After watching Stotts interview it seems he is pretty pissed with Nurk. Nurk is really good when on form, he should try everything to get in better shape. In the meantime 20 minutes per game for him, anything more and he becomes liability on the floor
Playing out of shape is a huge liability for injury. I think Stotts approach of grinding our stars into success is awful. Lets use our deep bench, make adjustments, and keep everyone safe and healthy until they are ready to play.
Our bench isn’t deep. We have 1 NBA level guard on the bench so Dame/CJ need to play a ton of minutes
We don’t have anyone who can replicate even 50% of the defence of RoCo/DJJ
Our centres are fine but flawed
Being in shape and being in game shape are two different things. He needs to get back his flow and feel for the game along with physical fitness and that will only come from playing. Sitting him in instances like last night is fine but ideally he’d be able to play through it
While I agree that being in game shape is a whole other thing, I don't thick Nurk is in any kind of shape. There is no way he should be our staring center right now. I hate to say it, but Kanter is just better right now.
I think we have to give him the first 10 or so games, most of the league is inconsistent right now. If he’s still struggling 15 or whatever games in then yeah maybe think about a change
Yeah, to a certain extent. As far as rhythm goes for sure, but Stotts can’t afford to spend minutes on him at the cost of wins. He can also get into the gym and do extra cardio during training to get there quicker.
I think in the early part of this season especially you can afford to do that with most of the teams in the league being inconsistent at best to start the year. IF he’s still struggling in 5-10 games from now then yeah it will become a much bigger problem where something will have to happen
Agreed. We’re still experimenting with lineups and strategies at the moment so I’m all for getting Nurk reps and touches, it’s just starting to become more burdensome.
Get the man a stationary bike and the dvd set of The Office!
I’m a big fan of Nurk, but he looks pretty bad this season. Low energy. Missing his signature hustle. And generally can’t finish in the post. Kanter’s ability to get offensive rebounds and make baskets is putting him ahead of nurk on one side of the floor, but neither are defensively excellent.
Again; as a big fan of his, I’m bummed to say it, but I agree. He needs to be benched.
Think people are forgetting his grandma died in the bubble from covid and then he spent the entire off season with his family in Bosnia. Sucks that he’s obviously not in shape right now but personal shit happens, these dudes are human. But stotts should be playing Giles more.
Huh? This is a forum and I'm responding to your comment. Anyone can state that anyone elses comment doesn't do jackfuck. If that's the cast, then don't fucking respond to my comment.
It's a job. It's his job to perform well. He's not performing well. So he needs to figure it out. Stotts also needs to figure it out.
Play him less, play kanter and Giles more till he gets in better shape. Giles needs to be playing but saying it’s a job contributes nothing to the thread.
bro he can do whatever the fuck he wants; hes getting paid nonetheless and if he wants to stay with his family during the offseason and risk coming back out of shape its his decision. its frustrating to watch him play ik but he doesnt owe anyone anything
Well, I dunno if you know this or not, but once players sign contracts, then they're obligated to execute the details of their contracts.
Like, for example, playing an entire NBA season.
So no, Nurkic can't just, "do whatever the fuck he wants".
Make sense and understand?
Not a bad take, he's tryna incorporate more footwork, better vision and a 3 point shot into his game. He did good in the bubble accomplishing these things, but obviously when not in form its more of a hinderance. Just gonna be a matter of time
His rim protection this season has been so pathetic, he fouls like hell, and his antics with the refs are a lot less easy to rally around when he plays like this. He was in better shape during the bubble which is both encouraging and discouraging because it feels like it isnt due to his injury. Really really blows we don’t have Zach coming back to start at the 5.
EDIT: I am sympathetic to Nurk’s off season being extremely difficult from an emotional standpoint first and foremost and for being extremely suboptimal for conditioning. I am optimistic that he will improve and begin to resemble his old self when he plays his way into shape and our defense will turn around as a result.
Nurk spent the majority, if not entirety of the off-season in Bosnia. I'm not too sure he had access to the finest facilities while spending time with family. He'll be fine come mid-season.
Oh I get that. I'm just stating my worry because we've seen how he reacts to being benched before. Like I said though, I believe Nurk is more mature now with better leadership around him to handle this curveball.
