Jim Souhan: Casey a castoff in Minneapolis, an NBA champ in Dallas

Dwane Casey doesn't drink alcohol. He will, if given no other choice, marinate in it.

"I still have champagne in my pores," he said. "I didn't drink any, but I can still taste it."

Still reveling in an NBA championship made possible by exceptional coaching, Casey, the Dallas Mavericks assistant and former Wolves scapegoat, spoke on the phone on a recent weekday morning as he packed up his Dallas-area townhouse. "Our lease expired on June 1," he said. "Luckily, the landlady was nice about it and gave us an extension."

Today, she'd probably give him the whole house.

Casey ran the defense that handcuffed Miami Heat's superstars and brought Dallas its first title, conducting himself with the same intelligence and class that marked his tenure in Minnesota.

What's sad is that Casey was packing for a trip to his summer home in Seattle amid rumors that he will become the next head coach of the Toronto Raptors, not a trip to Minnesota to interview for a job he once had, never should have lost and today deserves more than ever.

The Wolves fired Casey in January 2007. Specifically, owner Glen Taylor allowed Kevin McHale to fire Casey. McHale hired his buddy Randy Wittman, one of the many decisions that led to the Wolves becoming the worst franchise in the NBA.

Asked if he wanted the Wolves job, Casey pointed out that the position isn't open, and he refused to lobby for it. Wolves "management" has yet to announce any decision on incumbent Kurt Rambis.

Somehow, Wolves "management" has turned one of the losingest coaches in the history of a losing franchise into a sympathetic figure by letting him dangle, months after David Kahn all but fired him in a postseason press conference.

Casey did say this about his Minnesota experience: "There are no bad feelings. I love Glen. We've been in touch, not about the Wolves, but just as friends. We talked in Vegas last summer, and he has recommended me to other teams. We're on a good basis.

"I don't know if they'd ever hire me, but I know they don't have an opening. There were never any hard feelings between Glen and myself, and I had a great time there. I just think Kevin was anxious and didn't think we were making progress. But I thought we were.

"But that's all just part of the NBA. That's the GM's prerogative, to make that decision."

Casey could be the next Tom Thibodeau, a respected defensive specialist who takes over a promising young team. The Wolves, unlike the Bulls, are years away from contending, but if they hire Casey and draft Derrick Williams, they'd be hitting the accelerator instead of continually pumping the brakes.

"I would love to be a head coach again," Casey said. "You get a taste of it ...

"I do know that what I'm teaching works. It's the same defense we were teaching in Minnesota. It just takes time and a little patience. It does equal wins, though. We were not the most talented team in these playoffs, and especially in the finals, but the guys bought into it. That's the most important thing, is having your guys buy into it."

Kahn's indecision on Rambis might stem from Golden State's coaching decisions. The Warriors hired Mark Jackson, who lost out to Rambis last time around, and highly respected assistant Mike Malone, who may have been a candidate to replace Rambis.

Meanwhile, Casey has helped mastermind a championship, has marinated in champagne and has wondered why his résumé hasn't been good enough for NBA owners.

"We considered ourselves a great defensive team. We took pride in that."

Taylor could still take control of his operation, could still fire Rambis and hire Casey.

That's a move in which the Wolves organization, and their desperate fans, could take pride.