Comfort source
» Pistons coach pays tribute to Derozan’s late father.
When Dwane Casey became coach of the Toronto Raptors in 2011, he received some marching orders from the father of star player Demar Derozan.
“Frank’s words were, ‘Kick his butt. Treat him like he is your son,’ ” said Casey, now coach of the Detroit Pistons. “And I tried to, and Demar is like a son to me. I love him to death.”
Monday night’s game between the Pistons and Spurs was the third in a row Derozan has missed after burying his father, who died last month after a long illness. Casey has been a source of comfort to Derozan throughout his period of mourning.
“I’ve been texting with him and wishing him all the best for he and his family,” Casey said in a pregame Zoom conference from Detroit.
Frank Derozan, who worked as a videographer, and his wife Diane, who worked at a factory that assembled thermostats, raised their son in a tough neighborhood in Compton, Calif., shielding him from gangs and violence. Demar was named after Diane’s younger brother, Lemar, a college football player who was killed at the age of 20 after a drive-by shooting, according to the Toronto Globe and Mail.
“His dad was a pillar of strength,” Casey said. “He did everything he could to put Demar in the right situation. He raised him the right way. He is one of the best kids I have ever coached as far as manners and toughness. Frank bestowed that on his son. Great kid. I was very fortunate to have coached him.”
Casey said Derozan, who leads the Spurs in scoring with a 20.3 points per game average and in assists with a career-high 7.3, is playing at a “career-high level.”
“When he first came to Toronto, that’s one thing he couldn’t do — handle double-teams and pass the ball and now he is a point (forward),” Casey said.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Derozan is expected to rejoin the team at some point during their five-game road trip, which continues Wednesday in Chicago.
“He’s going through some tough times right now, but he will make it through it and be stronger from it,” Casey said. “He is one of the best.”
Bench players benefit from rout
The Spurs offered no excuses after the 76ers pounded them 134-99 on Sunday night in Philadelphia.
“We just got our ass kicked,” Dejounte Murray said. “They punched us in the face. They didn’t let up.”
The Sixers outscored the Spurs 46-21 in the third quarter while shooting 78.3 percent from the field (18 of 23), including 71.4 percent from 3-point territory (5 of 7).
It was the 23rd time in franchise history the Spurs have given up at least 46 in a quarter and the most since they surrendered 49 at Golden State on Feb. 6, 2019, per Spurs broadcaster and analyst Dan Weiss.
If there was a silver lining to be found in the embarrassing loss, it came in the second half after Popovich emptied his bench. Led by backup center Drew Eubanks, the Spurs nearly won the fourth quarter by a 28-26 count.
“They hustled really well, gave everything they had,” Popovich said of a crew that included rookie point guard Tre Jones and second-year guard Quinnary Weatherspoon, who logged 11 minutes in his first game since Feb. 12 due to a bout with COVID-19.
Murray agreed with Popovich. “I saw a bunch of guys out there trying to get better, and I think they got better,” he said. “That’s what it’s going to take for their development. There’s going to be nights like this, and on the bright side, they got to go out and play and get better.”
Eubanks finished with a career-high 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. In the fourth, he scored 11 points on 3 of 3 from the field and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line.
“We just want to get better,” Eubanks said of players assigned to mop up a game. “This is my third year being in that situation. Trying to get Tre reps. Trying to get Luka (Samanic) reps, Keita (Bates-diop) and ‘Q’ (Weatherspoon), just applying what we would normally do. We play the same exact way as if it was the first quarter. We play hard and try to work on things defensively and getting those game reps at game speed is huge.”
Eubanks’ Beavers topple White’s Buffs
Eubanks gained bragging rights over good friend Derrick White after his Oregon State Beavers stunned the Colorado Buffaloes 70-68 Saturday to win the Pac-12 tournament for the first time in program history and earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
It’s the first appearance for Oregon State since 2016, when Eubanks was a freshman, and only the second appearance for the program since 1990.
“He’s been talking the whole three years I’ve been here,” Eubanks said of White. “Nothing new. I had to give him a little payback, trying to channel my inner Beaver tonight. Happy for them. They deserve it. It’s a great program.
“Happy for my guys (seniors) Ethan Thompson and Zach Reichle. They were there my last year. Just happy for them.”