24 hours after seeing his 59-win, East-leading Toronto Raptors get eliminated by the three-time defending conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in a four-game sweep, embattled head coach Dwane Casey may be out in The Six.
Per multiple media reports, the Raptors are leaning towards firing Casey following their 35-point humiliation—the worst loss by a conference No.1 seed—in recent memory, but to lay it all on the coach—who has the support of franchise cornerstones such as Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, is loved and respected by coaches and players around the league and would re-employed almost immediately.
Sad to say, Casey and the Raptors are just the victims of bad timing and being the proverbial punching bag of a future first-ballot all-time NBA Hall of Famer in LeBron James. Just as the Mark Price-Brad Daughter-led Cavs of my youth were the unfortunate pincushion of some guy named Michael Jordan and “The Shot”, Cleveland is now taking out their 29-year demons on the little red dinosaurs from another country’s largest city.
Sorry, not sorry, Canada!
But you can’t scapegoat Casey for simply losing to the greatest player of his era in LeBron three straight post-seasons. While some can see—and try to make a case when the Raptors had home court, the most wins in their 25-year existence, and a long-overdue embrace of the modern-day NBA, none of this is Casey’s fault.
You can’t fire him because of Lowry and DeRozan disappearing like their were touched by Thano’s Infinity Gauntlet in Marvel’s summer tentpole Avengers: Infinity War, or the fact that the Raptors are as soft as Mr. Magoo mentally when it comes to facing Cleveland.
It ain’t Casey’s fault that Toronto is just another subjugated vassal in The King’s reign in the East. Call it a case of having a bad draw or just that like my childhood Cavs, simply being a turnstile for greatness to walk on through.
It just happens.
Bottom line, Casey is a great coach, the best Toronto has ever had, and if they were to bring in his replacement, could he do better in conquering the Raptor’s wine and gold tyrant from The Land.
Doubt it.
But for now Casey—like the Cavs head coach of those 90’s teams of yesteryear in Lenny Wilkins—is just going to have to wait his turn.