Detroit Pistons to hire former Raptors head coach Dwane Casey

The Pistons have found their next head coach -- and he’s coming off the Eastern Conference’s top regular season performance. Detroit will hire former Raptors coach and 2018 National Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year Dwane Casey, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

It’s a quality hire for a Pistons team in desperate need of a turnaround. Former coach/GM Stan Van Gundy struggled in his four seasons in Michigan, making the playoffs just once and failing to win even a single game in the postseason. He was fired May 7 after a 39-win campaign that marked his third losing season in four years.

The Pistons took their time to land on Casey, whose resume in Toronto is pocked with regular season success but diminishing returns in the playoffs. The veteran leader earned top honors from his peers this spring after a 59-23 season that saw the Raptors claim the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, his club fell apart in the conference semifinals in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers. A third-straight postseason defeat against Cleveland was more than general manager Masai Ujiri could take, and Casey was served his walking papers May 11.

Why is this a good hire for the Pistons?

Detroit needs to change its image, and Casey has proven he’s a dynamic head coach capable of getting the most from his players — until they have to match up with LeBron James in the postseason.

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