Nick Nurse appreciation thread!

[brownbobcat]

Happy to see it, Nurse was not the problem. He was handed a dumpster tier roster and expected to make the best of it. Unless we all think that developing Dalano Banton and Malachi Flynn were the priority.

With all of Masai's talk about how special Banton and Dowtin are, how they're a part of the future - where are they now?

I look around and see Garrett Temple staring back at me.

[PushDaRock]

It's funny how he'd probably be in the exact perfect role for this team if we didn't make the Jak trade. We're not playing 40 minutes of Precious/Boucher center/hub ball minus Jak, which means Barnes gets the right amount of hub/C touches to go along with the rest of his game.

Had we fired Nurse last year and had Darko institute this offense in the pre-Jak lineup, you don't get a Barnes regression and likely a playmaking leap right off the bat instead. What could have been.

Edit: and a defensive leap too in the right role.

Is Barnes still shooting sub 30% from 3 last year in this hypothetical? Lol

Maybe, maybe not. He's not standing somewhere mid-baseline for half a quarter doing nothing and the ball is moving and ending up in his hands more often. His offense isn't starting entirely at a standstill every 3 minutes against a set defense.

With him and Siakam playing C/PF he'd be getting more hub touches for playmaking than he is now with Jak. And he isn't defending pgs, he'd be in his roamer role that he's in now.

What has made Barnes special this year isn't the open 3s he's hitting in front of defenses that still aren't respecting it, which would change his scoring from a 20 to an 18 average. It's that he's having Lowry like impact. He's a connector, a PNR initiator and finisher, a PG driver, a high/low man, etc.

He's breaking out because he is more involved in an offense in multiple roles instead of being told to be KD every 3 minutes while asked to be Davion Mitchell on defense the whole game.

Coaching matters.

So, you blame Nurse for Barnes not having a good 2nd year but do you give credit to Nurse for a break out rookie season that exceeded expectations?

Nurse had the ball in Barnes' hands a lot to start last year. FVV was even saying how he was sacrificing his game for the betterment of the team by having the ball less in his hands. They tried to get him into the primary playmaking role for this team and he wasn't ready for the responsibility last season and he is this year. The difference is really the first 2 seasons he showed flashes of what he's doing now but this year he's a lot more consistent with his play.

[PushDaRock]

Happy to see it, Nurse was not the problem. He was handed a dumpster tier roster and expected to make the best of it. Unless we all think that developing Dalano Banton and Malachi Flynn were the priority.

With all of Masai's talk about how special Banton and Dowtin are, how they're a part of the future - where are they now?

I look around and see Garrett Temple staring back at me.

I take a look at the OKC roster and they have 7 bench players with TS% above 60% right now. Then you compare that to our bench with a bunch of players not even at 50 TS%. There's no sugar coating it, Masai and Bobby have done an awful job adding depth to this roster since the championship.

[Madvillainy2004]

Happy to see it, Nurse was not the problem. He was handed a dumpster tier roster and expected to make the best of it. Unless we all think that developing Dalano Banton and Malachi Flynn were the priority.

With all of Masai's talk about how special Banton and Dowtin are, how they're a part of the future - where are they now?

I look around and see Garrett Temple staring back at me.

I take a look at the OKC roster and they have 7 bench players with TS% above 60% right now. Then you compare that to our bench with a bunch of players not even at 50 TS%. There's no sugar coating it, Masai and Bobby have done an awful job adding depth to this roster since the championship.

We've wasted 4 years of Malachi Flynn when Isaiah Joe would be the best player on this bench and he was a FA last year lol

[Madvillainy2004]

Is Barnes still shooting sub 30% from 3 last year in this hypothetical? Lol

Maybe, maybe not. He's not standing somewhere mid-baseline for half a quarter doing nothing and the ball is moving and ending up in his hands more often. His offense isn't starting entirely at a standstill every 3 minutes against a set defense.

With him and Siakam playing C/PF he'd be getting more hub touches for playmaking than he is now with Jak. And he isn't defending pgs, he'd be in his roamer role that he's in now.

What has made Barnes special this year isn't the open 3s he's hitting in front of defenses that still aren't respecting it, which would change his scoring from a 20 to an 18 average. It's that he's having Lowry like impact. He's a connector, a PNR initiator and finisher, a PG driver, a high/low man, etc.

