The Detroit Pistons launched their search for a new head coach on Monday as the organization officially announced that Dwane Casey stepped down to transition into a new role in the front office.
The Pistons only had 17 wins during the 2022-2023 regular season. It was the team’s second-worst season in franchise history. The team had one fewer win during the 1979-1980 season. Casey coached Detroit for the last five years but only made the playoffs one time.
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Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey directs a play from the bench during the second half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets on Friday, March 31, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
“Dwane Casey has done everything we asked of him since the beginning of our partnership, both as a coach and a tremendous mentor and person,” Pistons team owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “Our organization and the young men he has been leading are very fortunate to have had his guidance and support. We are grateful for his steady hand as head coach during these important development years, and we are excited to have his wisdom and experience in the front office as we enter the next phase.”
“Dwane joined us as an experienced and successful coach ready to lead a veteran team, but when we made adjustments as an organization to rebuild around a younger core he fully embraced the decision. I couldn’t have asked for anything more, and I’m very proud of Dwane and our players. The young men he has been teaching and guiding are very fortunate to have had his leadership and direction. He’s protected their hearts and their spirit and instilled in them the work ethic and desire required to reach greatness.”
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Detroit Pistons coach Dwane Casey applauds during the first half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Friday, April 7, 2023, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
The Pistons hired Casey after he led the Toronto Raptors to three straight 50-win seasons. The year he first coached the Pistons (2018-2019) was the same year Toronto won the NBA Finals with Kawhi Leonard.
Detroit was 41-41 in his first season but never won more than 23 games after that.
“I’m excited for what we’ve done, the culture and foundation that we’ve built,” Casey said in a statement. “It’s been a good 44 years. Tom [Gores] has given me the opportunity to move into the front office and I’m excited about it, to go to the next phase of my life.”
Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey talks to his team during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Sunday, April 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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Pistons general manager Troy Weaver will lead the coaching search. The next leader will likely come into a situation where Detroit could be picking first or second in the NBA Draft.
