Masai Ujiri believes Dwane Casey deserves to be recognized as the best coach in the NBA Chris Wideman Jersey , but the Toronto president doesn’t think Casey should be leading the Raptors.

So the Raptors fired Casey, praising him on his way out the door.

Hours after the Raptors announced they were parting ways with Casey on Friday – days after the team was swept in the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight season – Ujiri said he doesn’t think he will ever work with a better person.

”Nothing in particular that coach Casey did wrong, but I think it was time for this to happen,” he said.

Casey led the Raptors to a franchise-record 59 wins this season as Toronto earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time. He posted a 320-238 record in seven seasons and is the franchise’s winningest coach.

”I hope coach Casey gets coach of the year, because he deserves it,” Ujiri said. ”I saw everything he did here. I saw the job he did this year. He deserves it.”

But that wasn’t enough for Casey to keep his job.

James and Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said it was disappointing to hear that Casey had been fired, especially after the year the Raptors had.

”Probably within the last five years, I bet they’ve improved in winning percentage every single year,” James said. ”But I guess their front office wants playoff success. That’s what it boils down to.”

On Tuesday, Casey was named coach of the year by the National Basketball Coaches Association, an award voted on by NBA head coaches. A media panel voted separately for the NBA’s coach of the year award, which will be announced June 25.

Under Casey, the Raptors won four Atlantic Division titles and advanced to the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. But Toronto couldn’t get past Cleveland, losing to LeBron James and the Cavs in each of the past three playoffs.

Ujiri said he spent ”countless hours” evaluating the team in the days following this year’s defeat before deciding to fire Casey. It was the first time he’d had to fire a coach in more than a decade as an NBA executive.

”It’s the hardest thing I’ve done in my life,” Ujiri said. ”In terms of collaboration, I don’t think I’ll work with a better person. Maybe my dad. This guy is phenomenal. A listener, a learner, a performer and a real person.”

Ujiri had little to say about who his next head coach might be, but said he would be ”open” to considering a wide range of potential candidates.

”We’ll start that process right after I finish here,” Ujiri said. ”We’ll look everywhere. I’m not ruling out anything. We’ll do a thorough job.”

Ujiri denied reports that Casey had precipitated his firing by seeking a contract extension. Casey had one year remaining on a three-year, $18 million dollar extension he received in June, 2016.

Toronto’s assistant coaches remain in their roles Gordie Howe Jersey , Ujiri said.

”All of them are with us for now,” Ujiri said. ”Obviously some of them will get interviews. We’re going to go through that.”

After Toronto’s playoff exit last spring, Ujiri demanded a ”culture reset,” leading a greater emphasis on ball movement, depth, and 3-point shooting. On Friday, Ujiri said he wants his new coach to continue that style moving forward.

”I hope we can because you try to get those kind of players to fit that mode,” Ujiri said. ”Hopefully there’s a smooth transition but a new coach is going to have his style, he’s going to have his voice.”

Earlier this week, as they cleaned out their lockers, All-Star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan spoke positively about Casey.

DeRozan credited Casey with all of his success while Lowry called Casey ”one of the best coaches out there.”

Still, Lowry was dejected by the team’s playoff performance, calling it a ”wasted year” after a third straight elimination at the hands of James and the Cavs.

”We felt like we could possibly make the NBA Finals,” Lowry said. ”That was our goal.”

On Wednesday, Casey insisted ”the gap is closing” between the Raptors and Cavaliers.

”A lot of folks have run up against Cleveland in the last few years and had the same challenge and it went down the same way,” he said. ”That’s the mountain this organization has to climb.”

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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

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Archie Goodwin is about to set a record.

It won’t be cause for celebration.

Goodwin is a veteran of 165 NBA games, has scored 20 points on 10 occasions, and had a monthlong stretch with Phoenix two years ago when he started and averaged 16 points per game while playing against a slew of All-Stars in that span.

He thinks he’s proven.

The rest of the league doesn’t see it the same way. So he’s back in the NBA Summer League – where, after scoring six points for Portland on Saturday in the Trail Blazers’ 93-78 win over the Utah Jazz, he moved within 13 points of matching Coby Karl’s record for the Las Vegas event. Karl scored 337 points. Goodwin is up to 324, according to data compiled by RealGM.

”It comes with the job,” Goodwin said. ”My world is just different. I’m just trying to stay positive and continue to fight Brock McGinn Jersey Kids , looking for a chance to show how I can help a team.”

