Raptors’ coach Casey under microscope

The Raptors “won” the trade with Orlando, and now have all the players they need to finish the season strongly, and compete in the playoffs. How about their coach?

The Toronto Raptors now possess, at least on paper, a starting five which can stack up against any in the NBA. The glaring hole at power forward has been capped by the acquisition of Serge Ibaka.

As of this writing, coach Dwane Casey is free out of excuses. His General Manager, Masai Ujiri, has put together a roster of youthful veterans. The starters’ only weakness is a lack of deep shooting from two positions, shooting guard and centre.

An interesting take on Casey’s tactics, particularly in late-game situations, was rendered by The Ringer’s Danny Chau. I quote his lead in full: “With the Serge Ibaka trade, the Raptors now have a modern roster, but Dwane Casey is still calling crunch-time plays from the Stone Age.”

I urge you to read Chau’s piece in full, which also includes some useful video. In sum, he suggests the Raptors are woefully predictable when they really need a basket. Those of us who see every game certainly know that.

Let’s remember a few seasons back, when Sweet Lou Williams was winning his Sixth Man of the Year award on our team. Who ended every quarter with a deep shot?

The past few years, it’s been DeMar DeRozan who has taken virtually every shot in short-clock situations. The Raptors must be the easiest team in the league to game-plan against.

I maintain the most imaginative white-boarder we’ve ever had was Jay Triano. While his coaching stay was not successful overall, he was masterful at putting unlikely shooters in prime positions. And that’s what you want, sez I – surprise!

I’m quite tired of having our last shots blocked.

Can Raptors finish season strongly?

There’s also an argument to be made which says the team shouldn’t be in so many close games. How in the world does the offense go so flat, like it did against Detroit and Charlotte?

Is Dwane Casey still an effective NBA coach? That’s the crux of the matter. Has he moved with the times successfully, so as to be at peace with the trend towards outscoring, rather than outdefending, your opponents? I’m not at all sure the answer to that question is an easy “Yes”. However, he’s in an enviable position to shut all of us carpers up.

There are 25 regular-season games remaining. Yours Truly predicted a 50-win season. To achieve that record, the Raps need to go 17-8, which is a tall order. Even so, coach Casey has the best starting five he’s ever seen in Toronto. Get those 17 wins, and show us some imagination with play calling…you won’t hear anything more from the cheap seats.

Furthermore, your boss isn’t likely to ask you into his office for a brief chat, which begins with those dreaded words “We’ve decided to move in a different direction”.