John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Toronto Raptors are just plain bad. It’s pretty simple. They are not a good team, nor will they make any noise in the Eastern Conference in 2013. But, the future should be much brighter than it was a year ago under new general manager Masai Ujiri.
The moves Ujiri has made so far have gotten rid of some salary that was highly unneeded. Ujiri executed a trade with the New York Knicks to lose the contract of Andrea Bargnani, which was one of the top priorities this most recent summer.
One of the next moves Ujiri could make might end up being a rather abrupt one, but I see it eventually being necessary. Head coach Dwane Casey is in the last year of his contract with Toronto and I’m not sure he’ll make it through the year. If he does, I highly doubt that Ujiri brings him back for the 2014 season.
In four seasons as a head coach in the NBA, Casey has a record of 110-160 giving him a winning percentage of just over 39 percent. Having coached the Minnesota Timberwolves for a season and a half, he was fired in 2007 after failing to get the Wolves where he was expected to.
Casey, of course, doesn’t have much experience as a head coach which does not give him a very good chance of sticking around in my opinion. Depending on the Raptors’ future moves and whether they decide to go after veterans or continue the ‘rebuilding’ they seem to have continually been doing year after year, Casey could be gone after this season.
It’s a tough spot to be placed in with such a lackluster roster, but Casey probably won’t be able to win in this situation. Ujiri means business, as he has shown so far. The Raptors fan base deserves a manager that will get the job done. If that job means getting Casey out of Toronto relatively soon, then so be it.
Ryan Heckman is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
