Raptors 'Frustrated' With Nick Nurse; Could Rockets Hire at Season's End?

The Houston Rockets may be looking for a new coach this offseason. Could it be Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse?

Jeremy Brener | Jan 30, 2023

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets could be in the head coach market this offseason after three dismal years with Stephen Silas at the helm.

Silas, 49, is 49-155 over the first 204 games coached with the Rockets. Houston has ended with the worst record in the NBA the past two seasons and currently holds the lowest win percentage so far this season.

Silas has struggled in his first stint as a head coach, and the Rockets could be looking for an established coach with success to replace him.

That could be Toronto Raptors' Nick Nurse, who is beginning to feel the heat of the hot seat after five seasons with the team, according to The Athletic.

"What’s more, Nick Nurse’s future as Raptors head coach is expected to come into focus this summer, when sources say he will be entering the final year of his contract going into next season," The Athletic writes. "After the 2019-20 season, Nurse – who guided the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship, won Coach of the Year in 2020, and is regarded among the league’s best coaches – signed a contract extension through 2023-24 worth $8 million per year. The length of the deal has not been previously disclosed by the team. There’s been frustration throughout the roster and staff with the team’s play at points of this season, and that has been directed toward Nurse at times too, according to sources."

Nurse also has ties to the Rockets organization. Before joining the Raptors as an assistant in 2013, he coached the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for two seasons, winning the championship in his final season there.

All good things must come to an end, and it looks like that could be the case after a decade of Nurse in Toronto. But when one door closes, another one opens, and the Rockets should at the very least keep an eye on what's going on north of the border.

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Published Jan 30, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.