In 2015, after a humiliating sweep against Washington, Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey could have been fired. He wasn’t, and the Raptors rose higher the next season. In 2017, Casey could have been fired after a Cleveland sweep, but he was allowed to oversee the Raptors’ culture reset instead. He did a hell of a job, trusting the bench, overhauling the style. He might be the NBA’s coach of the year.
But that doesn’t mean everything is easy. Team president Masai Ujiri always prefers to be thorough, and to take all the time he needs. But league sources indicated that Ujiri was leaning toward firing Casey after Toronto’s franchise-shocking four-game sweep at the hands of the Cavaliers.