NBA
NBA insiders have reported that Doc Rivers and Nick Nurse are finalists to be the Phoenix Suns’ next head coach
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated24 May 2023
Currently, there are five NBA teams around the league that are in an active search for their next head coach. One of them is the Phoenix Suns who fired Monty Williams after an exit in the second round of the playoffs to the Nuggets in six games. NBA insiders have reported that Doc Rivers and Nick Nurse are finalists to be the Phoenix Suns’ next head coach.
Not only is Nick Nurse a top candidate for Phoenix, but the Milwaukee Bucks have him as a finalist as well. Milwaukee fired Mike Budenholzer after losing to the Miami Heat in five games. Joining Nurse as one of four finalists for Phoenix’s opening is Doc Rivers.
The Sixers had a 3-2 lead in the East Semi-Finals. Philly would lose games 6 and 7 and the series to the Celtics. Rivers was fired soon after.
Doc Rivers is a finalist for the Suns job, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/DlljE47Ve5
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 24, 2023
Nurse and Rivers, both NBA championship coaches, are finalists for the Sun’s job
The other two finalists in Phoenix’s head coaching search are Kevin Young and Jordi Fernandez. Young is an associate head coach with Phoenix and Fernandez is an associate head coach with Sacramento. These gentlemen along with Nick Nurse and Doc Rivers will be meeting with Phoenix’s senior leadership to find their next head coach.
In the best situation right now is former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. He’s a finalist for two openings and might have a choice to make. Milwaukee has Kenny Atkinson, David Griffin, and himself as their three finalists to be the Bucks’ next head coach.
Phoenix’s other big-name finalist is former Sixers head coach Doc Rivers. He helped lead the 76ers to their best regular season record in 2022-23 since the 2000-01 season. However, his biggest flaw is falling apart in the postseason. Rivers and the Sixers made the East Semi-finals in all three of his seasons, but never made it past the second round. The Suns have a big decision on their hands. Their next head coach needs to be able to elevate Phoenix’s superstars like Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
