In an exclusive interview for Basketball Sphere, Dwane Casey talked about the Serbian school of coaching, Zeljko Obradovic, he touched upon how Partizan influenced the NBA and also talked about the new Toronto Raptors head coach, Darko Rajakovic.
As a player, an NCAA champion. As a coach, NBA champion and Coach of the Year. At first glance, those three things are what made Dwane Casey’s career. On second glance, it could have been a lot different. Now a member of the Detroit Pistons front office, from an early childhood he experienced racism, which was in that time in full swing in the USA.
So much so that he had to get into the back of restoraunts and from good will of the employees got his food. That was just one of many examples of what Casey had to fight through.
He could have easily go the wrong way. He decided that it was not going to be like that. That is how in 1978, with Kentucky he became an NCAA champion, as team captain. Only one year on is where his coaching story starts.
He stopped a superteam
The first episode of the story was in 2005, when Casey becomes an NBA coach and takes over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Later on the Dallas Mavericks hires him as a defensive coordinator and he is one the most deserving people why they stopped the Miami Heat superteam led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and won an NBA championship ring.
From that moment, is where his long year odyssey in Toronto starts, which has peaked in 2018, when he was the Coach of the Year. Not long after that, Casey was fired and takes the reigns of the Detroit Pistons, which he led from the bench till april of this year. Casey became a front office member of the Pistons and he ended his 44 year long coaching career.
Over the past weekend, Casey had a chance to share his knowledge at the Basketball clinic “Dusan Ivkovic” in Belgrade. With Partizan head coach Zeljko Obradovic, France’s national team coach Vincent Collet and Germany’s national team coach Gordon Herbert, he completed an impressive lineup of speakers at this years seminar, which usually garners a lot of attention. This is the main reason why Basketball Sphere talked with the American expert.
“I like this event. It is always great to give an another perspective, I enjoy that. It’s always useful for coaches to see different styles and that they can share ideas. And also, it’s great for the players too. I love doing this”. Casey started for Basketball Sphere.
“What started in Partizan, now everyone in the NBA is doing it”
On the question of how does he comment Serbian coaches and their influence in the world, the 66-year old, almost didn’t wait for the end of the question, it is like he had a prepared answer.
“I got to talk about coach Obradovic. He is a winner. Whether it was here in Partizan or earlier in Fenerbahce. He has won trophies in every level so you must tip your hat to him. I have an interesting story.
I was coaching Japan national team, and my center was about 190 centimeters tall. We played against Obradovic and Yugoslavia and they beat us by 30 points. Even back then it was evident how his teams were well prepared. We didn’t stand a chance. That was the first time I met him”.
Casey during his class talked about Partizan multiple times, and he touched upon that also in the sense of development of the Serbian coaching philosophy.
“I would say that Serbian coaches first started using physical practices, practices that wore down, today every NBA team does that. Their attention was also put upon on the measurment of body weight and body fat also. That is what I have noticed in the Serbian coaching culture”.
Then there was the question that couldn’t be left out- did he watch any games of the black and whites in the last season?
“I was watching a couple of games, we were following the case of Kevin Punter. Partizan has some very good young players, like Tristan Vukcevic. I like him a lot. Everyone has to have a lot of respect because of what Obradovic did”, that was highlighted by the NBA champion from 2011.
About the hiring of Rajaković in Toronto
Casey has led the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2005 till 2007 and in that time he had a chance to meet even more Serbian coaches.
“I would like to mention Aleksandar Dzikic, he was my assistent in Minnesota. I have learned a lot about basketball from him, and also a lot about Serbian culture which is beautiful. These are beautiful people. I always try to share knowledge and at the same time to progress”.
Casey has spent seven years as the head coach of the Toronto Raptors, he knows very well how the organisation of the Canadian team works, which now the head coach is Darko Rajakovic, a second Serb and second European in history who is an NBA head coach.
“I was very impressed watching him in while I was at Toronto. He was then in Oklahoma. He will bring the Raptors the skill of developing players. To develop those young players.
I would like to have that energy now at 66. He will bring the Serbian way of practice in Toronto, which is an international city. I am happy that Darko will be there, and I will be happy besides the four times when he plays against Detroit” conclusion with smile from Dwane Casey in the interview for Basketball Sphere.