Dwane Casey's infamous rock unearthed in 'bowels' of Raptors' arena

To Toronto Raptors fans of a certain vintage, the phrase "pound the rock" holds a special place in team history.

Back in 2011, Dwane Casey was in his first season as the Raptors' head coach. Looking for a mantra for his rebuilding team, he drew inspiration from the tale of a persistent stonecutter:

According to The Associated Press, Casey went as far as to deputize an employee of the team's front office to drive north of the city to locate a piece of stone worthy of representing the team's determined fight toward competency. Front-office assistant Graeme McIntosh left Toronto with $500 and a mandate; he returned with a 1,300-pound boulder.

Players were meant to touch the slab of stone whenever they walked by its home in the then-Air Canada Centre, as well as end every huddle with a rousing cry of "pound the rock."

Though it's difficult to pinpoint an exact end to the Raptors' "pound the rock" era, Casey's dismissal this summer likely puts an end to any rock-pounding in for the foreseeable future.

Casey has since found work as the bench boss for the Detroit Pistons, but as a picture posted Friday morning by TSN reporter Josh Lewenberg reveals, his infamous boulder did not make the trip to Detroit: