It became rather clear early in the 2022-23 NBA season that Detroit Pistons HC Dwane Casey was fighting an uphill climb with a downtrodden organization.
When Detroit opted to sit former No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham for the remainder of the season just 12 games in, the tank was pretty much on.
Despite boasting a talented young roster, Detroit heads into its final two regular-season games with an NBA-worst record of 16-64. It will also now likely lead to Casey’s removal from the bench after five seasons, though perhaps not from the organization itself.
Yahoo Sports Jake Fischer hears that "[v]arious Pistons staffers are preparing for Casey to no longer hold his head coaching post next season with the potential for Casey to step into a front office advisory role similar to Alvin Gentry’s path in Sacramento.”
It was just this past Wednesday night that the Pistons lost to the Brooklyn Nets and Casey’s scheduled post-game press conference was delayed because of a one-on-one meeting with team owner Tom Gores.
The two are said to share a great relationship, leading to a strong possibility that Casey will remain with the Pistons’ organization in some form, even if it is not in his current capacity.
Since joining the Pistons ahead of the 2018-19 season, Casey has posted a 120-262 record. That stint has come on the heels of a brilliant seven-year run in which the universally-respected head coach led the Toronto Raptors to six consecutive NBA Playoff appearances.
Detroit does still boast a talented young roster, at least. In addition to 2022 No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, that list includes stud young guard Jaden Ivey, who is averaging 16.1 points and 5.2 assists as a rookie. Big men Isaiah Stewart, James Wiseman and Jalen Duren are also seen as potential building blocks for the future.
This season has been defined by bottom feeders doing their best to be in position to land generational talent Victor Wembanyama, who is widely seen as the best draft prospect since LeBron James entered the Association two decades ago.
As of this posting, the Detroit Pistons are tied with the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs for the best chance (14 percent) to land the No. 1 overall pick.
Detroit’s potential coaching opening is an intriguing one due to the aforementioned talent. According to Fischer's report, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee is considered a top-end candidate to replace Dwane Casey in Detroit. Lee has been a high-profile option for several openings over the past couple cycles.
Detroit has earned all of two playoff appearances since the end of the 2008-09 season and while it has some building blocks in place, making the right decision on the bench is going to be key moving forward.
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