Article content

One of the most successful and iconic of all ex-Raptors returns to town on Wednesday.

But enough about Jose Calderon.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Casey hopes Raptors fans appreciate his contributions Back to video

In all seriousness, one of the first dates circled when the schedule was released last summer was Dwane Casey’s initial game in Toronto as head coach of the Detroit Pistons.

How could it not be after the messy, nearly unprecedented divorce, which sent the best and most popular coach in franchise history packing.

We aren’t going to re-litigate that decision here today. We will point out though that everyone involved came out of it in solid fashion. Casey, who initially wanted to take some time away from the NBA after being named the league’s top coach and turned down the heavy initial Detroit interest, eventually agreed to a massive deal with uncommon job security to helm a proud franchise playing in a sparkling new arena.

Replacement Nick Nurse is off to a 12-2 start and Raptors executives Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster followed up the coaching change with an even more jaw-dropping move: Acquiring superstar Kawhi Leonard and ideal fit Danny Green for face of the franchise DeMar DeRozan.