There’s still no official word on who the next Detroit Pistons coach will be, but former Raptors coach Dwane Casey looked to be providing a subtle hint on Friday morning in an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” from Cleveland. Casey, who is a finalist for the Pistons’ coaching job, was asked about whether Blake Griffin is a superstar. His response was interesting: “Blake Griffin is a star in this league. I haven’t coached him. His ability and his IQ are off the charts,” Casey told Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and host Molly Qerim. “I’ll let you know once I coach him down the road. You have Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, so you have some good pieces there in Detroit.” More: Beard: Casey offers experience, Udoka potential for Pistons Casey's comments about the Pistons’ top three players sounded like a coach who could be devising ways to use that trio. To finish the segment, Qerim added another nugget that could be tipping the outcome of the Pistons’ search: “We know your phone is ringing. You’ll be landing a job soon — we hope it’s the right fit for you.” In another interview on Friday afternoon on ESPN's "The Jump," Casey clarified his comments from earlier in the day: "It was a little slip, a little premature,” Casey told Rachel Nichols. Casey, 61, was fired by the Raptors after leading them to a franchise-record 59-23 record this past season. He surpassed the 50-win mark in Toronto in three of his six full seasons there. The Pistons fired Stan Van Gundy on May 7 and have been on a search for more than a month. Casey and Spurs assistant Ime Udoka have met with Pistons owner Tom Gores within the past week to narrow the list of finalists, a process led by senior adviser Ed Stefanski. "I’ve had a couple great meetings, one with the management, with Ed Stefanski, who is a great GM. He’s big-time and he’s the main reason why the job is very appealing, along with (Griffin) and Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson," Casey added. "I had a great meeting the other night at Tom Gores' home in L.A. "He’s a very dynamic owner and I’m very impressed with him and his leadership and his vision. We’re talking now; nothing is finalized or done. It’s still in the talking phase." After Michigan coach John Beilein removed himself from consideration on Wednesday, the process seems to be coming close to an end, with Casey and Udoka as the final two choices. "I know they talked to Ime Udoke, who is a very good up-and-coming coach in this league and is going to be a head coach very soon," Casey said. "It’s ongoing. I had a great conversation with Tom last night. We’ll see where it goes in the next couple days." The Pistons’ waiting game continues — officially, that is.<doc-sep>Dwane Casey has long been rumored to be the front runner for the Detroit Pistons’ head coaching job, and during a recent appearance on ESPN’s First Take, he talked like he was the coach of the team. I wouldn’t be surprised by the time I hit publish that an announcement is made. Casey talked about his Raptors’ tenure, his overall success and even a little bit about his future. Host Max Kellerman wanted to discuss how hard it is to win without a star in this league, and used the opportunity to get his thoughts on Detroit’s Blake Griffin’s star status. “I’d put Blake Griffin as a star in this league. And Andre Drummond made the All-Star team,” Casey said. Kellerman quickly shot back: “Is he (Blake Griffin) above DeRozan, Lowry?” The trap was too enticing for Casey to stay out of completely, and he took the bait (emphasis mine). “Well, I’m not going to say that because I haven’t coached him. But I know one thing, that Blake Griffin is a star in this league. I haven’t coached him but, again, his abilities, his IQ is off the charts. Again, I’ll let you know once I coach him down the road. But you have Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, Reggie Jackson so you’ve got some good pieces down there in Detroit.” You can hear the entire interview with Casey via the ESPN podcast (interview starts at the 22-minute mark). Warning: High dosage of Stephen A. Smith being Stephen A. Smith in that clip. Casey is one of two candidates remaining following John Beilein’s withdrawal from consideration. Ime Udoka, an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs is the other remaining candidate.<doc-sep>
The Detroit Pistons may have a new coach, and we just don't know it yet. After Michigan's John Beilein withdrew his name from consideration Wednesday, the search seemed to have two finalists in Dwane Casey and Ime Udoka. Casey was on ESPN First Take on Friday with Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman and host Molly Qerim, and spoke like he would be getting the Pistons' vacant head coach job. Jamie:Dwane Casey or Ime Udoka to coach the Pistons? What's the hold up? Casey started off discussing his NBA coach of the year campaign with the Toronto Raptors, when he led them to a franchise-record 59 wins this season. He was fired May 11, after the Raptors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third straight postseason. Then the discussion turned to the Pistons, when Kellerman asked him about the challenge of winning without a superstar, as Casey did with the Raptors. "Is Blake (Griffin) one of those guys?" Kellerman asked, referring to the Pistons forward. "I would put Blake Griffin as a star in this league and Andre Drummond made the All-Star team," Casey said. "(Griffin's) ability, his IQ are off the charts. I’ll let you know when I coach him down the road. You got Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson, so you've got some good pieces there in Detroit." Qerim ended the short segment by telling Casey: "We know your phone's ringing. You'll be landing a job soon, we hope it's the right fit for you." That wasn't subtle. Casey interviewed with the Pistons on May 31, and met with owner Tom Gores on Tuesday. He led the Raptors to the playoffs in five of his seven seasons, reaching the conference finals in 2016. The Pistons let go of president and coach Stan Van Gundy on May 7. They hired Memphis Grizzlies executive Ed Stefanski as senior advisor May 24 to help reshape the club's basketball operations. More: What we'll remember from the Stan Van Gundy era Download our Pistons Xtra app on iTunes or Android!