It's the end of an era in Canada. After just five (mostly) successful season with the Toronto Raptors, Nick Nurse has been fired from his post. After a rough season that saw them flame out in the Play-In Tournament, it was clear that something needed to change. That change now starts with a new head coach to lead the team. As expected, one name immediately sticks out as a replacement for the Raptors, ex-Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, per Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Former Celtics coach Ime Udoka is expected to be a serious candidate to replace Nurse, sources tell ESPN.”
Ime Udoka was already linked to the Raptors earlier this month, as talks about Nurse's imminent departure heated up. Udoka was the coach of the Celtics last season, and he was a big reason for their NBA Finals appearance. To this day, players still credit his coaching in interviews. He turned them into a defensive beast that swallowed the Eastern Conference.
However, talking about Udoka means talking about the massive elephant in the room. The reason why the ex-Celtics coach is available is because he was essentially booted from the team. During the past offseason, he was suspended for having an illicit affair with one of the team staffers. Initially thought to be a consensual relationship, the woman in question eventually claimed that Udoka made unwanted remarks towards her. The Raptors will need to take this into account when assessing him as a candidate.
If you can look past this PR nightmare, though, Udoka is definitely a good pick to replace Nurse as the Raptors coach. On a team with good-to-great defenders, Udoka's defense-first schemes will shine. Now, if the front office manages to fix their broken bench…
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