The Detroit Pistons are going to get a new driving force in the form of former Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. Since moving into Detroit, Casey has well adjusted to his new team and living space but has his new path been faring well especially since he has been with the Raptors for a long time?
According to a report by SportNet, Casey is already settled in Detroit and he is very welcome in it. His kids have been enrolled in a top private school in the U.S with a prestigious line of alumnus including Los Angeles Clippers owners and Pistons legend Isiah Thomas. Casey and his wife, on the other hand, are having no qualms adjusting in one of Detroit’s best suburbs.
To cap it all off, Casey will be paid handsomely by the Pistons during the next five years as the team’s coach. He was offered a bi-monthly share of a $35-million contract which was easily an offer he could not pass up on.
The best coach the Raptors has seen
Despite Casey’s good treatment and better salary, the biggest winner out of all of this are the Pistons. Casey was a great coach and he is considered as the most successful coach of the Raptors as well. During the 2017-18 season, Casey was even able to bag the NBA All-Star Game Head Coach of the Year and NBA Coach of the Year awards. He won the latter weeks after he was pushed out of the Raptors.
It is somewhat apparent that not all is well between Casey and his former franchise. During his acceptance speech, Casey did not even mention Raptors president Masai Ujiri. There is certainly some awkwardness between Casey and the rest of the Raptors including his former assistant Nick Nurse who is now the current head coach of the team.
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When asked about what has been happening between him and Nurse, Casey chose to avoid directly answer the question saying that they are just too busy working to have the time to talk. However, it is also apparent that the two share a common mutual respect for each other. We will get to see that when the two teams face off this week.
Are the Pistons ready for the Raptors?
Casey and the Pistons will be visiting the Toronto Raptors at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Pistons are coming into the game with a record of six wins and six losses. They are currently ranked 7th on the Eastern Conference. On the other hand, the Raptors are standing on a solid 12 wins and two loss record. They are ranked first in the division.
The Pistons have a big challenge ahead of them. It will be an even bigger challenge for Casey who is going to be back in Toronto after a long time.
(Featured image by Michael Barera via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.)
