During his media conference on Friday discussing the firing, Raptors vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri repeatedly mentioned changing the culture of the team was at the heart of the decision.
“This has been hard, the last week and a half,” Ujiri said, adding the goal of having a replacement in place before the NBA draft made the most sense. “There was nothing contentious about this.
“Winning, and the future, is where we have to look.”
The firing of Nurse ends a rocky final season with the club four years after he guided the team to its first and only NBA title.
The Raptors finished a disappointing ninth in the East at 41-41 this year and lost their first play-in game against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
Nurse’s name was linked to the Houston Rockets’ job in a couple of published reports last month with former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka being rumored as a Raptors possibility. Then, he expanded on his future before a game in Philadelphia, saying he’d evaluate his future with the club after the season.
When pressed for more thoughts the next game, Nurse, who had one year left on his contract with the Raptors, refused to go further, saying he was concentrating on the current situation.
Throughout the year, there were signs of a disconnect between the Nurse and the front office. The coach leaned heavily on his starters and young players like Malachi Flynn and Delano Banton got little playing time.
While Nurse said he has a good relationship with President Masai Ujiiri at his end-of-season media availability, the turbulence throughout the season showed they may not always have been aligned.
The disappointing final year was a stark contrast to a good chunk of the rest of Nurse’s time as head coach.
After the team cut ties with head coach Dwane Casey following the 2017-18 season, the Raptors promoted then-assistant Nurse to the top job. He proceeded to guide the Raptors to the NBA title in his first season at the helm after the club made a blockbuster trade for Kawhi Leonard.
What qualities will Ujiri and Raptors look for in their next head coach hire?
Despite losing Leonard in free agency the next summer, Nurse’s Raptors got off to a 46-18 start in 2019-20 before COVID-19 halted play. Upon their return to the Orlando bubble, the Raptors advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs, where they lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics.
Nurse was named NBA coach of the year in 2019-20 and then signed a contract extension.
But with the pandemic still going, the Raptors were forced to relocate to Tampa, Fla. for the 2020-21 season. With the season going poorly, the campaign was dubbed “The Tampa Tank” and the Raptors ended up getting the fourth overall pick, which they used to select Scottie Barnes.
Barnes was rookie of the year the following season as the Raptors rose to fifth in the East before losing in six games to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.
Nurse arrived in Toronto as an assistant in 2013, a job he held for five years.
Previously, the well-travelled Nurse had worked in the G League, winning two championships as a head coach.
The 55-year-old Iowa native cut his coaching teeth in the British Basketball League.
Nurse was 227-163 in 360 regular-season games as head coach in Toronto.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