He's breaking out because he is more involved in an offense in multiple roles instead of being told to be KD every 3 minutes while asked to be Davion Mitchell on defense the whole game.

Coaching matters.

So, you blame Nurse for Barnes not having a good 2nd year but do you give credit to Nurse for a break out rookie season that exceeded expectations?

Nurse had the ball in Barnes' hands a lot to start last year. FVV was even saying how he was sacrificing his game for the betterment of the team by having the ball less in his hands. They tried to get him into the primary playmaking role for this team and he wasn't ready for the responsibility last season and he is this year. The difference is really the first 2 seasons he showed flashes of what he's doing now but this year he's a lot more consistent with his play.

I do find that kinda weird like Scottie was drafted as a project look at some of the preseason expectations. Before the preseason most people probably had like 10 6 3 or something along those lines. Scottie was coming off a pretty meh College season as well. And Nurse found out pretty quickly how talented he is and gave him all the mins and touches he could handle as a rookie.

[sidsid]

Maybe, maybe not. He's not standing somewhere mid-baseline for half a quarter doing nothing and the ball is moving and ending up in his hands more often. His offense isn't starting entirely at a standstill every 3 minutes against a set defense.

With him and Siakam playing C/PF he'd be getting more hub touches for playmaking than he is now with Jak. And he isn't defending pgs, he'd be in his roamer role that he's in now.

What has made Barnes special this year isn't the open 3s he's hitting in front of defenses that still aren't respecting it, which would change his scoring from a 20 to an 18 average. It's that he's having Lowry like impact. He's a connector, a PNR initiator and finisher, a PG driver, a high/low man, etc.

He's breaking out because he is more involved in an offense in multiple roles instead of being told to be KD every 3 minutes while asked to be Davion Mitchell on defense the whole game.

Coaching matters.

So, you blame Nurse for Barnes not having a good 2nd year but do you give credit to Nurse for a break out rookie season that exceeded expectations?

Nurse had the ball in Barnes' hands a lot to start last year. FVV was even saying how he was sacrificing his game for the betterment of the team by having the ball less in his hands. They tried to get him into the primary playmaking role for this team and he wasn't ready for the responsibility last season and he is this year. The difference is really the first 2 seasons he showed flashes of what he's doing now but this year he's a lot more consistent with his play.

I do find that kinda weird like Scottie was drafted as a project look at some of the preseason expectations. Before the preseason most people probably had like 10 6 3 or something along those lines. Scottie was coming off a pretty meh College season as well. And Nurse found out pretty quickly how talented he is and gave him all the mins and touches he could handle as a rookie.

I give Nurse credit for giving him minutes, although not much there as he was a top 5 pick on a team that's been shedding talent. It's kind of expected.

Barnes showed raw talent right off the bat, especially his playmaking. He had a great campaign with very little of the team scheme designed around his strengths. I was advocating for this to be changed mid-season, but understandable that it may take an offseason.

We go to the offseason...and absolutely nothing changes. We play the exact same way, prioritizing gimmicks and iso over tailoring more of the O/D around his strengths. This is confirmed by the FO/players, including Scottie, the season is a trainwreck absent development, and added regression for him.

All that changes this year, we see most of the changes that I wanted, he thrives under those changes, etc.

It's a pretty clear progression that fits the information we have on hand. Now you can say that all the players and FO were lying, that Nurse is responsible for everything that was good, but has no involvement in anything that went wrong. I just think my interpretation of events stands on firmer ground.

[Pointgod]

Turns out Nurse wasn’t the problem after all, neither was Fred. Turns out *gasp* talent actually matters!

[Spates]

Watch on YouTube

Nurse continues to do well

Great video. Boston's counter by covering Embiid with Jrue is clever. If you maintain your rim protection presence by guarding Joel on the perimeter with a wing or guard you can muck up this scheme.

In the playoffs when switching becomes a more prominent tactic, Embiid and Maxey will have to prove their competence in beating the switch.

[Badonkadonk]

Turns out Nurse wasn’t the problem after all, neither was Fred. Turns out *gasp* talent actually matters!

The Fred discourse was the lowest point I've seen on RGM. Like people couldn't see at least 4 defenders with 1 foot in the paint and no half court offense to speak of, and didn't understand why possessions ended with Pascal trying to spin his way to a bucket or Fred having to foist from range because nobody else could shoot (at least that Nick trusted).

