NBA: Toronto Raptors coach on LeBron James, BBL and broken-down buses
- Published
- comments
Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse coached in Britain, Belgium and the NBA minor league before making the big time
From dealing with a broken-down bus on a British motorway to leading a team with a budget of $150m, Nick Nurse has done the hard yards to get to where he is now.
A basketball journeyman who has worked in Birmingham, Brighton and Belgium, he finally realised his dream of coaching an NBA team in June when he was promoted to head coach of the Toronto Raptors.
And on Wednesday, in his first NBA game in charge, he led the Raptors to a 116-104 win over five-time Eastern Conference champions, Cleveland Cavaliers.
In an interview with BBC World Service's Seth Bennett before the start of the season, the 51-year-old American spoke about his path to this point and that he sees no difference between coaching in the British Basketball League (BBL) and coaching in the NBA.
'My player drove the bus because I wasn't 25'
Nurse had periods at BBL teams Derby Storm, Birmingham Bullets, Manchester Giants, London Towers and Brighton Bears. He led the Bullets and Giants to the league title and twice won the BBL coach of the year honour.
"I didn't think reaching the NBA was a possibility when I coached Derby in 1990. I was right out of college when I went there, and was more concerned about playing a bit and getting that out of my system.
"Maybe I started to dream about it five or six years later at Birmingham. I was watching a lot of NBA games on tapes. We were all trying to fantasise about making it.
"It became more of a reality when I tried to get back in through the D league [NBA minor league].
"The gym in Milton Keynes or wooden backboards at Chester - maybe it didn't feel that glamorous at the time, but it was fun.
"I could tell you a hundred stories about my time in the BBL. One time, we were stuck at the side of the road when the bus broke down. I was the head coach and Martin Ford was the centre on my team, but he also drove the bus because I wasn't yet 25.
"You look back at it and have a laugh. It was fun."
'There's no difference between coaching teams in the BBL and NBA'
"Regarding the budgets, I think it was £100,000 at BBL teams and now it's about $150m (£114m) [in the NBA]. In the D league we had guys make $15K, $20K.
"I know the 'big spending club v smaller club' theme is popular in the Premier League. I don't think about it - we are 30 teams trying to win the championship, and you do what you need to do.
"As far as the coaching is concerned, there's no difference. I tried to convince those guys at the Bullets in the 95-96 season that they could try to beat the mighty London Towers, who won everything the year before.
"I got out of bed every day with the mindset of getting the team to Wembley for the play-off final and to win the championship."
'LeBron is not in the East - let's see how that plays out'
LeBron James (centre) helped the Cleveland Cavaliers to three NBA titles during his two spells at the team
Nurse was appointed as the assistant to former coach Dwane Casey in 2013. Casey was sacked in June, despite leading the Raptors to a franchise-record 59 wins and after winning the NBA Coach of the Year title. The team was beaten by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the play-offs for the second successive season during the 2017-18 campaign.
"I can hold my hand on my heart and say that I gave 110% to him [Casey] to help this organisation win for those five years. I never undermined him in any way.
"It just so happens, in a turn of events, the job ends up on my lap. I thought I'd be an NBA head coach, but I didn't think it was going to be here - but that's the way the chips fell.
"What would be success this season? You can look at 59 wins and know you'd have a tough time topping that. Our play-off record has left a lot to be desired though.
"Let's get the team to the play-offs again and let's make the deepest run we've ever made. How that turns out defines our success.
"LeBron James [who helped the Cavaliers to the last four Eastern Conference titles and is now at LA Lakers] won the East those last few years. He's not here and it's pretty obvious.
"But let's see how it plays out. There are other scenarios to think about. If you're a fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh-placed team you're thinking, 'this is up for grabs'. I'm expecting the Raptors to be one of those clubs. If we don't come out in one of those scenarios then that'll disappoint me."