For the 12th time in 14 seasons, the Detroit Pistons won’t make the postseason. The best response by the NBA team with the worst record (16-57) would be to fire the man leading it, head coach Dwane Casey.
In five seasons as Pistons coach, Casey has one playoff appearanace, in his first season following a 41-41 finish. Then Milwaukee swept Detroit in four first-round games.
Since then, the Pistons have lost at least 52 games in three of four seasons. With nine games left, Detroit (16-57) could easily lose 60. Casey’s record in Detroit is 120-255 (.320).
In his 14th season as an NBA head coach, Casey was hired to help teach and nurture younger players. But he hasn’t developed much of what he has been given.
Former first-round pick Saddiq Bey is a perfect example. He showed promise during a rookie season in which he averaged 12.2 points per game and 4.5 rebounds and made the first-team All-Rookie team. Since then, Bey’s career has stalled, and the Pistons traded him to Atlanta at the trade deadline..
Casey frequently talks about growth and player development, but the results haven’t matched his words.
“We don’t talk about wins, we talk about having small victories, whether it’s rebounding, transition defense, those little things that probably the everyday fan wouldn’t pay attention to,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “But for us, that’s growth, because for us, the pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow.”
At some point, it has to be more than just “small victories” — it has to be about actual victories. A team that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2008 can no longer wait and hope for the rainbow.
In fairness to Casey, former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham only played 12 games in 2022-23 before the 21-year-old was lost for the season with a leg injury. But the team ranks 28th (110.8 PPG) and 29th (118.6) in points allowed and Casey seems to have thrown his hands up.
“I don’t know the answer to it right now,” the coach said after a loss in February, per Sports Illustrated. “We need to find seven or eight guys who are going to compete and be focused and do what we should be doing.”
A head coach’s main job is to find guys who can compete and coach them so they understand the game. He admitted he failed in his role.
As the Pistons head for another likely top-three draft pick, it’s probably time for GM Troy Weaver to go, too. New voices would be great for a new era. This one expired awhile ago.
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