NBA: Dwane Casey steps down as Detroit Pistons head coach
Dwane Casey steps down as Detroit Pistons head coach and will assume a front office role as the season ends with the NBA’s worst record at 17-65
Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey stepped down after Sunday’s 103-81 loss to the Chicago Bulls to end the 2022-2023 season.
Casey will move to a role in the front office of the franchise.
The Pistons finished the season with an NBA-worst score of 17–65, missing the postseason for the fourth straight year.
“Hopefully my legacy will be to lay the groundwork with these young guys,” said Casey, a former Toronto NBA Coach of the Year.
“When you bring in a young team, this league is not very forgiving in terms of wins and losses. I knew that was coming in.”
Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey retired after Sunday’s 103-81 loss to Chicago Bulls
The Piston saw their season end with the NBA’s worst record of 17-65
Casey led the team to the playoffs in his first season in Detroit, but the start of a rebuilding project the following season left Detroit near the Eastern Conference basement.
The franchise selected Cade Cunningham after winning the 2021 NBA lottery, but his sophomore season lasted just 12 games before being sidelined with shin surgery.
“Things changed, health changed and we cut it down to the studs,” said Casey of rebuilding the team after making the 2018/19 playoffs with an experienced group that included Blake Griffin.
Casey was the league’s Coach of the Year in 2018 following his seventh and final season in Toronto. He helped the Raptors to six consecutive playoff appearances before making way for Nick Nurse, who coached the franchise to the 1989 NBA title.
His head coaching career began with a two-season stint in Minnesota.