Well, all good things must come to an end, I suppose. After five years and a championship run, the Toronto Raptors are reportedly letting Nick Nurse go after this season. It's been a rough year for Nurse, who struggled to get the (admittedly flawed) roster over the hump. They were unable to capitalize on their playoff run last year, and are now facing the dreaded Play-In Tournament.

Time will tell if Nurse's job as the Raptors coach is indeed in danger. Perhaps a miracle run through the Play-In Tournament and an upset of the Milwaukee Bucks convinces Nurse to stay. However, the team needs to be prepared in the likely event of his departure. Let's look at some coaches that could replace Nick Nurse as the Raptors' head coach.

Ime Udoka: The Question Mark

Any discussion about the Raptors' new head coach must start with the name most associated with the job right now: Ime Udoka. After being essentially fired by the Boston Celtics, Udoka is the “favorite” to be the head coach of Toronto. It's easy to why that's the case: his stellar track record in his first year as the Celtics' coach speaks volumes.

Just like Nurse, Udoka led the Celtics to a Finals appearance in just his first year. The head coach instilled a lot of defensive principles in a team full of playmakers on defense. The fit, in theory, should be a good one: provided that the Raptors keep their core players, the new head coach will have a room full of versatile defensive wings.

However, talking about Udoka also means talking about the reason why he's in the open market in the first place. Allegations about improper workplace conduct led to Udoka being suspended (and eventually let go) by the Celtics. It's a PR nightmare, and it's something that could turn off the Raptors from signing Udoka.

There's also the fact that the Celtics are doing well even without Ime Udoka. Is that an indication that Udoka was a benefactor of Boston's talent, instead of being the catalyst for their success?

Adrian Griffin: The Raptors' In-House Option

Perhaps the Raptors would like to try their hand at taking another in-house option for their head coach. Remember, Nick Nurse was an assistant for Dwane Casey before the latter was fired after the 2018 postseason. In fact, Nurse was largely credited for the offensive overhaul that Toronto had during the regular season (we don't talk about the playoffs).

Adrian Griffin is Nurse's primary assistant this season, and he'd be a fine option for the Raptors' head coach job. Griffin was in fact considered as a candidate for the open Utah Jazz job last offseason. He's also stood in for Nurse when he's not on the sidelines, which means he has experience. It's certainly a good option for Toronto if they want to keep their culture intact, if not a bit un-flashy.

The Raptors will need to fend off a familiar face in order to keep Griffin around as an option, though. The Detroit Pistons is looking to move on from former Toronto coach Dwane Casey, and Adrian Griffin is emerging as one of their options.

Frank Vogel: The Big Guns

The Raptors' identity over the last few years was built on their strong defense. Their 2019 postseason run was a masterclass in defense, shutting down various offenses with skilled rotations and timely adjustments. They had great defenders, but Nurse deserves credit for putting them in positions to succeed. They were able to limit the likes Giannis Antetokoumpo, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, and Stephen Curry thanks to creative schemes.

If the Raptors want to keep that identity intact, they'll need to hire a defensive-minded coach to lead this team. Enter Frank Vogel.

Vogel might've gained a bad reputation after his final season with the Lakers, but make no mistake: Frank Vogel is a damn good head coach. Vogel's Indiana Pacers were one of the few teams that were able to challenge the LeBron James-led Heat in the early-to-mid 2010s. They were one of the best defenses in the league, taking Miami to seven games multiple times. Vogel brought that same defense in Los Angeles, with their defense carrying them to the championship in 2020.

With the Raptors, Vogel will have multiple defenders to play with on that side of the ball. If they want the defensive prowess of Udoka without the PR disaster, Vogel should be their guy.

Conclusion: Raptors' overhaul doesn't end with coaching change

Just because the Raptors are changing their head coach doesn't mean that they'll turn around their fortunes, though. In fact, one could argue that Nurse wasn't the problem for Toronto. Ever since the departure of their championship core, the Raptors have committed to signing long forwards… and no one else.

The idea was that having multiple switchable wings would give the Raptors flexibility on defense. In reality, though, that strategy only pigeonholed the team to one single scheme. The lack of serviceable rim protection made Nurse commit to his heavy help defense strategy to limit paint touches. It eventually killed Toronto's ability to defend against the best inside scoring teams in the league… which just so happens to be their East rivals.

Maybe the front office truly decides that Nurse is not worth keeping around. No matter who's on the sideline, though, the Raptors need to make sure that the coach for 2023 is equipped with a better roster to compete.