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The 2019 NBA Title-winning coach Nick Nurse was only just fired by the Toronto Raptors in reaction to their failure to make the 2023 NBA Playoffs and he is already linked with a new job. The Houston Rockets are actively looking for a new head coach after parting ways with Stephen Silas at the end of the 2022-23 season, a year which saw the Rockets finish dead last in the NBA.
Literally, hours after Nurse was fired from Toronto the Rockets’ Front Office sent him an invite to join the second round of interviews with shortlisted candidates. It seems the Texas franchise is fast to declare serious interest and by the looks of it, Nick Nurse is now the front-runner to land his new job almost instantly after he lost his previous one.
ESPN certainly thinks so, as their NBA insider Adrijen Wojnarowski was quick to reveal:
Nurse will immediately become a prominent candidate in the Houston Rockets’ coaching search, sources tell ESPN. He won the 2019 NBA title as Raptors coach, and was voted the 2020 NBA Coach of the Year.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 21, 2023
Nick Nurse’s Career
Nick Nurse’s early coaching career was in Europe where he developed his coaching skills with jobs in the British Basketball League (BBL), the Belgian premier league and after that several levels of college basketball. He then went to the D-League, nowadays known as the G-League, where up until 2013 he actually coached the Rio Grande Vipers, which is exactly Houston Rockets G-League affiliate.
Eventually, in 2018 Nick Nurse landed his first job as an NBA Head Coach with the Raptors. In his first year in charge, he led the Toronto franchise to its first NBA Title after a 57-24 (.704) regular season and a 16-8 playoff run. The year after, 2020, Nick Nurse was voted Coach of the Year after his Raptors ended up top of the Eastern Conference with a 53-19 (.736) regular season.
Unfortunately for Nurse it has been a steep downside ever since and in his last 3 years in Toronto he’s been averaging below .500. The Raptors made the playoffs in only 1 of those 3 years and they lost in round 1 when they did that back in 2022.
Despite all that Nick Nurse is 1 of only 7 active coaches that has actually won an NBA title. The others are Doc Rovers (76ers), Tyronn Lue (Clippers), Rick Carlisle (Pacers), Steve Kerr (Warriors), Greg Popovich (Spurs) and Mike Budenholzer (Bucks). Nick Nurse is the only one without a job right now and the offers are sure to be coming his way. It seems the Rockets are reacting fastest in trying to tempt him to join their organisation.
Photo by Icon Sport
Is Nick Nurse Destined to Relaunch the Rockets Franchise?
Nick Nurse is seen by many as an excellent fit for the Houston Rockets. The main reason is that Nurse built his reputation by developing young players and all the Rockets have on their roster right now are young players. During his time in the D-League and in his early years with the Raptors Nurse did very well to nurture and develop young talent. That’s why we also think he makes great sense for the job.
Also, as stated above of the active title-winning head coaches Nick Nurse is the only one available for the taking. Being an NBA Champion and being voted Coach of the Year are 2 major trump cards that are likely to shift any race for a job in Nurse’s favour right now. Houston are desperately trying to establish a winning culture with their young talent and having a title-winning coach in the locker room can only help that.
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