Head Coaching Candidates - Finalists Nurse/Atkinson/Griffin - Another New Poll Added

[BucksStatsGuy]

It's common place with a lot of other sports, new coach brings in the team that they have a good working relationship with. It isn't to disparage the old team, just means they are on the same page from the word go. Conversely, I guess, our current team knows the players extremely well as we've had a fairly settled team.

I think the biggest thing differentiating the situation here is that the medical team was basically hired and completely funded by ownership, not Hammond/Kidd/Horst/etc. Current crew is pretty much untouchable for that reason. They are Wes' crew

[MVP2110]

It's common place with a lot of other sports, new coach brings in the team that they have a good working relationship with. It isn't to disparage the old team, just means they are on the same page from the word go. Conversely, I guess, our current team knows the players extremely well as we've had a fairly settled team.

I think the biggest thing differentiating the situation here is that the medical team was basically hired and completely funded by ownership, not Hammond/Kidd/Horst/etc. Current crew is pretty much untouchable for that reason. They are Wes' crew

That's good to hear

[El Pooch Grande]

So how confident is the board that we are actually going to land Nurse now that Woj reported that he is meeting with ownership, yet will also be meeting with Suns/Philly?

[CharityStripe34]

So how confident is the board that we are actually going to land Nurse now that Woj reported that he is meeting with ownership, yet will also be meeting with Suns/Philly?

Depends on how much the owners are willing to pay as well as how enticing it is for Nurse to coach a generational superstar like Gianni. Whoever the Bucks hire knows that there will be enormous pressure to get to the Finals (at worst), so that will weigh on them.

[aboveAverage]

So how confident is the board that we are actually going to land Nurse now that Woj reported that he is meeting with ownership, yet will also be meeting with Suns/Philly?

I'm reasonably confident. I think Nurse and Giannis are a perfect combination. I don't see Nurse wanting to coach KD or Embiid as much as Giannis. The only thing is that we might have to pay him way more than we originally planned given the current competition.

[MVP2110]

So how confident is the board that we are actually going to land Nurse now that Woj reported that he is meeting with ownership, yet will also be meeting with Suns/Philly?

If we assume he wants to coach next year then logically that puts us around 33% given i don't think we can state which of the 3 jobs he would prefer. Now that could change depending on if we actually want him although him meeting with ownership is a good sign in that regard, and how much the other 2 teams want him. But without knowing those variables I'll state there is a 33% chance Nurse is our coach next year. The only other guy though I'd give that good of a chance to is Monty

33% Nurse
33% Monty
16.5% Scott Brooks(since we got word he impressed so means he's atleast likely a finalist)
16.5% the rest of the field

[emunney]

So how confident is the board that we are actually going to land Nurse now that Woj reported that he is meeting with ownership, yet will also be meeting with Suns/Philly?

All I can say is that if the 6ers hire Nurse, their next coach will be named Timothy Pharmacist I DO NOT MAKE THE RULES

[MickeyDavis]

Money won't be an issue with Nurse. For any team. All the owners have plenty of cash and all just ate a lot when they fired their current coach ($16 million in our case).

I don't think teams view Nurse as the slam dunk "best" available that many here do. I don't think he'll automatically get offers from all 3 teams. Teams are doing their due diligence in interviewing him. If anything I think Ishbia is the most likely to go after him. Nurse is the biggest "name" and Ishbia wants to make a splash. Not saying the Bucks or Sixers won't also be interested. They may be. But I wouldn't be surprised if we go with another coach.

[emunney]

I think Nurse and KD could be a really bad personality fit.

[MickeyDavis]

No doubt that Giannis, KD and Embiid will have some say. Giannis and Middleton met with Bud before he was hired.

[skbucks1985]

So how confident is the board that we are actually going to land Nurse now that Woj reported that he is meeting with ownership, yet will also be meeting with Suns/Philly?

I'm also open to the idea that Nurse takes next year off to go into broadcasting. MD said yesterday that he's biased but thinks the Bucks are the best job of the 3 and I'm in the same boat of thinking that the Bucks job is the best of the 3 and being biased. And i have no earthly idea what Nurse would see as the best job of the 3.

[Profound23]

So how confident is the board that we are actually going to land Nurse now that Woj reported that he is meeting with ownership, yet will also be meeting with Suns/Philly?

