Casey becomes second Raptors coach to be named coach of the year ... Harden wins MVP this time ... Simmons crowned rookie of the year, Lou Will named sixth man again
As expected, Dwane Casey is heading to Detroit as the NBA’s coach of the year.
After previously winning the version of the award voted on by his peers shortly before being fired by the Raptors, Casey won the award voted on by the media at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Monday night.
Casey led the Raptors to a record 59 wins, but the team was swept again by Cleveland in the second round and team president Masai Ujiri opted to make a change. Casey was quickly pursued and snapped up on a lucrative deal by the Detroit Pistons. And 45 days later, he became the fourth coach in NBA history to win the award and not return to the same team the following season.
Casey said he doubted himself a bit after getting let go by Toronto and thanked the Detroit organization and owner Tom Gores for believing in him as well as Raptors mainstays DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Jonas Valanciunas for helping him build up that franchise and many of the coaches he previously worked or learned under.
A year after finishing second behind Russell Westbrook, Houston’s James Harden took home his first MVP award. Westbrook, Harden and Kevin Durant have now all won the award, though only Westbrook remains in Oklahoma City. Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons edged Utah’s Donovan
Mitchell for rookie of the year; Ex-Raptor Lou Williams won another sixth man of the year award, beating 2016-17 winner Eric Gordon and Raptors guard Fred VanVleet. Williams gave VanVleet a shoutout when he accepted his award: Indiana’s Victor Oladipo was the runaway choice as most improved player and Utah’s Rudy Gobert was the defensive player of the year after finishing second last season behind
Golden State’s Draymond Green.
Houston general manager Daryl Morey won executive of the year and former Raptor Amir Johnson won the hustle award.
GRIFFIN JOINS RAPS’ STAFF
Nick Nurse has pried Adrian Griffin out of Oklahoma City to be his lead assistant coach, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. The highly respected Griffin held the same role under Billy Donovan since 2016 with the Thunder and previously worked under Tom Thibodeau and twice under Scott Skiles. He also was an assistant with the gold medal-winning 2014 U.S. World Cup squad and spent nine seasons as a defensive-minded player in the NBA.
He likely will call on those defensive chops under Nurse, though roles and further hires ar e still to be determined.
Oklahoma City ranked 10th in defensive efficiency in both seasons under Griffin.
Griffin, 43, is from Wichita, Ky., and played for Seton Hall. His oldest son, Alan, a high-scoring guard, is an incoming freshman at Illinois.
CASEY MAKING MOVES TOO
Meanwhile, Casey hired Sidney Lowe to be his lead assistant in Detroit, according to multiple reports. Lowe, once the head coach of the Vancouver Grizzlies, like Casey is a former point guard who won an NBA assistant and used to coach the Minnesota Timberwolves. Lowe once left his role as an assistant with the Wolves when Casey replaced Flip Saunders, following Saunders to Detroit. Now, he joins forces with Casey.
Casey also hired away DJ Bakker, who previously worked as an assistant video coordinator for the Raptors, to head player development and Sean Sweeney from the Milwaukee Bucks.
AROUND THE RIM
Kyrie Irving told reporters while promoting his new movie Uncle Drew that he had no problem with the Cavaliers giving rookie Collin Sexton his old No. 2 jersey. “Go ahead, do what you do. He wanted to wear the number, let him wear the number. It doesn’t matter,” Irving said … Indiana is declining the $4.3-million team option on guard Lance Stephenson’s contract, making Stephenson a free agent and giving the team more cap space. Indiana is one of the few teams with cap space this off-season … Denver will make Nikola Jokic a max contract offer after declining his team option. Picking up the $2.9-million option would have saved the Nuggets a bundle this season, but made the centre an unrestricted free agent next summer … Danny Green opted into the final year of his contract with San Antonio.
After crushing China in a pair of exhibitions, in part thanks to the fine work of teen stars R.J. Barrett and Andrew Nembhard, Canada starts camp in Toronto on Tuesday ahead of Friday’s game against the Dominican Republic at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre. Tickets are available. Hoops fans won’t have a chance to see the phenom Barrett play on home soil for a Canadian team too often.