The Raptors reportedly wanted Mike Budenholzer to become their next coach. He chose the Bucks, and though Toronto never formally offered him a contract, that could be semantics – a “we’ll offer you the job if you’ll take it, but not otherwise” situation.
Anyway, where do the Raptors go from here?
Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports
Mike Budenholzer chooses Milwaukee, per Woj. Not a surprise (see my previous tweets). I get the sense that Nick Nurse is the current favourite for the Raptors job, although Rex Kalamian and Jerry Stackhouse are in the running, among others.
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) May 16, 2018
Nurse worked his way up the coaching ranks, through Europe and the D-League before joining Dwane Casey’s staff in Toronto. Nurse gets major credit for the Raptors’ revamped offense.
Assistant coach Rex Kalamian and minor-league coach Jerry Stackhouse are also internal candidates. When a franchise is so successful, it usually lifts the stock of most employees.
That stopped applying to Casey in Toronto. It might make Nurse – or less likely, Kalamian or Stackhouse – Casey’s successor.
