Nurse has options to replace Finch
Whoever Nick Nurse tabs to join his Raptors coaching staff is not going to be pigeonholed.
It is not his style to give one job to any one coach. He likes to develop a well-rounded staff, which benefits not only his team but the coaches, as well.
He has done that since he assumed the Raptors’ headcoaching duties from Dwane Casey in 2018 and it is not going to change now that Nurse has a job to fill after the departure of Chris Finch to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Nurse has always changed things up, moving the likes of Sergio Scariolo, Adrian Griffin, Finch and the departed Nate Bjorkgren from offence to defence to what Nurse terms “special teams,” because the more knowledge the better.
“If there (are) areas in their coaching (that the assistants) need some polishing on, we give them a chance to do some of that stuff,” Nurse said. “I think it’s good experience for them to coach, because you’ve got to coach the whole game when you’re the head coach.
“Sometimes in this league, you can kind of get put in a silo, you know. You’re an offensive guy and maybe teams aren’t looking for an offensive guy, or you’re a defensive guy. You don’t want to be so deep down that silo so that you can’t coach all three phases of the game.”
There are several ways Nurse might go in filling a front-row coaching seat in the middle of an NBA season. The logical move, and the easiest, would be for Nurse to promote someone from the second row. It would allow someone with familiarity to assume a greater role in strategy and the obvious candidate would be Jama Mahalela, who returned to the Raptors this season after being the head coach of the G League Raptors 905.
But Nurse is not all about tradition and, given a unique set of circumstances, he might look to do something off the charts. Waiting to bring back Brittni Donaldson from the G League when that season ends has to be in consideration; she’s familiar with the Raptors roster and has been gaining valuable in-game experience working for Patrick Mutombo.
There would seem to be limits to who Nurse might be able to add to his staff, though. It’s unlikely any NBA team would give permission for an assistant to make a lateral move, and prying someone from something like a support video role to get them coaching experience seems equally unfathomable.
Nurse, who is known for some outside-the-box thinking, might want to look at untraditional spots. He might be able to use his vast array of global coaching contacts to find someone ending a contract in Europe or the G League.
Whoever gets the job will take it knowing he or she will be given responsibility and have the full support of the head coach. One of his most important jobs is hiring people so they can eventually leave.
“I’ve always seen it as my job to try to get people to maximize their career ambitions,” Nurse said. “I try to speak about them when I get a chance and, whenever I get calls about them, I certainly try to promote them along.”
There is a possibility the Raptors will do nothing significant with the job opening. They have a solid staff familiar with each other that challenges Nurse and advises him, a group that knows the personnel and the goals of the franchise. It’s not great to lose one of the voices at this point in the season but it’s not disastrous. And it gives Nurse a chance to do something bold or unique.