The Toronto Raptors may be in for a coaching change after tears of stability, as Nick Nurse might be on his way out of town following a disappointing 41-41 season that ended in a play-in tournament exit at the hands of Diar DeRozan and her father’s Chicago Bulls.
Common wisdom appeared to suggest that Nurse was going to leave Toronto to join the Houston Rockets. Not only does he have connections with the organization, but they will be looking to add someone who can come right in and flip the culture upside-down.
While Nurse to the Rockets seemed like a done deal after Toronto’s play-in loss, the latest reporting from Marc Stein speaks to the contrary. Nurse might not make the trip down to Houston, hinting that he may have another destination in mind that is not necessarily in Toronto.
“What I did pick up over the weekend, interestingly, was the first whiff of pessimism I’ve heard regarding Houston’s chances of hiring Nurse even in the event that he and the Raptors part ways,” Stein said, via his paid Substack. “Beyond the possibility that he stays in Toronto, perhaps Nurse has other options that are not plainly apparent.”
The Monday Musings are here after an NBA playoff weekend that was both utterly absorbing (several great games) and undeniably dispiriting (too many dang injuries): https://t.co/mZ9X1AYCyX
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 17, 2023
NBA rumors: Toronto Raptors’ Nick Nurse may not join Rockets
Houston seems like an odd landing spot for Nurse if he wants to continue coaching. Not only are they arguably the worst team in the entire league, but Nurse would be walking into a radioactive culture that was exacerbated by the ill-fated Silas era.
While other spots may have interest in him, the only spot we’ve heard legitimate rumblings connecting them to Nurse has been Houston. Could this perhaps be a sign that Nurse is going to take a year off from coaching? Perhaps get into the TV game for a brief period?
Of course, if news drops that Toronto and Nurse have parted ways, the bidding war could ramp up. While only the Pistons and Rockets have vacancies at the moment, more teams could follow their lead and change coaches if they want to acquire someone with a championship ring.
For those asking, expectation is that Masai Ujiri's' end-of-season media availability will be late this week or next week, though there's no firm date planned, as far as I know. Would imagine he'd prefer to have an answer for the likely first question: Is Nick Nurse your HC?
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 18, 2023
The Rockets may not be as much of a lock to hire Nurse as they were before. The club still might hurt the Raptors and turn their sights over to the PR time bomb that is Ime Udoka, who has been regarded as Toronto’s top option to replace Nurse.