Former Nets coach Steve Nash on shortlist for new coach to start talks with Raptors

2023-05-23 14:50

Former Nets coach Steve Nash on shortlist for new coach to start talks with Raptors


According to the well-known sports reporter Sham Charania of "The Athletic", former Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash has become one of the candidates for the new head coach of the Toronto Raptors . They met recently. and had a conversation about the job.


After Nash ended his NBA player career, he signed a 4-year contract with the Nets in early September 2020 to replace Kenny Atkinson as the head coach of the Nets and began his coaching career. Nash led the team to the Eastern Conference semifinals in his first season. And Nash has also been hailed as one of the best players in NBA history with his rich on-court experience and strategy.


However, after two seasons of coaching, even if the team has NBA star generals such as Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Ben Simmons, they are frequently faced with general Irving being suspended for refusing to be vaccinated, Durant Rand was injured, his partner Harden left the team and other internal problems. In the end, Nash was unable to gain a greater competitive advantage for the Nets.


During the offseason of last season, Durant asked the Nets owner Cai Chongxin to fire Nash and general manager Sean Marks as a condition to keep him, but Cai Chongxin decisively criticized the general manager Max and the head coach at the time. Nash expressed support.


However, under Nash's coaching, the general Durant's disobedience to command and so on made the Nets gradually become an uncontrollable situation. Therefore, Nash was forced to leave after coaching 7 regular season games this season, and was temporarily coached by assistant coach Jacque Vaughn until the end of the season.


After the Raptors fired head coach Nick North on April 22 this year, the team has been looking for candidates for a new head coach, and the former Nets coach has also entered the shortlist.


It is understood that after the Raptors met with Serie A men's basketball coach Sergio Scagliolo, they also had talks with Nash about the head coaching position.


According to a report by well-known NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors also interviewed several NBA assistants earlier, including Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic, San Antonio Spurs assistant Mitchell Johnson, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and Sacramento Kings assistant Jody Fernandez, among others.


On the other hand, the Raptors also held talks with the current WNBA head coach and former Spurs assistant coach Becky Harmon. It can be seen that the Raptors are very cautious in their research on the list of new head coaches, and they have not yet revealed the names of the top three. The first choice for the new head coach candidate.