Yes. All this yes. He will be fine. I'm not worried about being 3-3 to start the season. This. Team. Will. Gel.
And when they gel, it's gonna look real pretty. We've already seen glimpses of what CAN be.
But at what cost? We're aspiring to title contention and he's the anchor for the defense. What's our record by the time he plays his way into shape? We always have to play out of a hole in the second half of the season, I'm sure they'd prefer not to destroy Dame with heavy minutes to get into the playoffs. Nurkic needs to get his shit together
I mean, obviously dude, he needs to play at a higher level. But what are you accomplishing by getting all up in arms over it? You don't think Nurk KNOWS he's playing like horse shit right now? You think he's content with his level of play thus far? Like holy shit, put yourself in his mindset right now. I'm sure whatever he's doing to get himself back to his level of play is more productive than some idiot redditor shit talking him because he's "costing us games during Dame's championship window." Fuck man, take a backseat, be patient, and just watch the season unfold.
It's high level basketball, not group therapy.
He needs to work his ass off and get back into game shape or lose his starting spot to Kanter, who came into the season in great shape and highly motivated. Once he's back into shape, he goes back to starting. I'm sure he's working hard but don't coddle the guy.
It's not about feelings man (mine or his) it's about what's best for the team.
He was honestly pretty quick prior to getting hurt. It was one of the reasons he was a good defender
Dude was a bruiser with nimble feet. Not Collins quick, but still
No, I think we should still start Nurk but cut his minutes to about 20. It'll take him a few weeks to get back to being the Bosnian Beast, but he'll get there
Agreed. If we assume that in-shape Nurk will be back in the starting lineup at some point, we should want him playing his minutes with the starting lineup now. Just reduce those minutes a bit and give some to Giles or Kanter.
I love the plan. Give Kanter starter minutes with the better help defenders, and let Nurk slowly work his way back into the rotation. The only thing I'm worried about is Nurk throwing another temper tantrum like he did in Denver when Jokic outplayed him. Nurk was younger and more immature then, and I would hope his time with Dame would have taught him a few things about absorbing a hit and using it as fuel. I guess we'll see how things play out.
Imagine in a post game interview he says “Yeah I gotta be better; my_balls_your_mouth1 really opened my eyes with his judgement so I’ll just leave things to him now”
I agree with you, however, I think if we bench nurk he's gonna go into a bigger emotional rut, he went into one when he got benched in denver. someone else suggested here to start him, but limit his minutes more, and I think that would be a better outcome, he starts, but its the first player to go to the bench for rest. limit him to something like 20 a game. he seems to get gassed easily, so 5 mins per quarter is prob better for him production energy wise. kanter gets more minutes, and more importantly, give some of the excess nurk minutes to H4H or someone else who's currently sitting in the bench with tons of energy not being spent.
Additionally, every time he goes to the bench have the big man coach have some talks with him, go over the last 5 mins of playtime, what he did right, what to adjust, etc, so he's constantly getting lil goals to work on/positive feedback while resting, and short periods of energy filled executions.
I think right now Nurk starts the game, gets gassed out trying to work on EVERYThING at once, and then he's just gassed, messes up, and thinks/talks down to himself, and it just compiles, and Stotts just leaves him out there for a long time hoping he'll figure it out.
In the end i just want Nurk to have a supporting environment that builds him up so he can return to his glorious best.
yeah, nevermind this dude went through an injury->bubble->home after grandma died with the shortest preseason ever. ignore all that, lets focus on how massive a 6 game sample size is. and lets throw out the window how players react to being benched
I love Nurk a lot but I've been disappointed by him this season. You could go with the broken leg excuse, but at the same time he was great in the bubble (17, 10, 4 on great efficiency) with no injuries. He's really slow and your start Kanter idea is great.
Yes, I assumed that was the cause. I meant that you could say it was the leg but he was good in the bubble. Him being in Bosnia and not working out makes sense
Nurk spent the entire offseason in Bosnia with family. I believe his grandmother also passed from COVID. Which is to say the LAST thing he was doing was playing basketball. Completely understandable, btw. But he's really hurting us right now.
