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Examining Dwane Casey’s Legacy With The Toronto Raptors

By Gavin Axelrod

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER, 25 Head Coach Dwane Casey poses for a photograph.It was media day for the Toronto Raptors at their training facility, the BioSteel Centre. Coaches and players met with media, answered questions and had a variety of photographs taken. (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER, 25 Head Coach Dwane Casey poses for a photograph.It was media day for the Toronto Raptors at their training facility, the BioSteel Centre. Coaches and players met with media, answered questions and had a variety of photographs taken. (Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /
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Rightly or wrongly, Dwane Casey has been fired as Raptors coach. Let’s consider his history with the team, and the state in which he’s left it.

In the 23-year history of the Toronto Raptors 8 different men have held the prestigious title of Head Coach.  None of the first seven ever made it past season number five. Two never made it past their first.

Coach #8 broke all his predecessors’ records. His name of course is Dwane Casey. Seven years and 609 total games later, the era of Casey in Toronto has reached its conclusion.

Fans, NBA players, and media continue to debate Casey’s firing. Sometime in the near future the same people doing the debating will be reflecting on the legacy of the greatest coach in the young history of the Toronto Raptors.

Meanwhile, we would like to be the first to reflect upon Coach Casey’s legacy.

In The Beginning

Just one year before Casey took the reins the Raptors were a team lacking direction and identity. 2010-2011 was a year to forget for Toronto as the team finished with a 22-60 record. Perhaps the most memorable thing from that team were the old Andrea Bargnani Primo Pasta Commercials.

SACRAMENTO, CA – DECEMBER 5: Kyle Lowry
SACRAMENTO, CA – DECEMBER 5: Kyle Lowry /

At the opposite end of the NBA coaching spectrum stood Dwane Casey. As an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks, he led a championship grade defensive operation which helped defeat Miami’s “Big Three.” At the time Toronto lacked any sort of defensive identity and getting the chance to make Dwane Casey their head coach was an opportunity the team knew it could not pass up.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Changing The Narrative

Before the hiring of the now 61-year old Casey, the Raptors were an NBA afterthought. The team was got in the middle of trying to relive the glory days and building towards the future. Chris Bosh gave Raptors fans hope that he would take the team to the promised land but everyone knows how that chapter ended.

As previously noted, the 2010-2011 season was an all-time worst for the Raptors. It was not going to be an easy task for Toronto’s new bench boss. 2012 was a lost year for the team due to a league wide lockout. The 2012-2013 season however, felt like a new chapter in the Raptors’ history books.

One year before the “We The North” movement began, there was “Pound The Rock.” Casey placed a 1,300 pound boulder in the Raptors dressing room.  His reasoning behind this was: “No matter what walk of life you’re in, whether you’re a lawyer, doctor, janitor, construction worker, whatever you are, you have to pound the rock. The rock may not seem like it’s going to crack. You may hit it 100 times, but on that 101st time you’ll crack it, but every day you’ve got to come in and hit it and challenge yourself to work at it and not give up.” 

Toronto notched their first 30+ win season that year since 2008.

We The North

What followed the 2012-2013 season was a breath of fresh air. The Raptors began a reign of regular season dominance in which they won the Atlantic Division three years in a row. Toronto has won the division title four times between the 2013-2014 and 2017-2018 seasons.

Suddenly the Raptors were back on the map. Although having only made a single Conference Finals appearance (2015) under Casey’s guidance, the Raptors remained dominant in the regular season. Casey is also responsible for guiding the Raptors to their only 50+ win seasons in franchise history and the accolades do not end there

Dwane Casey is the winningest coach in franchise history. He has out-coached his predecessors and even coached Team LeBron at the 2018 All-Star Game.

Player Development

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 12: DeMar DeRozan Head Coach Dwane Casey and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors poses for a photo as part of the 2016 Global Games London on January 12, 2016 at Big Ben in London, England. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 12: DeMar DeRozan Head Coach Dwane Casey and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors poses for a photo as part of the 2016 Global Games London on January 12, 2016 at Big Ben in London, England. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Michael Jordan is a Phil Jackson guy. Tim Duncan is a Gregg Popovich. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry will always be Dwane Casey guys.

Before Coach Casey arrived on the scene, DeRozan was a raw prospect with athletic potential. In Casey’s first year as head coach the now 28-year old was averaging 16 points and 2 assists per game. In Casey’s final season DeRozan averaged 23 points and 5 assists per game. The two grew better together.

When Kyle Lowry was traded to Toronto nobody could have foreseen the evolution he would undergo. The Raptors saw Lowry as expendable at one point and almost traded him. Whether it  was the threat of being moved or Coach Casey’s guidance Kyle Lowry blossomed into a star.

Both of Toronto’s All-Stars became the players they are today because of Dwane Casey.

Casey’s impact on the Raptors present day success does not end there. Young upstarts such as Delon Wright and Norman Powell all got their start from Coach Casey. He put his trust in Fred VanVleet and a new leader was born.

Jonas Valanciunas has also been a member of the Raptors since Casey’s beginning.

What’s Next?

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 27: Head Coach Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors speaks to the team after Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Washington Wizards during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2018 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 27: Head Coach Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors speaks to the team after Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Washington Wizards during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2018 at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

There is little doubt that Dwane Casey will eventually resurface in the NBA. It will certainly be strange to see him on the side of the opposition. If one thing is clear it is that his peers still have faith in him. He would not have won the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award if that were not the case.

When we look back on Raptors greats in the near future Coach Casey will certainly be in the conversation. Yes, there will always a big “what if?” regarding Toronto’s lack of Playoff success under his direction. However, what Dwane Casey did for this team may be just as big as winning it all.

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Casey took a team without a true identity and helped build a brand. He helped turn the Raptors from a free-agent afterthought to a coveted destination. Dwane Casey may not have delivered the Raptors to the promised land, but he helped build a culture. That culture has not only put the NBA on notice but all of Canada as well.

It will not be easy for whoever follows in his footsteps. The changes for the Raptors are also certainly not over. In the meantime, we take this opportunity to say “Thank you” to the greatest coach in Raptors history.

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