Masai after Nurse firing: 'This year wasn't us'

Masai Ujiri says his team needs its culture back.

The Toronto Raptors president addressed the media on Friday after the firing of head coach Nick Nurse after five seasons earlier in the day.

"It's been very disappointing for us and we want to gain momentum back as a team, togetherness," Ujiri said of the season.

"I could see it throughout the year. There was never that full excitement, that full spirit...you all saw it."

Ujiri expressed his gratitude for the job Nurse did and noted that the team's failure to make the playoffs wasn't on him alone.

"I have to take responsibility for this, too, as a leader of this organization and I will always do that, but it wasn't us," Ujiri said. "This year wasn't us and I think everybody saw that."

Ujiri insisted that the parting of ways with Nurse was not contentious. The decision was a difficult one, Ujiri said.

"When you see him and he says, 'Good luck with those guys,' it's tough...we're bonded in something that will never, ever go away," Ujiri said.

Ujiri was also asked about Nurse's postgame comments in Philadelphia on Apr. 1 when he openly wondered about his future with the team as the Raptors were still attempting to secure a play-in spot. Ujiri defended Nurse, but did say that he believed it was a mistake on his coach's part.

"Maybe possibly Nick made a mistake that day," Ujiri said. "I didn't use it in this process at all. But for me, the timing wasn't great...he knows it was a mistake and we all moved on from it."

Asked if the was the beginning of widespread changes for the team, Ujiri acknowledged that more were coming, but didn't reveal the scope.

"I think changes are going to be made on all fronts," Ujiri said. "...we saw how different players on our team would rise and do well, but we never saw it collectively...but we believe in the players."

Ujiri said that discussions about Nurse's successor have yet to be had, but hopes that somebody will be in place by the draft.

"We're going to go into that, right after we do this," Ujiri said. "To be honest, we haven't gotten into that exercise yet...we've got to build spirit back here, the culture...we need that back. It's very crucial for us."

Getting back to that culture requires big changes, Ujiri admitted.

"I think it's about making major changes sometimes and this is a major change...there has to be some kind of friction someway to do that," Ujiri said.