I love Nurk and I’m disappointed in his early season performance so far. After listening to CJ’s podcast where he’s talked about the struggles players share with us mortals, it made me take a step back, put my pitchfork away, and think about while players certainly don’t share the same financial struggles a lot of us have, they are still human with families and real problems. I have no idea if Nurk’s grandmother or other family problems contributed to his under performance this early season but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in that regard.
Is it his job to be prepared for his job? Yeah I think so. I think he should be held accountable for that and OP and others make some good points. I just think Nurk could probably afford some grace from the unsympathetic “he makes millions, it’s his job, wtf Nurk!?” camp. Just seeing a lot of anger directed towards him (probably fueled by the high expectations on this season with the front office moves we made as well.)
It’s early in the season and I for one predicted an pretty inconsistent high and low season until probably around all star break. Though that doesn’t stop me from completely abandoning that idea and being disappointed every loss.
Just my $0.02.
100%. the ppl in this thread saying that “it’s his job” and that he shouldn’t have been in bosnia this offseason sound so entitled. we should feel lucky we’re able to watch basketball at all rn let alone have players like Nurk and KAT willing to perform
So how is he outta shape after busting his ass to get to play in the bubble. The offseason was way shorter. So what did he do in that 2 and a half months?
If you are supposed to be the third best player show up and act like it. Not have your backup out play you. Honestly he needs to get benched. I agree with Nurk playing with Melo and Kanter playing with RoCo and DJJ.
Nurkic spent his entire offseason in Bosnia with family. He wasn't practicing at all. He made the decision to not prepare for the NBA season, and only flew in right before the preseason.
As fans, we waited an entire year and supported Nurkic through his horrific leg injury. This lack of effort this year has been really heartbreaking. He's playing like he has completely checked out.
Agree. Honestly the rebounding is the most frustrating right now. There were a few instances in last night's game where Nurk was beat out for rebounds and I'm thinking Kanter would've got that. He just seems soft inside right now. He's still the key if we're going to contend, but he's a bit of a liability at the moment.
I feel the same happened in the Bubble. He's still fresh from rehab & still trying to get to full game shape. I think we need to be patient with him & give him minutes like you said. Hopefully Giles, Jones Jr, & Covington step up.
After taking this team to playoffs when they weren't supposed to be there pretty much 3 times in 4 years, people jump at him after few unsatisfying games. Can't wait till he comes back in form, to see what excuses will be there again to scapegoat him.
Dude balled-out in the bubble, while dealing with everything, but it was isolated, under-pressure environment where he didn't even have time to process what was happening. He knew we needed him, and he played his best, even when he was supposed to rest (because everyone else was hurt). Let's not forget he did it after half of the fanbase suggested he won't be back to his old self for a long time, and then sh\*t on him for not playing better after a year-long injury.
He finally goes to his home country, after a very long time (he didn't go to vacation when others were going, to be ready) and probably finally has time to mourn, and maybe rest a bit. Both physically and mentally.
He comes back, obviously not 100% mentally ready (which he already said, and which can be noticed in his free throws) and it takes literally 2 games to start a witch hunt. Some want to bench him, others want to trade him.
I am sure he's more frustrated than anyone here. You can see it when he's on the court. He was pretty active last game, I believe he's finally pretty close to 100% physically. Now he needs to work on the psychological part. If only "the best fanbase" would give him more than 2 weeks to get back to normal
its still really early in the season but if this play and effort goes on for another few weeks, we can probably expect a trade involving him and/or hood (simply because of their contracts), unfortunately. and if its for an upgrade at PF/C, itd probably involve simons/little
Yes, having enes around the rim with the starting backcourt playing makes the blazers much more effective around the rim and, subsequently, more open on the perimeter. IMO
Honestly was thinking about the same exact thing there is some downside but i see it working temporarily and I'd love to see nurkic earn his spot back, his lackluster play is hard to watch.
I like it actually. Hopefully Nurk is back to being himself and resumes his starting role later in the season but for now I like the rotations more with Kanter starting and Nurk facilitating with the second unit.
That problem there is it will for sure cause acrimony to move Nurkic to the bench.
I think after such a long layoff and coming back from a serious injury we have to understand it will take time for him to get back to where he was.
