NBA Rumors: The Toronto Raptors might’ve fired head coach Nick Nurse with Ime Udoka in mind.
Nick Nurse will be remembered as one of the greatest head coaches in Toronto Raptors history, but it’s becoming quite clear that it was simply time for a change. Friday morning, the Raptors officially made the move to fire Nurse as the team’s head coach. It was the start of what could end up being quite a busy offseason for the Raptors.
The news of the firing was far from a surprise, though. It was rumored a few weeks ago that this was something that could be coming. What was somewhat surprising was the fact that Ime Udoka has already been linked to the Raptors’ job.
In the words of ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is set to emerge as a “serious candidate” for the job. And my reckless speculation makes me believe that perhaps this was something that was already in the works behind the scenes.
If it does happen and the Raptors do end up hiring Udoka for the position, you’d have to wonder if Toronto moved forward with firing Nurse with Udoka in mind. If so, there’s not that much wrong with that. This is a cutthroat profession and things like this tend to happen all the time.
It is quite interesting, though. And you’d have to wonder whether there was anything more that attributed to this potential move.
The Toronto Raptors are a great situation for any head coach
Even though the Raptors may be going through some changes this offseason, this is still by far one of the best head coaching vacancies at the moment. The Raptors have some questions on their roster but still have talent that is set to be part of the team’s core for a very long time. Plus, they have draft assets and one of the best general managers in the league (assuming he doesn’t get pried away from another team).
Heading into the offseason, the Raptors are one of the most interesting teams to keep an eye on. This is a team that could end up making a few trades, adding a few players, and having a completely retooled roster heading into next season.
And still, despite all that and no matter what happens, the Raptors will likely still be one of the more competitive teams in the Eastern Conference.