TORONTO — Dwane Casey was hired as coach of the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, nine days after the Dallas assistant helped the Mavericks win an NBA title.
He succeeds Jay Triano, a Canadian who became a consultant after the season. Casey joins a team that went 22-60 last season and has the fifth pick in Thursday's NBA draft.
Casey was the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves from June 2005 to January 2007, compiling a 43-59 record.
He said his top goal is to give the Raptors a "defensive identity." He also promised to establish an "atmosphere of hard play." He said the Mavericks used hockey footage to set the defensive tone during the NBA finals.
"We felt we were playing too soft against Miami to start the series," he said at a news conference. "And it really set the tone. I don't know a lot about of hockey. I know I'll learn about it. But we spliced in those guys checking players up into the window (glass), into the boards and that type of thing, and that's the way we want to play."
"We want to make sure people feel us when they cut through the lane," he added. "And that's a mindset, and that's having a disposition - a bad disposition - when people come through your paint."
The 54-year-old Casey is the eighth coach in Raptors' history. He said he intends to use Triano as a "resource" and build on what he sees as a core of young talent.
"Defensively, I'm going to be a hands-on control freak, so to speak," he said. "Offensively, I'm going to trust and give them freedom."
The Associated Press
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