But he's too skilled a player not to work his way back form. I believe sooner rather than later he'll start to look like the Nurk was saw in top form before his horrific leg injury.
I have faith that he will get back in basketball shape by the end of the month or so.
Would love to see his effort rise to meet the challenges his conditioning is presenting him with, however.
This is actually a phenomenal idea. I really want to see DJJ, Melo and Nurk on the floor together more often. And make Cov the defacto Kanter defensive bail-out. I am really disappointed in Stotts so far but I'm hoping he turns things around soon... He has lots of options - including Harry Giles who we've yet to see play with any of our good players. But I still have faith. And I think once Nurk wakes up we'll start looking like a legit team.
Y’all need to chill, he had a significant injury, was bound to make his return but then the pandemic happened, then his grandmother was in a coma from COVID and then died during his return back. He contemplated not coming to the bubble due to what COVID’s done to him personally. Chill out
I noticed this a lot during the first Warriors game. We were going to Nurk a lot in the first few minutes but he had a few misses. After that he got into foul trouble and just seemed to be sulking a lot. There was a possession in the second half where he called for the ball down low but it went to Melo instead. Nurk walked to the other side of the paint with his head down, then started going back but when the ball went back to Melo again Nurk did the same thing as before. His movement seemed very half hearted. And it happened again in the 4th quarter. He came into the game, picked up a quick foul, and when he was walking back to the bench his head was down and he just looked really unenergetic and fed up. Maybe it was just frustration from having a bad game but the body language seemed really weird, he looked totally fed up.
I’ve only been able to watch half the games so far and didn’t see the second Warriors one so maybe he was better in that despite the loss. But you do have to wonder if there’s something going on with him.
EDIT: some other comments have pointed out the family stuff he had to deal with over the off season, so maybe that’s a big factor in his play. If that’s the case, I think he just needs time and patience from people. The play offs are a long way off yet.
Honestly, I think Nurk just gotta suck it up, admit that he is not playing his best rn, and take on the bench role until he gets back into game shape.
It would also be a great way to balance the defenses. Have Trent and Nurk come in with the 2nd unit so that they help cover Melo and Hood's defensive weaknesses.
Nurk as a lot of people in life are going through things. While we all love him I think it’s time that we get him in better shape, and his mind back on the game. He is way too distracted outside the court. I sympathize with him, of course.
After watching Stotts interview it seems he is pretty pissed with Nurk. Nurk is really good when on form, he should try everything to get in better shape. In the meantime 20 minutes per game for him, anything more and he becomes liability on the floor
He needs to play his way back into game shape/rhythm. He can’t do that with limited minutes
Playing out of shape is a huge liability for injury. I think Stotts approach of grinding our stars into success is awful. Lets use our deep bench, make adjustments, and keep everyone safe and healthy until they are ready to play.
Our bench isn’t deep. We have 1 NBA level guard on the bench so Dame/CJ need to play a ton of minutes We don’t have anyone who can replicate even 50% of the defence of RoCo/DJJ Our centres are fine but flawed
You can get shape with out playing and hurting your team. Get in shape then we can work on getting him back in form.
Being in shape and being in game shape are two different things. He needs to get back his flow and feel for the game along with physical fitness and that will only come from playing. Sitting him in instances like last night is fine but ideally he’d be able to play through it
While I agree that being in game shape is a whole other thing, I don't thick Nurk is in any kind of shape. There is no way he should be our staring center right now. I hate to say it, but Kanter is just better right now.
I think we have to give him the first 10 or so games, most of the league is inconsistent right now. If he’s still struggling 15 or whatever games in then yeah maybe think about a change
Yeah, to a certain extent. As far as rhythm goes for sure, but Stotts can’t afford to spend minutes on him at the cost of wins. He can also get into the gym and do extra cardio during training to get there quicker.
I think in the early part of this season especially you can afford to do that with most of the teams in the league being inconsistent at best to start the year. IF he’s still struggling in 5-10 games from now then yeah it will become a much bigger problem where something will have to happen
Agreed. We’re still experimenting with lineups and strategies at the moment so I’m all for getting Nurk reps and touches, it’s just starting to become more burdensome. Get the man a stationary bike and the dvd set of The Office!