Turns out, having shooters and a skilled big (Sengun) means he's all of a sudden a "willing passer" to the tune of 8.8apg, which is 4th in the league, and fresh off a 16 assist game vs. the Lakers.

[720]

Turns out Nurse wasn’t the problem after all, neither was Fred. Turns out *gasp* talent actually matters!

The Fred discourse was the lowest point I've seen on RGM. Like people couldn't see at least 4 defenders with 1 foot in the paint and no half court offense to speak of, and didn't understand why possessions ended with Pascal trying to spin his way to a bucket or Fred having to foist from range because nobody else could shoot (at least that Nick trusted).

Turns out, having shooters and a skilled big (Sengun) means he's all of a sudden a "willing passer" to the tune of 8.8apg, which is 4th in the league, and fresh off a 16 assist game vs. the Lakers.

lol Fred is ass, literally one of the least efficient shooters in the league. Keep supporting that brick artist that hijacked the offense so he could get paid. Also imagine in 2023 thinking assist = unselfish. Hilarious.

[Badonkadonk]

Turns out Nurse wasn’t the problem after all, neither was Fred. Turns out *gasp* talent actually matters!

The Fred discourse was the lowest point I've seen on RGM. Like people couldn't see at least 4 defenders with 1 foot in the paint and no half court offense to speak of, and didn't understand why possessions ended with Pascal trying to spin his way to a bucket or Fred having to foist from range because nobody else could shoot (at least that Nick trusted).

Turns out, having shooters and a skilled big (Sengun) means he's all of a sudden a "willing passer" to the tune of 8.8apg, which is 4th in the league, and fresh off a 16 assist game vs. the Lakers.

lol Fred is ass, literally one of the least efficient shooters in the league. Keep supporting that brick artist that hijacked the offense so he could get paid. Also imagine in 2023 thinking assist = unselfish. Hilarious.

"One of the least efficient shooters in the league", with a 37.3% career mark on nearly 3,000 attempts, and most importantly, on a varied diet of C&S and pull-ups. He was literally top 3 in threes the year prior his "bad" one. Guess which season looks like the anomaly when you stack up his 8 seasons?

Your hate literally blinds you from the most basic of observations.

[720]

The Fred discourse was the lowest point I've seen on RGM. Like people couldn't see at least 4 defenders with 1 foot in the paint and no half court offense to speak of, and didn't understand why possessions ended with Pascal trying to spin his way to a bucket or Fred having to foist from range because nobody else could shoot (at least that Nick trusted).

Turns out, having shooters and a skilled big (Sengun) means he's all of a sudden a "willing passer" to the tune of 8.8apg, which is 4th in the league, and fresh off a 16 assist game vs. the Lakers.

lol Fred is ass, literally one of the least efficient shooters in the league. Keep supporting that brick artist that hijacked the offense so he could get paid. Also imagine in 2023 thinking assist = unselfish. Hilarious.

"One of the least efficient shooters in the league", with a 37.3% career mark on nearly 3,000 attempts, and most importantly, on a varied diet of C&S and pull-ups. He was literally top 3 in threes the year prior his "bad" one. Guess which season looks like the anomaly when you stack up his 8 seasons?

Your hate literally blinds you from the most basic of observations.

Bringing in career when I’m talking about this season (last season as well). He’s not a good shooter anymore. Yes I hated his game. But I’m not making this up out of thin air. Ugly basketball watching that guy play. I came into this thread thinking something about Nurse came up only to see you guys making excuses for Fred ugh.

[Scase]

The Fred discourse was the lowest point I've seen on RGM. Like people couldn't see at least 4 defenders with 1 foot in the paint and no half court offense to speak of, and didn't understand why possessions ended with Pascal trying to spin his way to a bucket or Fred having to foist from range because nobody else could shoot (at least that Nick trusted).

Turns out, having shooters and a skilled big (Sengun) means he's all of a sudden a "willing passer" to the tune of 8.8apg, which is 4th in the league, and fresh off a 16 assist game vs. the Lakers.

lol Fred is ass, literally one of the least efficient shooters in the league. Keep supporting that brick artist that hijacked the offense so he could get paid. Also imagine in 2023 thinking assist = unselfish. Hilarious.

