Dwane Casey is fired days after the franchise was swept by the worst Lebron led team in the last decade. The decision by the Raptors can be debated, but there is only one question left. Where do the Raptors go from here?
Dwane Casey, 61, just voted the NBCA Coach of the Year, won’t be sitting unemployed for long. Leading the franchise to their best record in their 22 year existence and getting to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016, Casey’s resume can rival any other coaches. But who on the market can rival his success?
Dwane Casey sacked…Coaches in the running to replace him
Mike Budenholzer – Coming off a terrible season the Hawks and Budenholzer mutually agreed to part ways. He hits the market with a 2015-16 Coach of the Year in his pocket and a 50 win season in 2015-16. Mike has shown he can produce great results without the All-Stars on other teams. He would be the logical choice if the Raptors want to continue chasing with this roster.
Nick Nurse – The favorite coming out of the firing is Dwane Casey’s former assistant. Nurse is ready to step right in line after being with the Raptors since 2013 after stints in the BBL, where he won 2 Coach of the Year awards, the G-League and then had assistant jobs at Iowa State and Creighton respectively. He will immediately have the locker room behind him as he is a Casey hire.
Jerry Stackhouse – The current Raptor 905 G-League head coach. Stackhouse has some news swirling around him recently about becoming an NBA head coach. A former player, Stackhouse had an 18 year career with 2 All-Star selections. As coach he won the G-League Coach of the Year in 2016-2017. He would have the respect of the locker room as a veteran, and having been around the system for a few years.
LONGSHOT
Becky Hammon – My personal darkhorse favorite, she has shown that she can coach in this league being a Spurs assistant for 3 years now and winning the Summer League title in 2015. Becky had to prove herself as a player and now she will have to prove herself as a coach. Because she comes from the Spurs system she could give you exactly what Budenholzer does, but she brings something else to the table. All the media giants would converge on Toronto as the first female Head Coach. What better way to rebrand this team and try to shake the curse of Lebron. It couldn’t be worse than Drake, right?
Whatever choice Toronto makes, it could mean the end of this roster or the rebirth. Only they can make the choice.
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