Toronto Raptors Fire Coach Of The Year Dwane Casey

by Matt George – Sports 1140 KHTK Reporter

Just days after being voted the Coach of the Year by his peers at the National Basketball Coaches Association, Dwane Casey has been fired by the Toronto Raptors.

Statement from Raptors president Masai Ujiri on Coach Dwane Casey’s firing: pic.twitter.com/FT4m0tSfEr

— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) May 11, 2018

Casey coached the Raptors to their best season in franchise history this year, winning 59 games. It was the third straight year Toronto had won 50 or more games. Casey won 57 percent of his games at the helm, leading the Raptors to the playoffs in five out of seven seasons.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been the kryptonite to Casey’s Raptors, eliminating Toronto from the playoffs for the third consecutive year. After completing the sweep on Monday, May 7th, Cleveland has now defeated Toronto in 10-straight playoff games.

This season was supposed to be the year that the Raptors turned the corner, silencing the doubters by finally making it through LeBron and the Cavaliers. After blowing a 14-point lead and falling in overtime in game one, Toronto never recovered. Their best chance at redemption came in game three, where once again they fell just short, losing by two in Cleveland. The Cavs broke the heart and the spirit of Toronto in game four, ending the Raptors record-breaking season with a 35-point beat down.

The Raptors join the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic on the list of teams in the hunt for a new head coach. As for Dwane Casey, nobody would be surprised to see him at the helm of another NBA franchise very soon.

Raptors president Masai Ujiri has strong interest in former Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, according to coaching sources. Dwane Casey, meanwhile, is likely to emerge as a contender for one or two of the league's other four vacancies.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 11, 2018

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