I remember when the Orlando Magic were talking to Tim Duncan and he said "Yeah, I am planning on signing with you but I have to go talk to Pop one last time." TMAC said himself, you don't let him leave.

If they really want Nurse, they don't allow him to meet with Suns/Philly, you throw a boatload of cash at him. That's IF he is their #1 guy.

[glenn]

I feel like Nurse could be successful here but a disaster in Philly. Embiid might kill him.

[Frank Nova]

Nurse doesn’t change my stance, Chris Quinn is the guy.

Is there a reason besides the fact he's Spo's top guy?

Well I think it’s a little more complex than that but that’s definitely the basis.. osmosis of learning under Spo for an entire decade has to pay some dividends in my opinion and he’s had nothing but glowing endorsements from Heat players throughout his tenure there. Udonis Haslam won titles with Pat Riley and Eric Spolstra and he’s done nothing but vouch for Chris Quinn when he’s had the opportunity to. Some may take that with a grain of salt but I think it holds some decent weight.. plus he’s young and likely eager to get his own chance and coaching a talent like Giannis will set him up for immediate success so I think Milwaukee is a grand opportunity for an intuitive 1st time HC that’s learned under the Gregg Poppovich of the new era NBA. Heat culture is real and stabilized more so than ever and Quinn has been there since 2014 which makes him part of the pioneering process that is Heat culture 2023. I believe under his own leadership, his hand picked staff and Giannis, great things can happen and he can be around much longer than 5yrs without wearing out his welcome.

[pilprin]

I am concerned that Nurse may be a negative jolt to the team culture. Culture matters...culture with accountability would be great...is that what he will bring?

[BuckFan25226]

So how confident is the board that we are actually going to land Nurse now that Woj reported that he is meeting with ownership, yet will also be meeting with Suns/Philly?

I am still of the belief that it's been Nurse all along. At the rate we were going, we were going to start grabbing successful high school coaches to interview.

There is not doubt in my mind Nurse and the Bucks have been talking extensively since the beginning of all of this.

We're hiring Nurse.

[MickeyDavis]

A couple of years ago

Nick Nurse isn’t shy to call out his players publicly when he doesn’t like their play. And it seems to be working pretty well for him.

When Siakam was having foul trouble in November, Nurse told reporters “he hasn’t been really smart” and he wanted his star power forward to “knock it off.” Siakam said all he cared about was the coach’s conversation with him, not the one with reporters.

“I think for me the most important thing is as long as that same message is conveyed to the person. That’s what I care about. As long as you tell the actual person what is going on, it doesn’t matter what you tell the press,” Siakam said. “If face to face you said that, and that is how you feel, and you have those words, then you agree or disagree and do whatever you have to do to get better.”

Nurse was asked Friday if there’s an art to criticizing players to get the best out of them.

“I don’t know if there’s an art to it,” Nurse said. “But I think if there’s a problem it has to be communicated. If there’s a problem, there has to be a solution.”

The latest example came this week, when Terence Davis absorbed a critique from Nurse one night and played a career-best game the next.

Davis, the Raps’ 22-year-old undrafted rookie guard, had a rough performance in Tuesday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, going 0-for-2 from the field and having his minutes chopped down. Davis had turned over the ball six times in three games to that point and had shot a combined 4-of-13.

“He’s not playing very well,” Nurse said after Tuesday’s game when a reporter noted Davis had played only eight minutes. “It was probably five too many.”

Nurse said with a laugh on Friday that he doesn’t feel grumpier this season, although there have been more bumps in the road. Has publicly censuring a player, which attracts media attention, become part of his coaching strategy?

“I’m not sure I know they’re going to become stories," Nurse said. “Sometimes I’m maybe a little too forthright.”

“There are lots of ways of communication, lots of ways of getting your message across. We’ll explore all those options until we can hopefully help these guys. It’s only for their best interest and the best interest of our team.”

The next night, Nurse gave Davis his first career start. He scored a career-high 23 points in Toronto’s 112-110 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets. He hit four three-pointers, added 11 rebounds, five assists and a steal in his 37 minutes and tenaciously defended Hornets star guard Terry Rozier. Davis said he had appreciated Nurse’s frank critique.