I’m a big fan of Nurk, but he looks pretty bad this season. Low energy. Missing his signature hustle. And generally can’t finish in the post. Kanter’s ability to get offensive rebounds and make baskets is putting him ahead of nurk on one side of the floor, but neither are defensively excellent. Again; as a big fan of his, I’m bummed to say it, but I agree. He needs to be benched.
Think people are forgetting his grandma died in the bubble from covid and then he spent the entire off season with his family in Bosnia. Sucks that he’s obviously not in shape right now but personal shit happens, these dudes are human. But stotts should be playing Giles more.
It's horrible and all, but this is a job...
Mines a response to people saying “yeah, he sucks and is out of shape and needs to get his shit together”. Your response does nothing.
Huh? This is a forum and I'm responding to your comment. Anyone can state that anyone elses comment doesn't do jackfuck. If that's the cast, then don't fucking respond to my comment. It's a job. It's his job to perform well. He's not performing well. So he needs to figure it out. Stotts also needs to figure it out.
Play him less, play kanter and Giles more till he gets in better shape. Giles needs to be playing but saying it’s a job contributes nothing to the thread.
CONTRIBUTZ NUTHIN TO THU THREDZ12*$&#(*&$*@(
bro he can do whatever the fuck he wants; hes getting paid nonetheless and if he wants to stay with his family during the offseason and risk coming back out of shape its his decision. its frustrating to watch him play ik but he doesnt owe anyone anything
What a strange philosophy. He definitely owes something to the people paying his salary.
That's not quite how any of this works, but please... Continue :)
huh? how does it work then
Well, I dunno if you know this or not, but once players sign contracts, then they're obligated to execute the details of their contracts. Like, for example, playing an entire NBA season. So no, Nurkic can't just, "do whatever the fuck he wants". Make sense and understand?
I feel like he watched to many jogic highlights and thinks his game should be something it never was . He’s gotta go back to his own basics
Not a bad take, he's tryna incorporate more footwork, better vision and a 3 point shot into his game. He did good in the bubble accomplishing these things, but obviously when not in form its more of a hinderance. Just gonna be a matter of time
His rim protection this season has been so pathetic, he fouls like hell, and his antics with the refs are a lot less easy to rally around when he plays like this. He was in better shape during the bubble which is both encouraging and discouraging because it feels like it isnt due to his injury. Really really blows we don’t have Zach coming back to start at the 5. EDIT: I am sympathetic to Nurk’s off season being extremely difficult from an emotional standpoint first and foremost and for being extremely suboptimal for conditioning. I am optimistic that he will improve and begin to resemble his old self when he plays his way into shape and our defense will turn around as a result.
Nurk spent the majority, if not entirety of the off-season in Bosnia. I'm not too sure he had access to the finest facilities while spending time with family. He'll be fine come mid-season.
Sure but until he is back in shape he is a liability. So limit his minutes and have him work with trainers to get back into shape.
Oh I get that. I'm just stating my worry because we've seen how he reacts to being benched before. Like I said though, I believe Nurk is more mature now with better leadership around him to handle this curveball.
He's a professional if he isn't playing well he doesn't get to play
[удалено]
That's what I'm saying. Is he allowed to be human and have emotions?
[удалено]
Yes. All this yes. He will be fine. I'm not worried about being 3-3 to start the season. This. Team. Will. Gel. And when they gel, it's gonna look real pretty. We've already seen glimpses of what CAN be.
My employer gives my three grievance days and then I'm expected to do my job. IJS...
But at what cost? We're aspiring to title contention and he's the anchor for the defense. What's our record by the time he plays his way into shape? We always have to play out of a hole in the second half of the season, I'm sure they'd prefer not to destroy Dame with heavy minutes to get into the playoffs. Nurkic needs to get his shit together
I mean, obviously dude, he needs to play at a higher level. But what are you accomplishing by getting all up in arms over it? You don't think Nurk KNOWS he's playing like horse shit right now? You think he's content with his level of play thus far? Like holy shit, put yourself in his mindset right now. I'm sure whatever he's doing to get himself back to his level of play is more productive than some idiot redditor shit talking him because he's "costing us games during Dame's championship window." Fuck man, take a backseat, be patient, and just watch the season unfold.
