Dwane Casey Confirmed as New Detroit Pistons Head Coach

Dwane Casey in 2016
Dwane Casey in 2016. Photo by Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock (5613421i)

Dwane Casey will become the new head coach for Detroit Pistons, the team has announced on Monday. Casey, who was fired by Toronto Raptors back in May, has signed a five-year contract with the financial terms remaining undisclosed.

“Dwane is one of the most successful and highly respected coaches in our league,” – said Pistons’ owner Tom Gores. “He’s a great communicator and a leader who will connect with our players and accelerate their growth. Having spent many hours with Dwane over the last few weeks, I’m confident he is the right person to get us to the next level.”

According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, Pistons have aggressively pursued Dwane Casey in recent weeks, making him their top priority for the vacant head coaching position. Casey was thinking about taking the year off from coaching, but Gores and team’s senior adviser Ed Stefanski managed to convince him to change his mind.

“I am excited and honored to join the Detroit Pistons, a franchise with a championship history and a roster that is ready to win now,” – Casey said. “Tom really won me over with his vision for the team and the city. He clearly wants to deliver to the fans in Detroit and I believe in the strength of his leadership to do so.”

“I’m confident that this team has the pieces in place to compete at a very high level. There is a lot of talent, a solid core and some exciting young players eager to get better. We’re getting to work right away on the things that will make us all successful.” – he added.

Dwane Casey started his NBA career in 1994, serving as an assistant for Seattle SuperSonics. In 2005 he was named the head coach of Minnesota Timberwolves but was fired after one season and a half. Casey then joined Dallas Mavericks as an assistant in 2008, staying with the organization until 2011 when he accepted the head coaching job with the Toronto Raptors.

Casey had a rough start in Toronto, missing out on playoffs in his first two seasons with the team, but then managed to lead them to postseason appearance every year since then. In the 2017-18 season, Raptors finished first in the Eastern Conference and broke the franchise record for most wins in a single season with 59. Still, they were swept in the Eastern Conference semi-finals by Cleveland Cavaliers, and the organization decided to fire Casey.