In a twist of fate that would have seemed completely ridiculous just a few months ago, the Toronto Raptors may need to be in the head coaching market when the offseason comes around. The latest comments from Nick Nurse make it sound like he is genuinely considering leaving the team.
Not only has Nurse explicitly said that he needs to start reassessing his basketball future in the wake of the latest moves, but rumors that he could eventually take the Houston Rockets job have not subsided. This would be one unceremonious way to end his Raptors tenure.
While some of the latest rumors seem to hint at the Raptors hiring Ime Udoka to replace Nurse in their dream scenario. While he did get to the finals, Boston’s performance without him and the PR nightmare that would ensue might force Toronto to say no to such a bold move.
It doesn’t matter if the Raptors promote one of their top internal assistants, bring in a top assistant from a highly regarded staff, or hire someone that has been a head coach in the past. The market is teeming with solid options that can make an immediate impact without the Udoka backlash.
Toronto Raptors rumors: 6 coaches to replace Nick Nurse
Internal Option No. 1: Adrian Griffin
Griffin, who received consideration for the vacant Jazz job last season, has been considered a premium head coaching candidate for years. If the Raptors want to stay internal, keep the boat relatively unrocked, and replace Nurse with Griffin, this move makes a ton of sense.
Griffin has often stood in for Nurse when the coach has been unable to go, and he has done a fairly solid job of it. If he is on board with what Ujiri wants from a philosophical point of view while bringing his own unique twists to things, Toronto may not even need to start looking for external candidates.
Toronto Raptors rumors: Adrian Griffin should be a head coach.
Internal Option No. 2: Earl Watson
Watson is a very puzzling case. On one hand, he has received extremely strong testimonials from former players like Devin Booker that credit him with playing an instrumental role in his development as a player. On the other hand, it is hard to ignore how bad his stint as head coach of the Phoenix Suns was.
Watson’s viability hinges almost entirely on how much Toronto believes his lack of success in Phoenix was due to being dealt a lousy hand of players. If he can coach prime Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes, wins might be a bit easier to come by in his second go-around.