Dwane Casey out as Pistons head coach, will move to front office
Shortly after it was reported that the Houston Rockets will be looking for a new head coach for 2023-24, the Detroit Pistons will be, too. Head coach Dwane Casey is leaving on his own terms, moving to a front office role with the Pistons, he announced in his postgame press conference Sunday.
Casey was hired ahead of the 2018-19 season, going 121-263 in five seasons with the Pistons. The club went 41-41 in his first season, but the club never exceeded 23 wins in the subsequent four years, including an NBA-worst 17-65 this year.
Casey said the decision to transition to a front office role was his decision.
“(Pistons owner Tom Gores) is giving me an opportunity to move into the front office,” Casey said after the game Sunday. “I’m excited to go to the next phase of my life. Time to spend more time with my family. This team is on the right track. They probably need to hear a new voice. This is my decision.
“Hopefully my legacy will be the growth of this program from these young guys and getting a foundation,” Casey said. “But not through the wins and losses. I don’t care who you bring in, if you have a young team, this league is not forgiving on wins and losses. I’m not trying to run away from that.”
The experienced head coach is unsure whether he will be a coach again, looking to focus on this upcoming journey with Detroit.
“I’m excited about the new adventure,” Casey said. “I’m excited to learn from [general manager Troy Weaver] and the front office, to contribute in any way I can and any area I can. We got a lot of work to do.”
Casey, 65, joins Brad Stevens and David Fizdale, among others, as former NBA coaches who stepped into front office roles after their respective tenures.
Prior to joining Detroit, Casey spent nine combined seasons as head coach for both the Minnesota Timberwolves (two seasons) and the Toronto Raptors (seven seasons), compiling a combined 373-307 record with both organizations, winning an NBA Title and Coach of the Year both in 2017-18.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, current Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee and former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka are among the top candidates. Woj reported that Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin and Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn will be as well.
The Pistons and Rockets are the only two NBA teams with head coaching vacancies, at the time of this publishing.
This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for details.
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