"One of the least efficient shooters in the league", with a 37.3% career mark on nearly 3,000 attempts, and most importantly, on a varied diet of C&S and pull-ups. He was literally top 3 in threes the year prior his "bad" one. Guess which season looks like the anomaly when you stack up his 8 seasons?

Your hate literally blinds you from the most basic of observations.

If all he shot was 3's at that clip, no one would complain. But it was the constant stupid driving into a paint of 3 guys 2ft taller than him that ruined his efficiency, he is by all metrics a high volume low efficiency scorer, always has been and all metrics back this up.

Love him or hate him, it's objectively the case.

[Duffman100]

OMG stop talking about Fred.

[brownbobcat]

Nobody is arguing here that Nurse isn't brilliant with a top tier roster. What we are arguing is that he sucks with a lesser roster.

Obviously Nurse was given directions that development was a priority because that was one of Masai's criticisms. Add to that the selfish play. Who allowed them to play selfishly? Not the FO.

He got 48 wins out of the squad in 2022, that's looking more like a miracle in hindsight. If development was a priority, why did they trade away picks for vets? Why let go of younger guys Banton and bring in Temple? Nurse didn't do that

[KL78192020]

Turns out Nurse wasn’t the problem after all, neither was Fred. Turns out *gasp* talent actually matters!

The Fred discourse was the lowest point I've seen on RGM. Like people couldn't see at least 4 defenders with 1 foot in the paint and no half court offense to speak of, and didn't understand why possessions ended with Pascal trying to spin his way to a bucket or Fred having to foist from range because nobody else could shoot (at least that Nick trusted).

Turns out, having shooters and a skilled big (Sengun) means he's all of a sudden a "willing passer" to the tune of 8.8apg, which is 4th in the league, and fresh off a 16 assist game vs. the Lakers.

lol Fred is ass, literally one of the least efficient shooters in the league. Keep supporting that brick artist that hijacked the offense so he could get paid. Also imagine in 2023 thinking assist = unselfish. Hilarious.

lol 3-13 last night cost his team the game. Terrible. Rockets are coming down back to earth after a decent stretch.

[Fairview4Life]

Rockets are coming down back to earth after a decent stretch.

It's like they finally had to start playing games on the road again, after 7 straight at home.

[sbsat]

Rockets are coming down back to earth after a decent stretch.

It's like they finally had to start playing games on the road again, after 7 straight at home.

they have not come back to earth yet. Brooks is inexplicably shooting 10% above his career FG% and 15% above his career 3pt%

[Dennis 37]

Anyone who wasn't blind knew Nurse was a win now coach. So if you want more development, replace him earlier. Why wait around? Regardless, its on management. Like in all situations, that's their job FFS. The other poster in question wants to place the blame on Nurse instead of management, as par for the course.

And others argue that Nurse did what he could with what he was given. So both are wrong. Nurse couldn't do what was needed with what he was given, so you are correct, a decision on him should have come sooner.

Nurse was given a crap roster and he did the best he could to win. FO probably wanted him to tank and then he played guys 45 mims a night to try and win. He lost the locker room, and he didnt want to be in TO anymore so parting ways was best for both parties.

You kind of pointed it out right there yourself. Nurse had no interest in developing players. That is what tanking is. You don't wear out your starters and you give long leashes no matter how ugly it gets at times.

[Dennis 37]

Nobody is arguing here that Nurse isn't brilliant with a top tier roster. What we are arguing is that he sucks with a lesser roster.

Obviously Nurse was given directions that development was a priority because that was one of Masai's criticisms. Add to that the selfish play. Who allowed them to play selfishly? Not the FO.

He got 48 wins out of the squad in 2022, that's looking more like a miracle in hindsight. If development was a priority, why did they trade away picks for vets? Why let go of younger guys Banton and bring in Temple? Nurse didn't do that

Sure, if you ride your starters to the point they are burned out come playoffs, yes you can get 48 wins.

I think they brought in vets and let go of Banton because the FO wanted to go all in on Malachi. Malachi needed a long leash. I thought it a big gamble, but it has worked out pretty well. Both Banton and Malachi need the ball in their hands. You pick one or the other.

The got Poeltl because putting OG at center was an injury just waiting to happen. The lack of development had already shown its ugly face by then.