Nurse steps up from assistant to coach Raps

The Toronto Raptors didn’t have to go far to find the man who will be the ninth head coach in franchise history.

Nick Nurse, 50, is being promoted from assistant under the deposed Dwane Casey, to the head coach job, sources confirmed to Postmedia on Tuesday after an initial ESPN report.

Originally hired soon after Masai Ujiri took over as team president and general manager in the summer of 2013 (at the same time former Ujiri right-hand man Jeff Weltman came aboard), Nurse was put in charge of Toronto’s offence, which became one of the best in the NBA through the work of Casey, Nurse and the rest of the staff.

The team ranked third in the NBA in offensive efficiency this past season. The attack was completely revamped last summer to get the ball moving and more three-pointers hoisted in an attempt to modernize. Despite skepticism, the Raptors pulled it off and again scored at will, now doing so more efficiently.

Previously, Steve Kerr tried to add Nurse to his staff when he took over in Golden State a year after Nurse got to Toronto, but the Raptors declined to let him go.

Nurse has long had a backer in Ujiri, who is making his first headcoaching hire after inheriting George Karl in Denver and Casey, a Karl protege, in Toronto.

Nurse came to Toronto fresh off of an NBA Development League championship with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and also won a league championship with Iowa, and a D League coach of the year award and nine championships while in Europe. He also coached England’s 2012 Olympic squad.

A native of Carroll, Iowa, Nurse has long been regarded as one of the NBA assistants most deserving of a top job. An April survey of league executives by Yahoo’s Chris Mannix saw Nurse get the most votes in that regard.