Celtics loss shows the problem with Nick Nurse teasing Raptors exit

The Toronto Raptors and their fanbase may be in the final days of the Nick Nurse era, as everything is pointing towards him either taking a step back from coaching or joining a new team like the Houston Rockets. The rumors around his departure have never been louder.

It would be one thing for Nurse to leave, but he’s handled this whole process in a fairly bizarre manner. Despite the fact that the Raptors are in the middle of a contested postseason race, Nurse has been very open about discussing his plans when the season ends.

Unless you saw Nurse on the sideline, you wouldn’t know that he even showed up to Toronto’s humiliating loss against Sam Hauser and the Boston Celtics. Not only did Boston hit their first 15 two-point shots and hold Toronto to four points in the first six minutes, but the Raptors barely showed any effort.

Is it unreasonable to assume that Nurse’s press conference may have affected the mood in the locker room? When the coach is openly discussing how he might not stick around past this season, doesn’t that undermine his authority? Why would players go all in for a coach who isn’t?

Nick Nurse’s departure rumors are hurting the Toronto Raptors.

The Raptors had an opportunity to keep their dreams of a No. 8 seed alive, but the loss officially relegated them to a matchup with the No. 10 seed Chicago Bulls. Toronto has beaten the Bulls twice this season, but now a loss will end their season instantly.

Confiding in a few trusted members of the organization is one thing. Going public with all of this uncertainty is another. While it might be a bit hyperbolic to claim that the locker room has completely tuned him out after the latest developments, would anyone be shocked if it came out later that the team turned on him?

If Nurse does leave this team, whoever comes in to replace him (potentially Ime Udoka) has quite the challenge ahead of them. Three-fifths of their starting lineup could be free agents, the players on the team can often play like very incongruous fits, and the vibes seem to be off. Nurse isn’t leaving a ready-made winner in his wake.

The Raptors could restore their positive feelings and get back on the right track with a good performance in the play-in tournament, but that doesn’t mean that Nurse will necessarily return to reap the benefits. This could be a very anticlimactic end to his tenure in Toronto.