Raptors don’t appear to be in any rush to hire a new coach

By Jordan Ketler May 24, 2023 30 mins read 220 Views

The search continues.

The Toronto Raptors are one of five NBA teams looking for a new head coach. That number could swell to six if the Boston Celtics decide that Joe Mazzulla — the young assistant thrust into the top job when Ime Udoka was suspended during pre-season and ultimately fired — isn’t the man for the job if Boston gets bounced in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Miami Heat.

That could happen soon if the Celtics fail to become the first team in 150 tries to rally from a 3-0 deficit in a seven-game playoff series. Game 4 is Tuesday in Miami.

At the very least it’s a good time to be Nick Nurse, the recently fired Raptors head coach who has been short-listed by the Milwaukee Bucks, is considered a front-runner for the Philadelphia 76ers role, and would seem like an obvious candidate for the Celtics job, if it does open up.

Similarly, the other teams with jobs that are open aren’t likely fishing in the same waters as the Raptors. The Detroit Pistons seem determined to hire a young coach that can grow with a young team while the Phoenix Suns, Bucks and Sixers are each in ‘win-now’ mode and expected to be looking for coaches with significant resumes.

The Raptors, who think they can win now but still want to take a long view, are by all accounts in no rush. They’ve interviewed far and wide and expect to have meetings with at least a couple of more candidates before they narrow their list.

Yes, former Brooklyn Nets head coach and Canadian men’s national team star Steve Nash did get a formal interview recently and impressed both with his preparation and his apparent determination to get back on an NBA bench after a weird two-plus year run with various mixes of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Ben Simmons to draw up game plans for — a task made more difficult because none of the stars on the ‘super team’ Nash was hired to coach could stay healthy for any significant length of time.

No, Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon did not formerly interview with Toronto, though there were conversations. Ultimately the sense was the coach of the defending WNBA champions wasn’t in a rush to leave her current role. She is starting a season with a hand-picked team, the richest coaching salary in the history of the league and working for an organization that had just invested $40 million in a world-class practice facility. A recent feature in Time confirmed as much, with Hammon saying: “My happiness is most important … I love being here … I love being back on the women’s side. I don’t need the stamp of approval from the NBA.”

Hammon has denied that she bullied a former player who was pregnant, but she was suspended two games by the WNBA — though it’s believed both sides had agreed to move on before that news became public.

Yes, the Raptors will consider coaches with current NBA experience, with recently fired Suns head coach Monty Williams on Toronto’s radar.

Yes, long-time Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin remains the leading internal candidate.

No, head coaching experience — or even coaching experience — is not required: 15-year NBA veteran and current broadcaster and podcaster JJ Redick remains in consideration after he predictably impressed in his interview.

While Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in the aftermath of firing Nurse that having someone in place before the June 22 draft, where the Raptors are slated to choose 13th overall, was his preference, there is no timeline otherwise.

The focus internally is ‘no stone unturned’; the emphasis being to find the right candidate rather than the timing of the decision.

With most NBA front offices are in California this week to see many of the projected lottery picks in agent-run showcase workouts after the pre-draft combine in Chicago, the impression is the Raptors could still be a couple of weeks away from getting down a short list, which would take the process to the first week of June.

If a hire was made in the second or even the third week of the month, it would still leave time for a new coach to get up to speed on the roster-building possibilities heading into draft week.

There are a couple of ways to interpret that: one is the Raptors are zeroed in on some assistants on teams that are still playing – Chris Quinn on the Miami Heat’s staff and David Adelman with the Denver Nuggets have each been linked to the Raptors’ opening. Presuming the Heat join the Nuggets in the NBA Finals, that would conceivably leave a decision on either of those candidates until after June 18, if the Finals go seven games.

The other possibility is that Toronto doesn’t feel that one of its preferred candidates is likely to land with one of the other teams looking for coaches, which would lend some credence — and we are literally reading tea leaves here — to the idea that the Raptors are thinking outside the box with their next hire.

The one thing that rings true is that the Toronto is determined to hire someone who can be a long-term solution. Ujiri’s patience is perhaps his most identifiable trait during his 13 years as front-office decision maker, and it’s perhaps most evident in how he’s dealt with coaches.

He inherited George Karl in Denver and worked with him for the three years he was general manager there; Karl was fired after Ujiri joined the Raptors prior to the 2013-14 season. Dwane Casey had coached two losing teams in Toronto when Ujiri arrived but went on to five winning years working for Ujiri. After hiring Nurse from Casey’s staff in the summer of 2018, the Raptors coaching situation remained stable for five more years. That might still be the case had Nurse truly wanted to stay on.

