Nick Nurse heavy betting favorite to become Rockets next head coach

If you hold up betting odds as a great predictor, then you may believe the Rockets already have narrowed their focus on their next head coach.

A day after the Rockets officially fired Stephen SilasBetOnline has current Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse as the clear favorite to take over for Silas.

Nurse, who the online sportsbook has as an even-money favorite to get the Houston job, has ties to the Rockets, coaching the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the Rockets' G-League affiliate, for two seasons, including leading them to a title in 2013. That propelled him to an assistant's job in Toronto where he eventually took over as head coach in 2018 and led the Raptors to their only NBA title in that first season. In five years as head coach, Nurse has gone 227-163 and currently has the Raptors in the play-in tournament. He has one year left on his contract, but rumors have persisted for a while that this would be his final month in Toronto.

The Rockets already got permission to interview two of their top targets, Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin.

Both of those candidates also caught the eye of BetOnline, who has these seven coaches as their top picks for the Rockets ...

Nick Nurse, even money

For all the reasons listed above, Nick Nurse makes a lot of sense for the Rockets, which is why he's listed as even money — meaning, if you were to bet $100, you'd win $100, nothing extra. We'll see what happens between Nurse and the Raptors when they're finished with the postseason.

Scott Brooks, 5-to-1 odds

Brooks obviously has Houston ties, spending two-plus seasons as the team's backup point guard, including on that first championship team in 1994. He went on to coach the Oklahoma City Thunder during their Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook/James Harden days leading them to the NBA Finals once in his seven seasons there. He coached five seasons with the Washington Wizards, leading them to the playoffs three times, but was fired in 2021. He's spent the past two seasons as an assistant for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Ime Udoka, 6-to-1 odds

Udoka was one of the hottest names in coaching after his lone season as the Boston Celtics' head coach before he was suspended last offseason for a "violation of team policies" related to a relationship with a staff member. In his one season, Udoka led the Celtics to a 51-31 record and an appearance in the NBA Finals where they lost to the Warriors. Udoka played parts of seven seasons in the NBA and spent seven more seasons as an assistant under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio.

Mark Jackson, 7-to-1 odds

Jackson seems like he should be an even bigger long shot than this, but the ABC and ESPN commentator often gets his name thrown around whenever there's a coaching vacancy. The former All-Star point guard did end his playing career with a final year in Houston backing up Steve Francis during the 2003-04 season. With no experience as an assistant coach, Jackson landed the head coaching job with the Golden State Warriors in 2011. Jackson led the Warriors to the playoffs in the final two seasons of his three-year stint, but he was fired in 2014, and Steve Kerr led them to an NBA title the next season.

Kenny Atkinson, 8-to-1 odds

The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen reports that the Rockets could be looking for a fiery head coach to serve as a bit of an opposite of what the team just experienced under Silas. If so, Atkinson makes a lot of sense. Atkinson got his NBA coaching start with the Rockets as an assistant in the 2007-08 season before going to to serve under Mike D'Antoni with the Knicks. He got his first head coaching job with the Brooklyn Nets in 2016, leading the moribund franchise to the playoffs in his third season before stepping down late in the next season. Atkinson has spent the past two seasons as Steve Kerr's top assistant in Golden State and has proven to be picky when looking for his next job, turning down the Hornets offer to become their next head coach after the Warrior's championship last offseason.

Frank Vogel, 9-to-1 odds

Vogel has an NBA title on his résumé after leading the Lakers to the 2020 championship in the bubble in his first season in Los Angeles. However, two years later, he was fired when the Lakers missed the playoffs last year. Vogel, known as a defensive coach, was highly successful in his six seasons with the Pacers, leading them twice to the Eastern Conference finals. He was much less successful in two seasons with the Magic, who failed to reach 30 wins in either season, which resulted in Vogel's firing.

Adrian Griffin, 10-to-1 odds

If the Rockets are interested in Nurse, but can't get a deal done, perhaps Griffin would interest them. The 48-year-old has spent the past 15 years as an NBA assistant, including the last five as Nurse's lead assistant in Toronto, a stretch that included an NBA title. Griffin played nine seasons in the NBA, including a brief 19-game stretch with the 2003-04 Rockets.