Who’s on the short list to be next Raptors head coach?

Because the Raptors wrestle with philosophical points concerning the path the franchise will take, two presumed favourites to get severe consideration because the workforce’s head coach haven’t superior previous preliminary discussions.

Based on a number of NBA sources, neither ex-Brooklyn head coach and Canadian icon Steve Nash nor Sacramento Kings affiliate head coach Jordi Fernandez have been invited for a second interview for the Toronto job that has been vacant since Nick Nurse was let go in late April.

Given the tempo of the method and the exhaustive nature of the search being carried out by Raptors vice-chairman and president Masai Ujiri and normal supervisor Bobby Webster, it’s not inconceivable they may revisit both or each.

And given the uncertainty of what the workforce will appear like when coaching camp opens in late September, conserving open all choices is smart. If nobody in a present group of finalists has the talent set Ujiri and Webster need, there’s no purpose they couldn’t backtrack and discuss once more with plenty of candidates.

Who stays within the operating is a deeply held secret with solely snippets leaking out in dribs and drabs. The Raptors group is extensively thought to be one of the secretive within the NBA and potential coaches and their brokers would certainly concentrate on Ujiri’s aversion to any information getting out into the general public realm.

One identify being bandied about final week in some NBA circles was present Memphis assistant Darko Rajaković, and experiences from Italy final week mentioned ex-Raptors assistant and present Virtus Bologna head coach Sergio Scariolo was among the many finalists for the job.

The Raptors did conduct interviews final week, a number of NBA sources mentioned, however even the variety of them has not been confirmed.

However the quantity doesn’t actually matter; a listing could be expanded or contracted on a whim. There are 30 NBA head teaching jobs, and a candidate for the final one that’s open isn’t going to take himself of herself out of the operating as a result of the choice course of is taking a month or two.

And there’s no instant must fill the job. The Raptors’ draft preparation is being dealt with, because it at all times is, by assistant normal supervisor and vice-president of participant personnel Dan Tolzman and his workers. A head coach is at all times an ancillary a part of that course of.

The many questions on the roster for subsequent season and the path the workforce will go on the courtroom is definitely a part of the consideration of what sort of coach the Raptors will need.

In the event that they determine to carry again key free brokers Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl and Gary Trent Jr. and add to the present group, it will requite a coach with some measure of high-level NBA expertise. In the event that they suppose it’s finest to let one, two or all three free brokers go and start some measure of rebuilding course of, it will require a coach with a distinct set of abilities.

And if they’re nonetheless wrestling with that fundamental determination, or if they’re doing extra back-channel due diligence about what participant strikes are possible when free company opens in a couple of weeks, it’s solely logical {that a} teaching determination can wait.

A decision to the teaching emptiness quickly would placate followers and finish hypothesis however that’s the very last thing Ujiri and Webster are fearful about. A brand new coach — a dear, multi-year dedication — is the largest determination the 2 have confronted in 5 years.

Determining who to draft or who to signal as late-summer free brokers pales compared to determining who will coach no matter roster is in place for the 2023-24 season.

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