NBA notebook: Coaches honor Raptors' Casey amid uncertain future

[May 10, 2018]  Toronto Raptors head coach Dwane Casey was named Coach of the Year by his peers in the National Basketball Coaches Association on Wednesday. Whether he'll be coaching the Raptors next season is another story altogether.

"The Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award for the top NBA Coach as voted by his peers is one of the most meaningful in all of pro sports," Dallas Mavericks head coach and NBCA president Rick Carlisle said. "Dwane Casey once again maximized the Toronto roster to achieve the top record in the Eastern Conference. Congratulations to Dwane on this prestigious recognition."

The Raptors won a franchise-record 59 games this season, but a sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs has Casey rumored to be on the hot seat. The 61-year-old has led the Raptors to the playoffs the past five seasons, though the repeated failures have begun adding up.

The Raptors battled past the Wizards in six games, setting up a matchup with LeBron James' Cavaliers for the third postseason in a row. The result was more of the same, as the sweep marked the second straight year the Cavs took four straight from the Raptors without losing in the semifinals. Toronto won two games in losing to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals in 2016.

--Boston Celtics guard Shane Larkin will be sidelined "for the foreseeable future" due to his left shoulder injury, coach Brad Stevens told reporters at the shootaround for Game 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Larkin suffered a sprained shoulder when he collided with Sixers center Joel Embiid in Game 4. Larkin was averaging 3.7 points and 1.8 assists in 11 games this postseason. Despite the modest stats, Larkin provided quality backcourt depth during the postseason with Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown missing games and Kyrie Irving done for the season.

Stevens said imaging tests appeared to indicate that Larkin won't require surgery. He said Larkin's shoulder is "very, very sore."

--Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George will have his normal offseason activities delayed six to eight weeks after undergoing a left knee scope, the team announced.

The procedure was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache after being agreed upon by the Thunder, George and his representation.

George averaged 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Thunder this season in being named an All-Star for the fifth time in his career. The 28-year-old is expected to decline his player option and become a free agent this offseason.

--Field Level Media

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