In the wake of an embarrassing elimination at the hands of the Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers decided to move on from Doc Rivers. It didnāt take them long to find a new man for the job, with Nick Nurse immediately taking the reins.
Curiously, their new coach had also been fired recently, since the Toronto Raptors parted with him in April. Either way, the Sixers are already looking forward to turning the page after a string of playoff failures.
Nurse comes to town with a championship in his rĆ©sumĆ©, having led Toronto to its lone ring in 2019. He had also drawn interest from the Suns and Bucks, but thereās a reason why he preferred the City of Brotherly Love.
Nick Nurse mentions Daryl Morey as reason to snub Kevin Durant, Suns
āWell, thereās several things youāre evaluating,ā Nurse said, via ClutchPoints. āFirst of all, I know whatās a good team because Iām in the trenches trying to battle you guys a lot. Pretty good rivalry, right? We saw each other a lot and playoffs and stuff as well. Certainly a big factor.
āAnd then, I think whatās most important is ownership. Just just like the other side, do your research, and everything I hear is super positiv. And I know Daryl and Darylās track record of getting players and putting together a roster that can compete for the title, I think speaks for itself. And thatās what made it a fairly easy decision in the end.ā
Turning down the possibility to coach a team with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Chris Paul in the same roster is never an easy choice to make, which is why this speaks volumes of Nurseās trust in Daryl Morey.
During his time with the Raptors, he faced the Sixers on many occasions in the playoffs. Now heāll be coaching his former rivals, who need someone to guide them to the promised land once and for all.
