Lakers: Nick Nurse Dispels Rumors About Coaching LA Next Season
The NBA rumor mill stops for no one. Especially when it's spinning around the Lakers head coaching vacancy. Plenty of names have been linked to the Lakers job, but one in particular has really stood out.
Earlier this month, one Eastern Conference executive noted that the Lakers will try to lure Nurse away from Canada to the the west coast according to Heavy.com's Sean Deveney. That report was later confirmed days later by The Athletic's Shams Charania.
In his end of season press conference, Nurse addressed the rumors head on and almost seemed annoyed that a Raptors reporter would ask if the reporters in the room can expect to see him again at Toronto's media day next season.
"First of all, I don’t know where that stuff comes from and I’m focused on coaching this team. How about that?"
Nurse helped steer the Raptors to the 2019 NBA Finals in his first season in Toronto. The team has made the playoffs in three of his four seasons at the helm.
This season, Nurse's Raptors earned the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but lost to the 76ers in the first round in six games.
Nurse is regarded as one of the best young head coaches in the league. The team president of the Raptors, Masai Ujiri, is fully aware of Nurse's status and doesn't sound at all concerned about his head coach leaving this offseason.
He also included Nurse in pretty elite company when Ujiri spoke to the rumors.
"I dream like they dream. I want Messi. I want Ronaldo. I want Kobe Bryant. So they will keep dreaming. I dream too."
Ujiri mentioned that he hasn't received any calls from teams requesting permission to speak to Nurse about a potential head coaching job.
Sounds like the idea of Nurse coming to the Lakers is just that. A dream not based in reality.