All of which is to say, based on track record, the Raptors are unlikely to let any self-imposed deadline dictate who gets hired this time around, and Raptors fans could be waiting for a while for a decision on who the ninth head coach in franchise history will turn out to be.

More from Sportsnet

Report: Raptors met with Steve Nash about head coaching job

Report: Nurse, Raptors’ Griffin among three finalists for Bucks’ coaching job

References:

By: Michael Grange
Title: Raptors don’t appear to be in any rush to hire a new coach
Sourced From: www.sportsnet.ca/nba/article/raptors-dont-appear-to-be-in-any-rush-to-hire-a-new-coach/
Published Date: 05-24-2023

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Toronto Raptors have had all-stars?

Vince Carter and Antonio Davis are the Raptors' eight All-Stars. These players, with the exception of VanVleet and Davis, have all been part of an impressive All-Star team.

When were the Raptors able to beat the Chicago Bulls.

The Raptors defeated Chicago Bulls on March 24, 1996. They would go on to win the NBA Championship in 1996. The final score was 109 to 108. Michael Jordan tried to win for the Bulls with a last-minute shot but it didn't matter because it came after the final buzzer had sounded.

Why did NBA leave Vancouver?

The dispute with Vancouver City Council over arena financing led to NBA leaving Vancouver. The City had planned to contribute $40 million toward the construction of a new basketball arena. It would have 12 luxury suites, two restaurants and a bar. However, the City Council wanted to give the team owners $60 million in taxpayer money to pay off their existing debt. This would mean that the city would have needed to borrow $200m to build the arena. The team owners had to only pay $20 million. This would mean that the city's taxpayers would be responsible for paying back the rest of the loan.

The City Council indicated that they would approve the plan if Rogers Arena was allowed to remain until the new facility is opened. But the league refused to agree, saying the arena wasn't big enough for them anymore. They were not interested in playing there anymore, as it was too small. They felt that it was unfair for them to continue playing in a smaller space when they weren't receiving any additional revenue.

The City Council then asked the province to step in and help out by offering financial assistance. The province agreed to provide $150 million towards the project, but the City Council still needed another $100 million. The City decided to focus its efforts on building a new downtown arena and dropped its plans.

How many years has the Raptors been around?

Toronto Raptors is an NBA basketball franchise. The Raptors, along the Vancouver Grizzlies, joined the NBA in 1995 as an expansion team. The Raptors are the only Canadian-based NBA basketball team.

Toronto Raptors: The Raptors play their home games in Scotiabank Arena. The Maple Leafs is the NHL team from Toronto, and also uses the arena. Since their inception in 1921, the Raptors have played in the NBA playoffs thirteen times. Their most recent appearance was in 2021 when they were defeated in six games by the Philadelphia 76ers.

1999-2000 saw the Raptors make their first playoff appearance. They were swept by New York Knicks their division rivals in the first round.

The team was boring and there were very few fans. There wasn't much to cheer for, or even watch, and nobody knew why. But after years of mediocrity, the team decided to change its image and went out of its way to make itself more appealing to the public.

The team hired an advertising agency to help them create a national marketing strategy in 2001. They came up with the slogan "Hear us roar" using creative thinking.

At the time, the team was struggling financially, so they used the slogan to promote the fact that the games were sold out. The only thing they needed was a catchy phrase, and a great logo. This is where agency's creative genius shines. They combined the phrase "hear us roar" with another popular saying, "never say die." This became Toronto Raptors’ official motto.

Statistics

By 2018, estimated the Raptors were worth $1.4 billion, 12th in the NBA. (en.wikipedia.org)
This improved during the 2006–07 regular season to an average of 18,258 fans (13th in the league), 92.2 percent capacity at the Air Canada Centre. (en.wikipedia.org)
By 2018, estimated the Raptors were worth $1.4 billion, 12th in the NBA. (en.wikipedia.org)
As predicted by analysts, the team easily secured a berth in the 2001 NBA playoffs with a franchise-high 47 wins. (en.wikipedia.org)
Thomas named Raptors' GM NBA superstar to have 10% stake in the new franchise". (en.wikipedia.org)

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How To

How to get from your location to the Toronto Raptors' game

Toronto Raptors games are at Air Canada Centre. (ACC) is located in downtown Toronto Ontario, Canada. TTC's subway system can take you to ACC. Union Station takes 30 minutes to reach ACC. Bay Street station is the nearest stop to ACC.

If you come to ACC directly from Union Station, you should go through Bay street station. From there, you can follow the signs to ACC. Follow the signs to Bay Street station if you arrive at ACC in another direction.

Follow signs to the ACC starting at Bay Street Station.

The venue can be accessed by people with disabilities. Accessible seating is available for wheelchair users. The ACC also provides sign language interpretation services.

There is no parking fee at ACC. There is limited street parking close by.