“My play was terrible so I think he was just saying for me to play better," Davis said. "That’s part of the game. I accepted the challenge. That’s what I like. I’m into it. All of my coaches have been that way – straightforward. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

[MVP2110]

Nurse doesn’t change my stance, Chris Quinn is the guy.

Is there a reason besides the fact he's Spo's top guy?

Well I think it’s a little more complex than that but that’s definitely the basis.. osmosis of learning under Spo for an entire decade has to pay some dividends in my opinion and he’s had nothing but glowing endorsements from Heat players throughout his tenure there. Udonis Haslam won titles with Pat Riley and Eric Spolstra and he’s done nothing but vouch for Chris Quinn when he’s had the opportunity to. Some may take that with a grain of salt but I think it holds some decent weight.. plus he’s young and likely eager to get his own chance and coaching a talent like Giannis will set him up for immediate success so I think Milwaukee is a grand opportunity for an intuitive 1st time HC that’s learned under the Gregg Poppovich of the new era NBA. Heat culture is real and stabilized more so than ever and Quinn has been there since 2014 which makes him part of the pioneering process that is Heat culture 2023. I believe under his own leadership, his hand picked staff and Giannis, great things can happen and he can be around much longer than 5yrs without wearing out his welcome.

If I was a team like Detroit I think I'd agree with you and Quinn would be near the top of my list. But I have some key reservations in that like you said he's been there nearly a decade at Spo's top guy but has yet to get his own job, that seems weird to me. On top of that Spo has never had an assistant go on to be a successful head coach so part of me wonders if Spo is the Belichick of the NBA in that he's great but his assistants don't make great head coaches. I'm not sure I want to risk those things with this team

[jakecronus8]

I feel like Nurse could be successful here but a disaster in Philly. Embiid might kill him.

IDK if Embiid could kill anyone. If you lightly graze him he falls down and back about 10 feet.

[pilprin]

This concerns me if he is the pick.

A couple of years ago

Nick Nurse isn’t shy to call out his players publicly when he doesn’t like their play. And it seems to be working pretty well for him.

When Siakam was having foul trouble in November, Nurse told reporters “he hasn’t been really smart” and he wanted his star power forward to “knock it off.” Siakam said all he cared about was the coach’s conversation with him, not the one with reporters.

“I think for me the most important thing is as long as that same message is conveyed to the person. That’s what I care about. As long as you tell the actual person what is going on, it doesn’t matter what you tell the press,” Siakam said. “If face to face you said that, and that is how you feel, and you have those words, then you agree or disagree and do whatever you have to do to get better.”

Nurse was asked Friday if there’s an art to criticizing players to get the best out of them.

“I don’t know if there’s an art to it,” Nurse said. “But I think if there’s a problem it has to be communicated. If there’s a problem, there has to be a solution.”

The latest example came this week, when Terence Davis absorbed a critique from Nurse one night and played a career-best game the next.

Davis, the Raps’ 22-year-old undrafted rookie guard, had a rough performance in Tuesday’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, going 0-for-2 from the field and having his minutes chopped down. Davis had turned over the ball six times in three games to that point and had shot a combined 4-of-13.

“He’s not playing very well,” Nurse said after Tuesday’s game when a reporter noted Davis had played only eight minutes. “It was probably five too many.”

Nurse said with a laugh on Friday that he doesn’t feel grumpier this season, although there have been more bumps in the road. Has publicly censuring a player, which attracts media attention, become part of his coaching strategy?

“I’m not sure I know they’re going to become stories," Nurse said. “Sometimes I’m maybe a little too forthright.”

“There are lots of ways of communication, lots of ways of getting your message across. We’ll explore all those options until we can hopefully help these guys. It’s only for their best interest and the best interest of our team.”

The next night, Nurse gave Davis his first career start. He scored a career-high 23 points in Toronto’s 112-110 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets. He hit four three-pointers, added 11 rebounds, five assists and a steal in his 37 minutes and tenaciously defended Hornets star guard Terry Rozier. Davis said he had appreciated Nurse’s frank critique.

“My play was terrible so I think he was just saying for me to play better," Davis said. "That’s part of the game. I accepted the challenge. That’s what I like. I’m into it. All of my coaches have been that way – straightforward. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”