Saturday was Day 2 of the Summer League in Las Vegas, with a matchup between No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton and No. 2 Marvin Bagley III headlining a 10-game schedule. More 10-game slates await on Sunday and Monday, and the tournament runs through July 17.

Most guys in Vegas are playing for the first or second time. Goodwin is playing in the event for the fifth time.

Drafted No. 29 overall by Oklahoma City in 2013, Goodwin has gotten NBA time with Phoenix, Brooklyn and New Orleans. He appeared in five preseason games with Portland last season as well, but doesn’t even have as much as a training camp deal for this fall.

”I’m a resilient person,” Goodwin said. ”That speaks to how I was raised that way, to never give up on my dreams. Hopefully the right situation pops up.”

Goodwin was one of the best guards in the G League last season, averaging 19 points on 53 percent shooting.

”I feel like I’m not getting a fair shake,” Goodwin said. ”But that’s how it is. That’s my motivation. I’m going to keep knocking at the door and hopefully someone realizes that this kid – I’m only 23 years old – can help a team and bring a lot of value to a team.”

Charlotte’s Malik Monk (fractured thumb) and Philadelphia rookie Landry Shamet (sprained right ankle) were both hurt Friday and will miss the remainder of Summer League, their teams announced. The Hornets said Monk, a second-year guard, would be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks.

Saturday’s summaries:

SUNS 71, KINGS 63

Top pick Deandre Ayton scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds for Phoenix (2-0). Davon Reed added 12 points and Josh Jackson scored 10. Dragan Bender, the fourth overall selection in the 2016 draft, was scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting. Harry Giles had 17 points, six rebounds and five steals for Sacramento (0-1). Marvin Bagley III, the No. 2 pick, had 15 points and seven rebounds.

LAKERS 96, 76ERS 79

Josh Hart made 9 of 15 from the field, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range, and finished with 24 points for Los Angeles (1-0). Moritz Wagner http://www.officialflyersproshop.com/authentic-adidas-nolan-patrick-jersey , a first-round pick in last month’s draft, had 16 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Second-round selection Svi Mykhailiuk added 17 points and nine boards. First-round pick Zhaire Smith had 16 points and three steals for Philadelphia (0-2). Cameron Oliver added 12 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

KNICKS 91, HAWKS 89

Kevin Knox, the ninth overall selection in last month’s draft, led New York (1-0) with 22 points and eight rebounds. Troy Williams added 17 points and Allonzo Trier, who went undrafted out of Arizona, had 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. John Collins scored 30 points, hitting 4 of 7 from 3-point range, and Tyler Dorsey added 15 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta (0-1). No. 5 pick Trae Young had 21 points and 11 assists.

TRAIL BLAZERS 93, JAZZ 78

Wade Baldwin IV scored 20 points for Portland (1-0), which got 16 points from Gary Trent Jr. and 13 rebounds from Caleb Swanigan. Grayson Allen, Georges Niang and Tony Bradley all scored 16 for Utah (0-1). Allen struggled again from the field just as he did in two summer games at Salt Lake City earlier in the week, shooting 6 for 17, but added six rebounds and five assists.

PACERS 86, SPURS 76

TJ Leaf scored 17 for Indiana, which took control by outscoring San Antonio 22-8 in the third quarter. CJ Wilcox added 13 for the Pacers (1-1). Derrick White scored 19 for the Spurs (0-1) Youth Mark Letestu Jersey , who got 15 points from Lonnie Walker IV.

PELICANS 110, HEAT 84

Trevon Bluiett was 10-of-16 shooting, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range, and had 26 points to lead New Orleans (2-0). The guard out of Xavier, who went undrafted last month, has scored 50 points, including 12 3s, in two Las Vegas Summer League games. Walter Lemon Jr. had 19 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, Cliff Alexander added 15 points and Cheick Diallo scored 14 for the Pelicans. Duncan Robinson scored 18 points, hitting 4-of-6 3-pointers, and Jarrod Jones had 15 points and 12 rebounds for Miami (0-1).

THUNDER 90, NETS 76

Deonte Burton scored 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and Daniel Hamilton had 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Oklahoma City (1-1), which won for the first time in Las Vegas after 11 consecutive losses. Theo Pinson, who went undrafted last month out of North Carolina, led Brooklyn (0-2) with 16 points, Yuta Watanabe scored 13 and James Webb III added 12.

GRIZZLIES 73, PISTONS 70

Wayne Selden scored 20 points and first-round pick Jaren Jackson Jr. had 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks for Memphis (1-0). Kobi Simmons added 12 points and Deyonta Davis scored 1 Womens Seattle Seahawks Jerseys