[Woj] ESPN Sources: The Toronto Raptors are finalizing a deal to hire Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic as the franchise’s next coach.
ESPN Sources: The Toronto Raptors are finalizing a deal to hire Memphis Grizzlies assistant Darko Rajakovic as the franchise’s next coach. pic.twitter.com/AEPu64p2F2
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 10, 2023
by drecz
39 Comments
This is surprising tbh, felt like he came out of nowhere the last week or so
Lol who? Leave it to Toronto the Raps to leave us in the dark. I have no idea who this dude is.
He played a big role in Bane and JJJ development
LOOOOL no one expected Darko… typical Raptors😂
we are going for that first pick 👍👍👍👍
I have no idea who this is but finally the coach talk ends.
4 hours ago I said idgaf who we get and here it is your welcome boys 😂 I like the hire and that we finally have a coach
Huh
Let’s get the Jokic to Toronto rumours going
Interesting, did help with the griz rebuild. Maybe a sign of the direction of the team
He was key in developing young Grizzlies, this may mean we’re going for a full rebuild.
I’m so fucking happy the process is finally over
Woah, totally not who I expected!
But not surprising coming from the Raptors.
Finally, we can start focusing on the roster.
Lmao new it wasn’t going to be a heavy advertised name.
Let’s go!!! Rebuild time???
Such a raptor thing to do. Hire a semi unknown as head coach
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His name was mentioned in Woj’s first article and then started popping up again over the last week or so.
Interesting hire, lets see how it goes
[The Raptors wanted a coach whom they believed could coach a contending team should the franchise stay on its current path with veterans, or a rebuilding roster should they eventually transform the roster to younger players and draft assets, sources said.](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37832256/raptors-hire-grizzlies-assistant-darko-rajakovic-head-coach)
Rebuild time?
WE ARE IN THE DARKO NO MORE
So no one else wanted the job huh?
They finally did it. I like that they hired a new voice that’s relatively young.
NO MORE SPECULATION TWEETS LETS GOOOOOO
Grizzlies halfcourt offense wasn’t inspiring this year, was it? Obviously it’s personnel dependent but that was the hype for Jordi and Adelman
Oh we TANKING tanking.
I mean Memphis did a good job developing their guys and letting young guys play big minutes. I’m all for it. Would have cried if we hired someone like Doc rivers
This is such a Toronto move 😂
We finally did something 👏👏👏
For everyone saying “LOL NEVER HEARD HIS NAME, OUT OF LEFT FIELD?!?!?!?”. His name has been bouncing around with everyone else, we just heard nothing but Sergio for the longest time.
Damn wtf. I am woefully out of the loop when it comes to Darko, gonna need a lot of research. Happy to see fresh blood and assistant coach get their due, regardless!
Blurb here: https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/33849936/nba-coaching-prospects-here-top-names-league-insiders-extolling-scenes
> People all over the coaching world, as well as players who have benefited from his grasp of the game, rave about Darko Rajakovic. That makes a lot of sense when you consider he has been poached twice — Phoenix and Memphis — over the past couple of years by incoming head coaches assembling a staff from scratch. A European head coach has yet to break through with a sustained career in the NBA, but Rajakovic (Serbia) has the intellect and passion for the craft that makes him the current morning-line favorite to become the first. The man has authored academic-journal style articles about the evolution of the pick-and-roll, but he’s anything but academic in his warmth with players and fellow coaches.
Looks like this guy has really worked his way up to finally become a head coach. I don’t know anything about him or his style of coaching but it’s nice to have a new person enter the rotation of head coaches in the league.
Look at all the nephews exposing themselves for not knowing shit and acting like the guy is an out of the blue hire.
idk anything about him but i hope he is an good x and o coach that holds players accountable
The Darko horse candidate wins!!! Typical Raptors move to get the guy least expected. Really interested to see what he can do with this team and what additional moves are on the way.
This guy is the next big thing
Not sure if people just haven’t been paying attention to rumours in the last week or two because I don’t know why this is such a massive surprise to people. Tbh I got the vibe it was either Sergio or Darko. Was honestly expecting Sergio myself but this isn’t a huge shock imo.
Think he has a lot of promise and excited for him to get to work next season. His work with the Grizzlies is interesting, having recent experience rebuilding an NBA team is always a good thing.
Jokic coming for Darko.
Giannis coming for Masai.
Super team incoming
Well I have my new fav coach in NBA