Ujiri: Casey deserves to remain Raptors coach regardless of playoff outcome
The Toronto Raptors have flamed out in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons, despite being the higher-seeded team in both matchups.
The prospect of that happening again this year - when the Raptors will be favored far more heavily than in either prior series - has led some to wonder if it might spell the end of Dwane Casey's tenure on Toronto's bench, especially since his tenure predates that of general manager Masai Ujiri.
Ujiri played down that possibility during his pre-playoff presser Wednesday, suggesting Casey - who has one non-guaranteed year left on his contract after this one - deserves to remain at the helm regardless of what happens in the postseason.
"He's been phenomenal, I think," Ujiri said. "Whether it's reading games, or adjustments, and just growth overall as a coach. To be honest, everybody makes such a big deal about, like, 'OK, if we don't go past the first round what's going to happen?'
"Coach Casey deserves to be the coach, that's 100 percent and I stand by that. He deserves to be our coach in the future because he's put in the work to bring winning to our program. The players have responded well I think, and it's translated a little bit. We hope that it translates to the playoffs. I'm very hopeful that it will, because he's a defensive-minded coach. I think he's been tremendous for us."
Casey is in his fifth season as the Raptors head coach, and the team has increased its regular-season win total every season since he took over, going from 23 to 34 to 48 to 49 and now to 55, with one game to play.
Each of the last three seasons has represented a new franchise record for wins, and each has brought an Atlantic Division banner. Casey is the Raptors' all-time leader in games coached and won, and he's overseen the most successful three-year run in franchise history.
A playoff series victory may not mean the difference between him coaching next season and being unemployed, but it would go a long way toward cementing his legacy as the best coach the team's ever had.