The Raptors have fired Nick Nurse. Good move or bad?

It’s the end of an era. Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has been relieved of his duties and the Raptors are moving on from the only coach who has ever led the team to a championship.

I can’t say I’m surprised. Coaching changes in the NBA aren’t unusual, for one thing (San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat excepted). And with the Raptors missing the playoffs two out of the last three seasons, and this season in particular being marred by poor defense (Nurse’s staple) and uncharacteristic low-energy play, plus bouts of selfishness, not to mention the lack of development from the team’s young players… there’s no argument something wasn’t right with the team. And when something isn’t right the coach is usually the first one to go.

But I’m not sure if it’s the right decision, and I guess I won’t know until we see how the team does next season — and/or how Nick Nurse does in a new situation.

Nick Nurse was the greatest coach in Raptors history

The resume is pretty much unimpeachable. Nurse has the second-most wins in franchise history and the highest winning percentage. Nurse spent five years as an assistant to Dwane Casey, then took over as head coach after Casey was fired — right after Casey won Coach of the Year. Tough task! And to make it even tougher, the Raptors then traded their franchise player, DeMar DeRozan, for Kawhi Leonard, who early reports suggested didn’t want to play in Toronto at all.

Well, we all know how that worked out. Leonard reported to camp of course, and Nurse took the revamped roster and, bolstered by Leonard and Danny Green and a midseason trade for Marc Gasol, transformed the Raptors into a defensive juggernaut that won 58 games and the 2019 NBA Championship.

The next season might have been even more impressive; without Leonard and Green, the Raptors managed to maintain their defensive identity and seemed well-poised to make another Finals run when the pandemic struck. And despite winning 53 games in the shortened 72-game season (equivalent to 60 in a full season), going 7-1 in the Bubble and sweeping the Nets out of the first round, the Raptors didn’t have the legs to outlast the Boston Celtics and fell in seven games in the second round. Nurse deservedly won Coach of the Year for the team’s efforts.