Coach Casey's Biggest Flaw

In a time where every Wolves loss brings more and more conversations about a firing of Coach Dwane Casey, he finally seems to be feeling the heat. Casey has been much more eager to call a timeout when things are getting out of hand, he has been more receptive to ideas from his assistant coaches and he is even allowing for the players to have some say of what should be done as they are the ones on the floor with a close up of the action.

Although it may be unfair for Casey to be taking the heat for a team constructed by Kevin McHale, he did accept the job and the scrutiny that comes with it. As much as most fans do not want to see the areas of growth, he has indeed grown since last season. Does he still have a ways to go? Yes.

Right now, the glaring area where Coach Casey is lacking is in consistency. Last season he had a short leash with then rookie, Rashad McCants, while this season he eased this year’s first round gem, Randy Foye, into the mix.

Marko Jaric, who was mostly a disappointment last season, has shown great leaps of improvement in his play and confidence when given playing time, yet he is the Timberwolves player whose chocked by Casey’s tug on the leash.

The problem is that Casey is rough on the wrong player. The player he should be pulling from games with more regularity is Ricky Davis.

When Davis is motivated, he can play outstanding defense. The problem is that Davis himself struggles with consistency in that department. When asked about this topic, Casey answers with the “Ricky’s offense is needed out on the court.” This answer is contradictory to Casey’s defensive philosophy and he needs to find a way to have the same guts to bench Davis when he’s not playing defense like he does with the rest of the team.

The Timberwolves, in both wins and losses recently, have been moving the ball much better than earlier in the season, which creates open shots for anyone. This is due to Kevin Garnett’s aggression and decision-making, mostly in the low post, so why not let Garnett quarterback this team when Davis is out? Why not give Jaric the minutes he deserves, especially since the combo of Trenton Hassell and Jaric has been surprisingly effective recently?

Simply put, if Casey can find the consistency needed to pull Davis when he is not effective, the Timberwolves would be better off. More importantly, at least to Coach Casey, his seat on the sidelines might not be in jeopardy.