Disgraced former head coach Ime Udoka could replace Nick Nurse as Raptors' boss

Nick Nurse has been fired and may be headed to the Houston Rockets. So where does that leave the Toronto Raptors?

Keep an eye on Ime Udoka, a former head coach of the Boston Celtics.

Udoka is "expected to be a serious candidate" for the Raptors job, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Udoka has a "long relationship" with Raptors President Masai Ujiri, Wojnarowski adds.

"This is an opportunity for us to reset, to refocus, to put into place the personnel and the players who will help us reach our goal of winning our next championship," Ujiri said in this morning's media release announcing the Nurse firing.

Udoka is also reportedly a top candidate for the vacant head coaching job in Houston, so the Raptors may have competition for his services.

Former Celtics coach Ime Udoka is expected to be a serious candidate to replace Nurse, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/L15nmpkxVo

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 21, 2023

The Celtics posted a 51-31 record in Udoka's lone season as head coach last season.

The 45-year-old was suspended by the team for the entirety of the 2022-23 season for violating multiple team policies, which reportedly included an intimate relationship with a female member of the organization.

He was replaced, permanently, by Joe Mazzulla in February.