After five seasons as head coach of the Toronto Raptors, the team announced that they fired Nick Nurse.
In a statement from Raptors president Masai Ujiri, he said, “The decision to make a change like this is never arrived at easily or taken lightly, especially when it comes to a person who has been an integral part of this franchise’s most historic accomplishments, and who has been a steady leader through some of our team’s most challenging times. As we reflect on Nick’s many successes, we thank him and his family, and wish them the best in future.
“This is an opportunity for us to reset, to refocus, to put into place the personnel and the players who will help us reach our goal of winning our next championship.”
The news is a shock given Nurse’s recent success with the Raptors. The Raptors won the NBA championship in his first season as an NBA head coach. The year after, Toronto reached the conference semis. But after losing Kawhi Leonard, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka, among others, the Raptors struggled to a 27-45 record. A playoff berth last season inspired some confidence but a .500 record in 2022-23 sealed Nurse’s fate.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors are looking at former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. Udoka was suspended, then fired, by the Celtics for violating team policy by dating a Celtics staffer and claimed he made “unwanted advances” toward her. Udoka recently interviewed for the Houston Rockets head coaching job.
[ESPN]