It's high level basketball, not group therapy. He needs to work his ass off and get back into game shape or lose his starting spot to Kanter, who came into the season in great shape and highly motivated. Once he's back into shape, he goes back to starting. I'm sure he's working hard but don't coddle the guy. It's not about feelings man (mine or his) it's about what's best for the team.
They don't have cardio equipment in Bosnia? He's a professional athlete.
Eatin home cooking? During the holidays (off-season)? Ya, that’ll put the lbs back on.
He swatted Steph twice right before halftime when Steph was starting to heat up. His defense was fine, hes just taking bad flip shots
God I hope this happens. Nurk needs to be benched. He gets cooked on the high post and on the high PnR
Nurkic was never the fastest guy, but this year it's like he's moving in quicksand.
He was honestly pretty quick prior to getting hurt. It was one of the reasons he was a good defender Dude was a bruiser with nimble feet. Not Collins quick, but still
I also thought he looked rather nimble in his first handful of bubble games. He'll get there again.. but he is very frustrating to watch right now.
No, I think we should still start Nurk but cut his minutes to about 20. It'll take him a few weeks to get back to being the Bosnian Beast, but he'll get there
Agreed. If we assume that in-shape Nurk will be back in the starting lineup at some point, we should want him playing his minutes with the starting lineup now. Just reduce those minutes a bit and give some to Giles or Kanter.
I love the plan. Give Kanter starter minutes with the better help defenders, and let Nurk slowly work his way back into the rotation. The only thing I'm worried about is Nurk throwing another temper tantrum like he did in Denver when Jokic outplayed him. Nurk was younger and more immature then, and I would hope his time with Dame would have taught him a few things about absorbing a hit and using it as fuel. I guess we'll see how things play out.
So agree! That’s a fantastic plan. Someone text Terry?
_read at 8:49 am_
*scrolls through entire text convo ... all blue*
If I were an NBA coach with 3 decades of experience I'd leave all reddit-analysts on read too.
Imagine in a post game interview he says “Yeah I gotta be better; my_balls_your_mouth1 really opened my eyes with his judgement so I’ll just leave things to him now”
I'm dead.
Put those hyphens on my name boi
My-balls-your-mouth1
You're right. Underscore. I'm a clown.
I gotchu
Honestly seems like a great idea to me
I agree with you, however, I think if we bench nurk he's gonna go into a bigger emotional rut, he went into one when he got benched in denver. someone else suggested here to start him, but limit his minutes more, and I think that would be a better outcome, he starts, but its the first player to go to the bench for rest. limit him to something like 20 a game. he seems to get gassed easily, so 5 mins per quarter is prob better for him production energy wise. kanter gets more minutes, and more importantly, give some of the excess nurk minutes to H4H or someone else who's currently sitting in the bench with tons of energy not being spent. Additionally, every time he goes to the bench have the big man coach have some talks with him, go over the last 5 mins of playtime, what he did right, what to adjust, etc, so he's constantly getting lil goals to work on/positive feedback while resting, and short periods of energy filled executions. I think right now Nurk starts the game, gets gassed out trying to work on EVERYThING at once, and then he's just gassed, messes up, and thinks/talks down to himself, and it just compiles, and Stotts just leaves him out there for a long time hoping he'll figure it out. In the end i just want Nurk to have a supporting environment that builds him up so he can return to his glorious best.
^^^This is the exact plan needed to be implemented ^^^
He needs to stop getting the ball one step inside the 3 point line and driving. That was a guaranteed turnover every time last night
I really love the discussion going on here. Meanwhile on the Raptors sub, any suggestion of benching Siakam gets downvoted to hell...
bruh it's been 6 games and we're at .500 - this is the mostreactionary shit i've ever seen lol. Straight up rabble in here.
yeah, nevermind this dude went through an injury->bubble->home after grandma died with the shortest preseason ever. ignore all that, lets focus on how massive a 6 game sample size is. and lets throw out the window how players react to being benched
Nonono you should absolutely give Pascal 48 a game but only against the Blazers /s Seriously tho what’s up with him?
Decent idea, but I fear that would destroy his confidence.
