DeRozan delivers high praise for Raptor coach
No Raptor knows Dwane Casey better than DeMar DeRozan does because they have been together since the day Casey got the job and they have lost together and won together, celebrated together and commiserated together, lived through the hard times believing that good times would come.
And to hear DeRozan tell it, Casey is exactly the same guy today as he was in June, 2011 when he became the eighth coach in franchise history.
“Case is Case, man; he hasn’t changed one little bit,” DeRozan says of the 60-year-old head coach. “Still wears sweatsuits, still wears the Seattle Seahawks shirt under his Raptors gear.
“No, he hasn’t changed at all. Case is just Case.”
That might be the one trait that’s allowed Casey to become the most successful coach the Raptors have ever employed.
He is consistent and constant in his message, he preaches teamwork and hard work above all, treating his players as individuals but with a common team goal in mind. It’s what he’s been saying since he got to the city fresh from winning an NBA championship and has elevated him to elite status among NBA head coaches.
“I definitely love and appreciate that about Case,” DeRozan said. “And it shows if you stick to what you believe in and what you preach, it’ll pay off even if you don’t see it in the initial moment.
“He’s got all the records now, winning and that stuff, (and) that speaks volumes of what he believes in and what he stands for.”
Heading into Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz, the Raptors needed just one win in six outings before a Feb. 4 deadline to insure Casey will be one of the head coaches in next month’s NBA all-star game, a first for any Raptors coach and another honour to add to his resume.
Casey will have to wait at
least one more game after the Jazz defeated the Raptors 97-93 in Friday’s game. Casey has a 293-229 record in seven-plus seasons with the Raptors, far and away the most successful coach the franchise has employed. Some of that has to do with the lengthy tenure, no question, but in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of professional coaching employment, getting tenure only happens when you win.
And since Casey got to Toronto, the wins have come. In each of his first five seasons, the Raptors won more games each season than they did the year previous and even a dip from 2015-16 to 2016-17 was only from 56 to 51 victories. Casey has the Raptors on pace to post the most successful season the Raptors have ever had and with 32 wins going into Friday night, a 60-win season is not out of the realm of possibility. It hasn’t gone unnoticed around the league.
“They’ve been building this for a long time, since he won a championship in Dallas and he became the head coach here,” Golden State’s Kevin Durant said when the Warriors were here earlier this month. “He changed the culture and they play extremely hard.
“They play through DeMar. I wouldn’t say he made DeMar into a superstar but they gave him the opportunity to take over the offence and DeMar has flourished because of it and also Kyle (Lowry).
“He’s a great coach I’m glad he’s still here, I’m glad he’s still pushing, they’re one of the best teams in the league.”
As is his nature, Casey downplays any chatter of his personal accomplishments. Of course, he’s fiercely proud of his team’s success and his ability to navigate the waters so successfully and for so long but getting him to talk about it? Not going to happen.
“Once you get caught up in whatever is being said, positive or negative, is where you get in trouble,” he said this week. “That’s why with our team we emphasize it every day … next play, next game, next possession. That’s the mentality you’ve got to have to be successful.
“To be a championship team, you have to think that way, not get caught up in any hype … whatsoever.”