The Coach of the Year award just given to Dwane Casey has upset many NBA fans. This is within reason, as the Toronto Raptors whom he coached this past season not just failed to advance in the playoffs but got swept by the Cavaliers to boot. It’s quite an embarrassment for a team that topped the Eastern Conference and seemed destined this year to get over the hump that is LeBron James.
However, we’ve to keep in mind that the COTY honor is a regular season award. No matter how poorly a team—or its coach—performed in the playoffs, the award does not concern itself with these. This is why many players who’ve received, say, the MVP award, don’t go on to win a title. Just consider recent winners Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant (then also with the Thunder), and James Harden. In the last few years, only Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors has gotten the award while leading his team to a championship.
Dwane Casey, in a huge sense, just became the easy scapegoat. Management felt it had to save face after another humiliating defeat in the hands of the Cavs. And even though many Raptors stars had expressed their full support of Casey, the coach was fired. This is typical of the NBA, anyway; just last November, coach David Fizdale of the Grizzlies was likewise let go after a series of losses. The same is true for Stan Van Gundy of the Pistons.
Casey is highly respected throughout the NBA, which is why Detroit just signed him to a five-year deal as new Pistons helmsman. We can say the same thing for Van Gundy, of course. But in a huge pro league where teams are bound to players with huge contracts until free agency, the coach becomes the most expendable, no matter how foolish the reasoning may be.
Former basketball coach Bob Mims CPA is a lifelong sports lover. He is a firm believer in the importance of physical activity in long-term fitness. More info on Bob’s interests here.
Bob Mims CPA 
