The Detroit Pistons announced yesterday that head coach Dwane Casey signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club until 2023-24. While Casey was named the 2018 Coach of the Year by the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA), the 64-year-old has yet to win a playoff game in Detroit.
Thus far, the high water mark for the Casey era Pistons has been his first season (2018-19), when they went 41-41 and returned to the playoffs after a two-year hiatus. A mediocre .500 record, in a weaker Eastern Conference doesn’t sound too impressive, but bear in mind those 41 wins overall and 26 home victories are the second-most by the franchise in a decade.
You Find out which way BetQL’s model is picking for tonight’s NBA games. The Pistons are currently 20-50 and in full on tanking mode. They’re playing for lottery balls right now, not Ws and playoff positioning. It’s a far cry from where they were in the Motor City Bad Boys heyday, and it seems it’ll be a long way back towards re-achieving that kind of relevancy.
Still, the Pistons brass believes in Casey, and seems on board with what he’s trying to rebuild, because they’re doubling down on him.
“Dwane’s ability to adapt and lead us through a challenging but very exciting year of growth and development has further established his place as one of the most highly respected coaches in the NBA,” said Pistons owner Tom Gores in a statement.
“He is fully committed to the restoration of the Pistons where his competitiveness, teaching ability and developmental acumen can be seen in the growth of our young players. I eagerly anticipate watching the future of this team and the upward trajectory of the franchise under his continued leadership as we strive to compete for championships.”
Either that, or this is standard now in MoTown. Added Troy Weaver, General Manager for the Detroit Pistons”
“Dwane’s leadership and experience is a perfect fit for where we are and where we’re headed as an organization. He has instilled a culture based on hard work and competitiveness, he’s an excellent teacher and communicator, and his offensive and defensive principles fit today’s NBA game. I’m excited to continue our process for restoring this franchise together.”
The Pistons are a lot like the franchise they had a fierce rivalry with in the 1980s, the Chicago Bulls. Both are way down from where they used to be and it looks like it’ll be a long time before they get back up there.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.