Raptors shower praise on fired Casey
TORONTO — Masai Ujiri believes Dwane Casey deserves to be recognized as the best coach in the NBA, but the Toronto president doesn't think Casey should be leading the Raptors.
So the Raptors fired Casey, praising him on his way out the door.
Hours after the Raptors announced they were parting ways with Casey on Friday — days after the team was swept in the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight season — Ujiri said he doesn't think he will ever work with a better person.
“Nothing in particular that coach Casey did wrong, but I think it was time for this to happen,” he said.
Casey led the Raptors to a franchise-record 59 wins this season as Toronto earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time. He posted a 320-238 record in seven season.
“I hope coach Casey gets coach of the year, because he deserves it,” Ujiri said. “I saw everything he did here. I saw the job he did this year. He deserves it.”
But that wasn't enough for Casey to keep his job.
On Tuesday, Casey was named coach of the year by the National Basketball Coaches Association, an award voted on by NBA coaches. A media panel votes separately for the NBA's coach of the year award, which will be announced June 25.
Under Casey, the Raptors won four Atlantic Division titles and advanced to the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. But Toronto couldn't get past Cleveland, losing to LeBron James and the Cavaliers in each of the past three playoffs.
Hawks select Pierce as coach
The Atlanta Hawks are giving Lloyd Pierce his first head coaching job in the NBA, choosing a former assistant with Philadelphia and Memphis to rebuild the team.
The Hawks announced Friday they had agreed to terms on a deal with Pierce, 42.
He replaces Mike Budenholzer who left last month after five seasons. The Hawks went 24-58 this season, tied with Dallas for the NBA's third-worst record.