NBA Rumors: Ime Udoka can replace Nick Nurse as Toronto Raptors coach
NBA rumors have already started to fly with the 2022-23 regular season winding down. The latest speculation has commented on the future of coaches Nick Nurse and Ime Udoka.
Both coaches have been some of the league's top generals. Nurse has been with the Toronto Raptors organization since 2013, after starting as an assistant. He was promoted to head coach in 2018 and led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship.
Toronto came into the 2022-23 season looking to take the next step forward. That hasn't been the case, as the Raptors (38-38) have struggled and find themselves battling to make the play-in tournament. That has resulted in the idea that Nurse could be on the way out. According to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star, Nurse has been mentioned as a candidate for the Houston Rockets.
“You’ll hear that Nick Nurse may be out as the coach," Smith said. "You’ll hear that he’s destined to head to Houston and then you’re going to hear that Ime Udoka is the front-runner to replace him in Toronto if they go outside the current staff, which seems likely."
Ime Udoka looked to be a rising star in the coaching ranks after an impressive 2021-22 season with the Boston Celtics. He was the man in charge as Boston made an impressive second half of the season run before losing to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.
Udoka was suspended from the Celtics this offseason for multiple violations of team policies. Now, it appears as if Udoka could be a replacement for Nurse with the Toronto Raptors if Nurse were to leave.
Rumors have been linking Nick Nurse to the Rockets and Ime Udoka to the Raptors: ahnfiredigital.com/nba/raptors/ru…
NBA rumors suggest Nick Nurse and Ime Udoka for coaching positions
Both Ime Udoka and Nick Nurse have been high-level NBA coaches. Rumors will start to circulate with the offseason approaching for most of the league. Nurse has found himself rumored as a coach who could be looking for his next opportunity, going back to last season.
It seems as if it's only a matter of time before Nurse is on his way out from the Raptors. The connection with the Houston Rockets makes sense for both parties. The Rockets have a young roster that needs a veteran coach that can get control of the locker room. Nurse would be a huge addition for that organization.
NEW Raptors Insider from @SmithRaps: Is Nick Nurse destined for the Rockets? Rumours suggest Ime Udoka could replace him in Toronto.
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Udoka looked to be rising quickly as one of the league's top coaches given his reputation and experience as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs. The Boston Celtics were one of the most dominant NBA teams during the second half of last season.
After a collapse in the 2022 NBA Finals, the Celtics looked to be out for revenge with Udoka leading the charge for this season. However, he was suspended due to team violations. Udoka has been away from the game, and any team will have to do its homework before hiring him.
Given the strong roster of defensive assets that the Toronto Raptors have, Udoka would seem to be an interesting fit for the team.