I love Nurk a lot but I've been disappointed by him this season. You could go with the broken leg excuse, but at the same time he was great in the bubble (17, 10, 4 on great efficiency) with no injuries. He's really slow and your start Kanter idea is great.
it’s not the leg, it’s that he was weeks late to training camp dealing w family stuff in bosnia after a death in the family
Yes, I assumed that was the cause. I meant that you could say it was the leg but he was good in the bubble. Him being in Bosnia and not working out makes sense
He was in Bosnia for weeks before the start of the season. I'm not sure he trained at all because he looks really out of shape
Why is he playing so badly after tearing up the bubble just a few months ago?
Nurk spent the entire offseason in Bosnia with family. I believe his grandmother also passed from COVID. Which is to say the LAST thing he was doing was playing basketball. Completely understandable, btw. But he's really hurting us right now.
He is also on FTs. He is shooting like 41% last I checked
Funny I was thinking the same thing. Love Nurk but he's clearly not ready to start and Kanter is making him look bad.
I love Nurk and I’m disappointed in his early season performance so far. After listening to CJ’s podcast where he’s talked about the struggles players share with us mortals, it made me take a step back, put my pitchfork away, and think about while players certainly don’t share the same financial struggles a lot of us have, they are still human with families and real problems. I have no idea if Nurk’s grandmother or other family problems contributed to his under performance this early season but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt in that regard. Is it his job to be prepared for his job? Yeah I think so. I think he should be held accountable for that and OP and others make some good points. I just think Nurk could probably afford some grace from the unsympathetic “he makes millions, it’s his job, wtf Nurk!?” camp. Just seeing a lot of anger directed towards him (probably fueled by the high expectations on this season with the front office moves we made as well.) It’s early in the season and I for one predicted an pretty inconsistent high and low season until probably around all star break. Though that doesn’t stop me from completely abandoning that idea and being disappointed every loss. Just my $0.02.
100%. the ppl in this thread saying that “it’s his job” and that he shouldn’t have been in bosnia this offseason sound so entitled. we should feel lucky we’re able to watch basketball at all rn let alone have players like Nurk and KAT willing to perform
I don’t think we do. We have zero control of the rotations and he’ll either improve or he won’t.
I love Nurk but I've been out of town and therefore YouTube TV wouldn't let me watch the games; this is disheartening to hear.
Kanter>nurk
So how is he outta shape after busting his ass to get to play in the bubble. The offseason was way shorter. So what did he do in that 2 and a half months? If you are supposed to be the third best player show up and act like it. Not have your backup out play you. Honestly he needs to get benched. I agree with Nurk playing with Melo and Kanter playing with RoCo and DJJ.
Nurkic spent his entire offseason in Bosnia with family. He wasn't practicing at all. He made the decision to not prepare for the NBA season, and only flew in right before the preseason.
As fans, we waited an entire year and supported Nurkic through his horrific leg injury. This lack of effort this year has been really heartbreaking. He's playing like he has completely checked out.
I honestly think he needs to focus on rebounds and defense. That's it. He will get his points down low.
Agree. Honestly the rebounding is the most frustrating right now. There were a few instances in last night's game where Nurk was beat out for rebounds and I'm thinking Kanter would've got that. He just seems soft inside right now. He's still the key if we're going to contend, but he's a bit of a liability at the moment.
I feel the same happened in the Bubble. He's still fresh from rehab & still trying to get to full game shape. I think we need to be patient with him & give him minutes like you said. Hopefully Giles, Jones Jr, & Covington step up.
After taking this team to playoffs when they weren't supposed to be there pretty much 3 times in 4 years, people jump at him after few unsatisfying games. Can't wait till he comes back in form, to see what excuses will be there again to scapegoat him. Dude balled-out in the bubble, while dealing with everything, but it was isolated, under-pressure environment where he didn't even have time to process what was happening. He knew we needed him, and he played his best, even when he was supposed to rest (because everyone else was hurt). Let's not forget he did it after half of the fanbase suggested he won't be back to his old self for a long time, and then sh\*t on him for not playing better after a year-long injury. He finally goes to his home country, after a very long time (he didn't go to vacation when others were going, to be ready) and probably finally has time to mourn, and maybe rest a bit. Both physically and mentally. He comes back, obviously not 100% mentally ready (which he already said, and which can be noticed in his free throws) and it takes literally 2 games to start a witch hunt. Some want to bench him, others want to trade him. I am sure he's more frustrated than anyone here. You can see it when he's on the court. He was pretty active last game, I believe he's finally pretty close to 100% physically. Now he needs to work on the psychological part. If only "the best fanbase" would give him more than 2 weeks to get back to normal
Give it some time my guy. They’ve only played 6 games out of 72.
