Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri made it clear Monday that head coach Dwane Casey has a future with the franchise, as relayed by James Herbert of CBS Sports.
Masai Ujiri: “Coach Casey is our coach for the future. I think that’s very easy for us to figure out.”
— James Herbert (@outsidethenba) May 30, 2016
While Ujiri states this as “very easy for us to figure out,” the vote of confidence is significant. Just a week ago a report came out, via Zach Lowe of ESPN, that Casey was in danger of losing his job if the Raptors didn’t make it past the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Toronto did more than just get past Indiana, though. The Raptors gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a better fight than most anticipated, pushing the veteran squad to six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The franchise certainly appear to be on the upswing for the long term with Casey at the helm. Since he came on board before the start of the 2011-12 season, the Raptors have improved every year, going from a 23-43 squad in his first year to a 56-win team this past season, good for the second-best record in the east.
Casey has gotten the best out of his young roster, and it’s easy to see why Toronto isn’t keen on looking for an upgrade, if that’s even possible at this point.
That said, the franchise has some huge decisions to make right now, with free agents like DeMar DeRozan and Bismack Biyombo — a man who has overcome much to make it big — about to hit the open market. Ujiri did indicate his desire to keep both young stars, though he would not make any comment about whether or not the Raptors would extend DeRozan a max contract.
It’s going to be tough to win more than 56 games next year to keep Casey’s streak alive, but the future is certainly bright in Toronto as long as he’s the man in charge.