Dwane Casey was Head Coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2005 to 2007, right in the middle of the Dark Age of the franchise. He, however, provided the brightest light during that time. He finished 33-49 in his first and only full season leading the Woofie Dogs -- not great at all, but this was the season after Latrell Sprewell was out of the league after bitching about not getting a contract extension and Sam Cassell was traded to the Clippers, thus breaking up the MV3 that led the Wolves to the Western Conference Finals in 2004.
Things were getting marginally better in the 2006-7 season. At roughly the midway point of the season, Casey got this team at 20-20. Then, out of nowhere and, as far as I know, for no good reason, General Manager Kevin McHale (who preceded Casey as HC after he fired Flip Saunders and resumed coaching duties for himself) fired him. I think McHale said something like, "I think we can do better." He thought his friend, Randy Wittman, could get this team into playoff contention or better. Instead, the team nosedived, going 12-30 the rest of the way and sunk to the bottom, only now getting their heads above water by reaching the playoffs for the first time since '04.
People kind of forget about this era of the Woofie Dogs, but those in the know remember the firing and thinking how much of a raw deal Casey got. We have no idea how well he would have done had he not been shitcanned mid-season, but the record of the 2006-7 season while and then after Casey was Head Coach should be evidence enough that he made a positive difference.
Apparently, he got fucked over again Friday. He got another HC job at Toronto for the 2011-2 season, and although the Raptors had some lean years, the front office stuck with him. Finally, with a nucleus of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, they got better, and this year, with a bench that became formidable, the Raps beat out preseason East favorite Cleveland and early surprise Boston to get the best record in the Eastern Conference.
With that home-court advantage, however, they faced LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and were promptly dispatched by them in four games. Now, it took a back-and-forth Game 1 and a game-ender by King James in Game 3, but they were swept nonetheless.
Now remember, Toronto had never been the #1 seed in the East in franchise history. They've won at least one series each of the past three years. They reached the Conference Finals in the 2016 playoffs. They have just been eliminated by the Cavs the past three postseasons, the last two via sweeps.
And Friday, it got Casey fired. Apparently, Casey, the man who stuck through a couple bad seasons in the beginning of his tenure, is now considered the obstacle to an NBA Finals appearance. Never mind that Brad Stevens is doing magical work in Boston, or that The Best Basketball Player In Our Era is also playing in the Eastern Conference, or that LeBron is likely playing elsewhere in the Western Conference next year. I think someone with the Raptors organization believes that the Cavaliers have gotten into Casey's head, and they think just changing the Head Coach unlocks the final step for the franchise. Well, be careful what you wish for. The last time Casey was canned, that team fell into a tailspin.
Hey, at least for Casey, he now has a reputation of being a team whisperer. One that can be disposed of as soon as management believes the team is onto something really good. But that should mean that he gets another HC job somewhere in the NBA.
Till then ... Poor Bastard.
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