Lakers: Executive Links Toronto Raptors Head Coach Nick Nurse to LA
As the Lakers season comes to an end, it's looks more and more like head coach Frank Vogel's time in LA will be coming to a close as well.
Based on recent reports from Bleacher Report's Jaske Fischer and ESPN's Ramona Shelbourne, the Lakers are expected to fire Vogel after the conclusion of the regular season. LA's final game is on Sunday in Denver.
There's always buzz around a NBA head coaching vacancy, but that buzz is all the more voluminous when it's one of the premier franchises in the league like the Lakers.
Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder and the 76ers Doc Rivers have already been rumored to be on the Lakers list of candidates. Per Heavy.com Sean Deveney, one Eastern Conference executive believes the Lakers could also make a run at Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.
“I would expect the Lakers to at least ask about Nick Nurse."
The executive's reasoning is based on the fact that the championship head coach is represented by Klutch Sports. Klutch Sports also happens to represent Lakers superstars Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
"They’re [Toronto] not going to let him go. But it makes him look better and Klutch look better if they are asking for him, right? So yeah, I would not be surprised to see the Lakers ask about him but more as a favor to Klutch. Maybe they won’t because he is so far out of reach. But, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, that is how things work.”
Over the last couple of years, Klutch appears to have some pull with the Lakers front office. Depending on who you talk to of course.
Anonymous quotes should be handled carefully plus, it seems unlikely that Toronto would let Nurse skip town that easily. Especially since Nurse has helped steer the Raptors to their only championship in franchise history and has finished with a winning regular season record in three of his four seasons.
More and more names will get added to the Lakers head coach rumor mill, but Nurse seems like a big stretch.
