The Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets were two of the worst teams in the NBA this season. It is not a surprise that their respective head coaches are being cut loose heading into the offseason.
Casey and Silas each had thankless jobs during the campaign, as both teams quickly moved into tank mode. Casey’s Pistons started 2022-23 with more hope, but a 3-15 open to the season (coupled with the long-term loss of Cade Cunningham), led Detroit to pack it in.
And the Rockets were never going to try this season. They shed players and took on salary in exchange for draft picks as the season wore on. By the week following the trade deadline, the Rockets were spending $30 million more on players they had bought out than players actually on roster.
It was not exactly what either coach signed up for. The Rockets hired Silas after Mike D’Antoni’s departure in 2020, but the gig quickly quickly turned into a rebuild overseeing when Russell Westbrook and James Harden both asked to be traded. It was a rough break for Silas, who went 58-177 over three rebuilding years, as the Rockets amassed young players, draft picks and losses.
Now, the Rockets plan to start competing, in part because the Oklahoma City Thunder have their first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, and in part due to a pick swap in 2026. Houston no longer has an incentive to tank. They have over $60 million in cap space this summer — and Harden might want to come back.
Casey signed a five-year deal with the Pistons in 2018, after being fired by the Toronto Raptors despite winning Coach of the Year. In his first year with the team, he led the Pistons to the playoffs for only the second time since 2009, after the team traded for Blake Griffin. But Griffin played just 38 games for Detroit over the next two seasons, while Luke Kennard and Reggie Jackson missed a combined 90 games in 2019-20.
Relatively early during his stay in Detroit, Casey was tasked with overseeing a rebuild and helping to develop the team’s young players. This year’s Pistons had eight different rotation players 23 years old or younger. Casey, 66, may no longer be working the sidelines for the franchise, but he will remain in the organization, now moving on to more of a front office role.
Both coaches did exactly what they were supposed to do this season: Lose a lot of games and give minutes to a lot of young players. Casey’s coaching days are done, but it would be a shame if the 49-year-old Silas did not receive another head-coaching opportunity. He lost plenty of games, but he wasn’t supposed to win to begin with.
With lots of talented young players and financial flexibility, both of these jobs should be appealing. It is just a shame their now-previous coaches will be unable to eventually enjoy the fruits of their tanking.
