Detroit — In the aftermath of Sunday’s season-finale defeat to the Chicago Bulls, Dwane Casey informed his team that he’d coached his final game for the Pistons.
The reaction was widespread across the locker room. During his final postgame press conference as coach, Casey said the moment was emotional. Pistons players spoke for the first time about Casey’s transition from head coach to a front office role on Monday after they cleaned their lockers out at the Pistons’ midtown practice facility.
“It was one of those moments, man, where you know change is coming,” guard Cade Cunningham said. “It’s tough on everybody. More than anything, I was just happy that he’s still going to be around. He’s still going to be there to talk to. He’s still going to have his presence around. That was the main thing that I was happy about. I really enjoy Coach Casey. He knows so much about the game. He’s seen so much and I think having him around has been really great for me. I think continuing to have him will be great.”
The Pistons formally announced Casey’s transition on Monday and the team will begin an immediate search for a new head coach, led by Pistons general manager Troy Weaver. Team owner Tom Gores lauded Casey for accepting the task of coaching the team through the most pivotal part of its developmental stages.
“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,” Gores said. “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.”
Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes stand as two of the Pistons’ longest-tenured players. Both drafted in 2020 alongside former Pistons forward Saddiq Bey, who was traded in February, have been around Casey for three years, which marked the start of the franchise’s most recent rebuild.
Stewart, who fully transitioned to the power forward position this season, credited Casey for allowing him to expand his game towards the perimeter.
“Coach Casey had a huge impact on this group,” Stewart said. “Obviously being our first coach, but to have him as a first coach, it definitely a blessing because he knew how to work with us. He allowed us to make mistakes and coach us through mistakes and to have that in my first three years, is definitely a blessing.”
Casey arrived in Detroit with the expectation to lead a veteran group to the playoffs, but the franchise ultimately decided to shift gears towards a complete rebuild, which has led to just one postseason (2018-19) appearance (first since 2015-16) in his five seasons at the helm.
The Pistons finished with the worst record in the league this season at 17-65, which marked the second-worst record in franchise history. It was a year hindered by injuries, inexperience and inconsistency, but Casey didn’t allow those factors to serve as excuses as the season progressed. However, he did say that the Pistons would benefit from a new voice in the locker room.
“I think everybody in this locker room, we did the best we could, starting with (Casey) and the coaching staff,” Marvin Bagley III said. “They did the best job that they could do, getting us ready for these games. We did the best job we could do of preparing for these games. I enjoyed my time that I had here under Casey and I think whoever comes in, it’ll be new for us.”
Bagley, who played for a different coach in three of his four seasons in Sacramento, acknowledged his experience with coaching transitions and says he will be able to help the Pistons’ younger players who aren’t familiar with adjusting to a new voice.
“I kind of know how it feels and I’ve been through it, but a lot of the guys now, it’ll be new,” Bagley said. “Being that guy to kind of help them through the process. Whoever comes in, just being able to be ready to lock in and just continue to stay on this journey that we all want to be on. I’m happy for Casey. I wish him nothing but the best in his next journey, but it is what it is. We have to learn from it and look to get better and work towards our goal.”
Jalen Duren entered the NBA as the youngest player in the league at the age of 18, but he’s shown that he’s more than capable of holding his own. He credits Casey for giving him an opportunity to grow
“Definitely sad to see him step down, but I know he said he’s going to stay around the team and around the organization,” Duren said. “I just talked to him. I thanked him for giving me the opportunity. Like we just talked about, everybody thought I was going to be in the G League. They thought I was too young, but him and Troy, they gave me an opportunity and drafted me and took a chance. I just told him I appreciated that. I feel like he helped me grow as a man and as a player.”
Weaver’s major task this summer is to find a coach that will be able to lead a group of talented young players from the depths of the NBA standings back to the playoffs. Depending on what Casey’s front office role entails, the former Pistons coach could find himself being a part of that process.
“I want to thank Coach Casey for his commitment to the organization over the last five seasons,” Weaver said in a statement. “He has represented the organization with class and grace and built a system in which our young players could learn and grow. As we enter the next phase of our restoring, I look forward to continuing our work together in the front office and supporting him during his new chapter of life. I’m excited for him and his family moving forward.”
mcurtis@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @MikeACurtis2