by Chuck Myron

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri didn’t say whether coach Dwane Casey would be back next year, though he indicated that if he had decided against keeping him, he’d have already said so, notes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). “There’s no doomsday here,” Ujiri said, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (on Twitter). “Initial indications” are that the Raptors will retain Casey, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears, as he writes in the same piece, but league sources tell Grantland’s Zach Lowe that it’s still uncertain whether the coach will be back next season, even though he’s under contract. Casey agreed to a three-year deal last offseason that consists of two guaranteed years and a team option for 2016/17. There’s plenty more on the Raptors, as we detail:

The belief is that the Raptors would like to re-sign Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams on a reasonable deal, according to Stein, who writes in the same piece, though Eric Koreen of the National Post suggests that Williams and the rest of the Raptors free agents aren’t strong bets to return. An NBA executive told Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun that he would only sign Williams to a one-year deal, citing his defensive shortcomings.
Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas are the only Raptors who should feel confident that they’re likely to remain in Toronto for next season, Stein hears, adding that rival teams would nonetheless be unsurprised if the team makes changes to its core.
Casey and Ujiri have no shortage of faith in Terrence Ross, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who says that chances are that Ross is still with the Raptors next season. A trade of DeRozan would allow Ross into his natural position of shooting guard, and many believe “the winds are blowing” in that direction, Wolstat writes. Ross, a former No. 8 overall pick, is eligible for a rookie scale extension in the offseason.
Valanciunas will also be up for a rookie scale extension this year, and Koreen suggests it’s likely that the Raptors will explore the notion of giving him one.

Atlantic Notes: Casey, Knicks, Lopez

April 27th, 2015 at 6:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Dwane Casey will probably return as Raptors head coach next season even though the team got swept by the underdog Wizards in the playoffs, Eric Koreen of The National Post opines. Casey has one guaranteed year remaining on his contract and Koreen anticipates the team’s management will give him another chance unless a proven coach that GM Masai Ujiri likes, such as the Bulls’ Tom Thibodeau, becomes available. The Raptors will likely cut ties with all of their unrestricted free agents, a list that includes Landry Fields, Amir Johnson, Greg Stiemsma, Tyler Hansbrough, Chuck Hayes and Lou Williams, according to Koreen. The Raptors need to upgrade at the forward spots and improve defensively to become a serious contender, which is why no one on the roster is a lock to return next season, Koreen concludes.

In other news around the Atlantic Division:

The Knicks need more veteran leaders in their locker room even if Carmelo Anthony becomes more of a vocal leader next season, according to Ian Begley of ESPN New York. The Knicks had several of those players, including Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby, in 2013/14 when they won 54 games, Begley points out. David West might fit that description if the Pacers forward declines his $12.6MM player option for next season, Begley adds.
Brook Lopez‘s strong finish makes his decision on whether to exercise his $16.7MM player option for next season a difficult one, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.com reports. It might be wise for the Nets center to opt out and seek long-term security this summer, given his rising stock and injury history, Scotto continues. On the flip side, Lopez might be competing for offers with a number of other high-profile centers who will enter the market this summer, including Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan, Tyson Chandler and Omer Asik, Scotto adds. One GM who thinks Lopez would put himself at too much risk for injury if he opts in tells Scotto that he believes the center would merit salaries around $16MM on the open market, essentially mirroring the value of his option.
Luigi Datome made a point of praising the Celtics on his Facebook page Monday, Braden Campbell of Boston.com reports, a strong indicator he hopes Boston will re-sign him. Datome, who will be unrestricted free agent this summer, was dealt to the Celtics by the Pistons at the trade deadline. Datome, who praised everyone from the team’s management to arena workers, added in the Facebook post that he would value every proposal that comes his way this summer. He probably won’t get one from Boston, since Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has already expressed doubt that the team would have a roster spot available for Datome next season.

Raptors Notes: Casey, Ujiri, Valanciunas, Ross

April 27th, 2015 at 12:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Dwane Casey signed a three-year deal with the Raptors this past offseason, and in response to questions about whether he’d be back for next season after the team’s stunning four-game loss to the Wizards, Casey said he hasn’t heard otherwise, notes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca (Twitter link). Players came to the coach’s defense at the team’s season-ending media interviews, with DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and soon-to-be free agent Amir Johnson among those expressing support, as Lewenberg and James Herbert of CBSSports.com relay (All Twitter links). There’s more from Toronto after the team’s playoff collapse:

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri refused to sacrifice long-term assets for veteran help at the deadline and, aside from Lowry’s deal, he didn’t make commitments this past summer that would compromise the team’s future flexibility, observes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. Ujiri knew the team wasn’t as strong as last season’s run and its early-season play this year indicated, Wolstat writes, adding that while he doesn’t expect Ujiri to completely rebuild from here, the roster is positioned for significant changes.
Indeed, the team’s brass privately tempered its expectations for this season, knowing that the roster is young and has holes, Lewenberg tweets, expressing his belief that the team will keep Casey around given the low bar the team set.
Uncertainty looms around Jonas Valanciunas and Terrence Ross, both of whom are eligible for rookie scale extensions this summer, and Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun believes that while each still has much to learn, Valanciunas is the one worth keeping.

And-Ones: Cobbs, Bass, Wright, Casey

November 29th, 2014 at 3:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Justin Cobbs has signed a deal with the Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt, Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports (Twitter link). Cobbs was released yesterday by the German club VEF Riga after a one-month tryout. The 23-year-old point guard signed with Riga earlier this month shortly after the Hornets released him in advance of opening night.

Here’s more from around the league:

Brandon Bass‘ minutes are down this season to 18.5 minutes per game from 27.6 last season, but the Celtics big man is still determined to be productive, Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com writes. “My mindset? It’s the same,” Bass said. “I’m just trying to get better, try to make the best of my opportunities. I try to be efficient and see how it goes.”
The Mavs’ Brandan Wright is on a record-breaking pace for field goal percentage in a season thus far, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News writes. This increase in production comes at a good time for Wright, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. “Brandan’s come a long way,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s worked very hard since getting here. He’s gotten stronger, his shooting has gotten better. His free throw shooting has come light years. And he’s a smart player. He knows how to play within our system very well. And this year, he’s playing the four [power forward] pretty well, too. And that’s challenging without the spacing of a stretch-four out there beside him. We just need him to continue on the path he’s on, because he’s a very important guy for us.”
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, whom the team re-signed to a three-year deal this offseason, has been garnering nothing but praise around the league for his work in Toronto the last two seasons, Eric Koreen of The National Post writes.
The Pistons have re-assigned forward Tony Mitchell to the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA D-League, the team announced in a press release. This will be Mitchell’s second trip to the D-League this season.