Report: Dwane Casey Voted Coach of the Year by NBA Coaches Association
The National Basketball Coaches Association has reportedly voted Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey the 2017-18 Coach of the Year.
Marc Stein of the New York Times first reported the news Wednesday and noted an official announcement is scheduled for later in the day.
Casey led the Raptors to a 59-23 record during the regular season, which was the best mark in the Eastern Conference by four games and the second-best record in the NBA behind only the Houston Rockets.
Toronto defeated the Washington Wizards in six games during the first round of the playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated the Raptors in a semifinals sweep, however. It marked the third straight year the Cavs ended their title chase.
After the postseason exit, Josh Lewenberg of TSN reported the Raptors are "strongly leaning towards making a coaching change."
Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue called the idea of firing Casey "absurd," adding that "he couldn't have done a better job with that team."
"I think the hardest part is—and you've seen it for years with Michael Jordan—they happened to run into LeBron James," Lue told reporters.
Casey, who's compiled a 320-238 record across seven seasons with the Raptors, is also a strong contender for the NBA's Coach of the Year Award, which is voted on by the media rather than the head coaches.
That honor will be announced June 25 during the 2018 NBA Awards show from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.
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