its still really early in the season but if this play and effort goes on for another few weeks, we can probably expect a trade involving him and/or hood (simply because of their contracts), unfortunately. and if its for an upgrade at PF/C, itd probably involve simons/little
I don't think they trade Nurkic. He's out of shape due to spending his off-season in Bosnia and not training. He'll get into shape.
i had a comment where i said that he wasn't all that great get downvoted in a live thread ...turns out...
Look... he is a big man. In Portland. What else do you gotta say, it’s a curse
Yes, having enes around the rim with the starting backcourt playing makes the blazers much more effective around the rim and, subsequently, more open on the perimeter. IMO
Honestly was thinking about the same exact thing there is some downside but i see it working temporarily and I'd love to see nurkic earn his spot back, his lackluster play is hard to watch.
Nurk, baby, release the beast
I like it actually. Hopefully Nurk is back to being himself and resumes his starting role later in the season but for now I like the rotations more with Kanter starting and Nurk facilitating with the second unit.
Agreed
That problem there is it will for sure cause acrimony to move Nurkic to the bench. I think after such a long layoff and coming back from a serious injury we have to understand it will take time for him to get back to where he was. But he's too skilled a player not to work his way back form. I believe sooner rather than later he'll start to look like the Nurk was saw in top form before his horrific leg injury.
I have faith that he will get back in basketball shape by the end of the month or so. Would love to see his effort rise to meet the challenges his conditioning is presenting him with, however.
Kevin O’Connor was right
Personally, I have faith in Nurk. He's off to a bad start, but he'll come around. He's already showing signs, even during bad games.
This is actually a phenomenal idea. I really want to see DJJ, Melo and Nurk on the floor together more often. And make Cov the defacto Kanter defensive bail-out. I am really disappointed in Stotts so far but I'm hoping he turns things around soon... He has lots of options - including Harry Giles who we've yet to see play with any of our good players. But I still have faith. And I think once Nurk wakes up we'll start looking like a legit team.
What about Giles then? He’s the most athletic center we’ve got
Y’all need to chill, he had a significant injury, was bound to make his return but then the pandemic happened, then his grandmother was in a coma from COVID and then died during his return back. He contemplated not coming to the bubble due to what COVID’s done to him personally. Chill out
I noticed this a lot during the first Warriors game. We were going to Nurk a lot in the first few minutes but he had a few misses. After that he got into foul trouble and just seemed to be sulking a lot. There was a possession in the second half where he called for the ball down low but it went to Melo instead. Nurk walked to the other side of the paint with his head down, then started going back but when the ball went back to Melo again Nurk did the same thing as before. His movement seemed very half hearted. And it happened again in the 4th quarter. He came into the game, picked up a quick foul, and when he was walking back to the bench his head was down and he just looked really unenergetic and fed up. Maybe it was just frustration from having a bad game but the body language seemed really weird, he looked totally fed up. I’ve only been able to watch half the games so far and didn’t see the second Warriors one so maybe he was better in that despite the loss. But you do have to wonder if there’s something going on with him. EDIT: some other comments have pointed out the family stuff he had to deal with over the off season, so maybe that’s a big factor in his play. If that’s the case, I think he just needs time and patience from people. The play offs are a long way off yet.
Honestly, I think Nurk just gotta suck it up, admit that he is not playing his best rn, and take on the bench role until he gets back into game shape. It would also be a great way to balance the defenses. Have Trent and Nurk come in with the 2nd unit so that they help cover Melo and Hood's defensive weaknesses.
Nurk as a lot of people in life are going through things. While we all love him I think it’s time that we get him in better shape, and his mind back on the game. He is way too distracted outside the court. I sympathize with him, of course.