What To Make Of Rockets' Coaching Search Following Nick Nurse's Jettison From Toronto?

Nick Nurse will be a late addition to become a candidate for the Houston Rockets coaching search, which is off to a strong start due to the interest in Frank Vogel and Ime Udoka.

HOUSTON — Nick Nurse officially became a candidate for the Houston Rockets' coaching vacancy Friday morning when the Toronto Raptors fired Nurse. And following his jettison, Nurse immediately became a coaching candidate for the Rockets.

Nurse was the consensus favorite to become the Rockets' next head coach following the inevitable departure of Stephen Silas on April 10. But Nurse's late addition could impact his chances of joining the Rockets.

"We thought it was time for a new voice," general manager Rafael Stone said. "It was much more about exiting one stage, entering another and [finding] the optimal way to move forward.

"I think we want somebody who has a real vision for how to implement our young guys, how to incorporate some veterans — who for sure we're going to add this summer."

The Rockets have completed a handful of interviews since April 12. Frank Vogel was the first candidate the Rockets interviewed and is the front-runner for the job. 

Houston interviewed former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka on Wednesday. But following the jettison of Nurse in Toronto, Udoka became a "serious candidate" for the Raptors. 

The Rockets will bring back Vogel and Udoka for a second interview while embarking on the first with Nurse. Kenny Atkinson, James Borrego, Sam Cassell, Adrian Griffin and Kevin Young are other candidates linked to the Rockets.

Nurse began his NBA career as coach of the Rockets' G League team, Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He helped the Vipers win two of their three championships and joined the Raptors coaching staff in 2013.

Nurse replaced former Raptors' coach Dwane Casey in 2018. And in his five seasons, Nurse has a career record of 227-163. He helped lead Toronto to its first championship in franchise history in 2019. The following season, Nurse was named the 2019-20 Coach of the Year.

Vogel's last coaching stop came in 2019 with the Los Angeles Lakers. He went 127-98 during his three-year stint, which included leading the Lakers to the 2019-20 NBA championship.

Before his time with the Lakers, Vogel established himself as one of the top defensive coaches during his five-year run with the Indiana Pacers. He helped develop the likes of Paul George while helping the Pacers become an Eastern Conference powerhouse from 2012 to 2014.

---

You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

Want the latest in news and insider information on the Houston Rockets? Click here

Follow Inside the Rockets on Facebook here

Follow Inside the Rockets on Twitter @InsideRocketsFN

Want even more Houston Rockets news? Check out the SI.com team page here