While Minnesota and Golden State went the route of hiring television analysts, it looks like Toronto may be going the more traditional route of hiring a top assistant coach who has some head coaching experience.
That’s what Doug Smith is reporting in the Toronto Star.
According to multiple NBA sources, the Raptors have narrowed the search for a new coach to two men: Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey and Boston Celtic assistant Lawrence Frank.Sources say president and general manager Bryan Colangelo has a strong desire to have a new coach in place as long before the June 23 NBA draft as possible but he cannot even begin interviewing Casey until the Mavericks are finished their NBA final series against the Miami Heat.
Casey is the former Minnesota Timberwolves coach who was pushed out there because owner Glen Taylor thought they should be winning more with their roster (Casey was 53-69), only to learn Casey was getting a lot more out of the talent given him then people realized. Frank was the head coach of the New Jersey Nets and spent the last season as a lead assistant to Doc Rivers in Boston.
Both solid choices. It would be nice to see Casey, a good man and coach who keeps getting close but passed over for jobs, get his chance, though.
Casey or Frank will replace Jay Triano, who struggled to get the Raptors to play enough defense in his two years as head coach of the team.