Everything Nick Nurse

[The Claw Reborn]

We are at the end game playing devils advocate to defend VanVleet lol.

but this is a Nick Nurse’s thread….although talking about VanVleet, right away I think of his coach lol.

[slaw]

You guys all played sports at one time or another. When your team is playing shitty and you're losing a lot the effort level goes down. I don't see a way to get it back up this season without a trade.

Definitely true to an extent but the pros are different in that guys are playing for their careers, $, etc. Even if you don't give a shit and hate your team and it sucks you are still incentivized to play hard cause it personally benefits you.

I actually don't see energy/effort as anywhere near the biggest issue on this team. Personnel, strategy and tactics are all way bigger problems.

[golden]

Definitely true to an extent but the pros are different in that guys are playing for their careers, $, etc. Even if you don't give a shit and hate your team and it sucks you are still incentivized to play hard cause it personally benefits you.

I actually don't see energy/effort as anywhere near the biggest issue on this team. Personnel, strategy and tactics are all way bigger problems.

I think Nurse is more frustrated with the mistakes and blown assignments. I think the players are starting to lose faith in the strategy and tactics. It's a self-feeding downward spiral.

Other teams have not only adjusted to what the Raptors do, they are copying us now. Kudos to Nurse for innovating NBA defense, but it's a copycat league and you're only as good as your last game.

[Primer]

Definitely true to an extent but the pros are different in that guys are playing for their careers, $, etc. Even if you don't give a shit and hate your team and it sucks you are still incentivized to play hard cause it personally benefits you.

I actually don't see energy/effort as anywhere near the biggest issue on this team. Personnel, strategy and tactics are all way bigger problems.

Guys will always try to get theirs on offense. Defense takes effort and is rarely rewarded with higher pay so very easy to let off the gas on that end without repercussions. Not a lot of reasons to be trying hard on defense right now, and I think Nurse sees that.

[slaw]

Guys will always try to get theirs on offense. Defense takes effort and is rarely rewarded with higher pay so very easy to let off the gas on that end without repercussions. Not a lot of reasons to be trying hard on defense right now, and I think Nurse sees that.

Raps offence sucks, too.

[Primer]

Raps offence sucks, too.

That is true.

[G__Deane]

You guys all played sports at one time or another. When your team is playing shitty and you're losing a lot the effort level goes down. I don't see a way to get it back up this season without a trade.

Except where you're being paid millions, on national TV several times per week open to public scrutiny, social media has made critiquing you life common place and sites like this exist for fans to debate your shitty effort game after game with millions more potentiually left on the table for your next contract at risk....

Maybe, just maybe then you want to try a bit harder? A bit different than Joe six pack.

Did anyone happen to see Boston Bruin veteran leader Nick Foligno 2nd period speech to the team when they were losing at their Winter Classic outdoor game to the Pittsburgh Penguins?
The guy's not the Captain or even seen as one of the main guys. But he's a veteran, a leader and an effort guy. It was a short epic speech on effort. And guess what, the Bruins came back to win.

Who's that guy on the Raptors? The guy that grabs you by the lapel and gives you a shake, backs it up on the court and leads you into battle.

It's not Pascal, sorry it's not Fred, it's not OG. My opinion, it could be Scotty one day.

Nurse says they're falling short on effort and players are echoing it this week. I hope a teamleader is calling players out in the dressing room but I highly doubt it.

I've been saying for years we need more sandpaper on this team, more grit, more fire, more vocal leaders. I'm saying it again.

[Kagemusha]

Except where you're being paid millions, on national TV several times per week open to public scrutiny, social media has made critiquing you life common place and sites like this exist for fans to debate your shitty effort game after game with millions more potentiually left on the table for your next contract at risk....

Maybe, just maybe then you want to try a bit harder? A bit different than Joe six pack.

Did anyone happen to see Boston Bruin veteran leader Nick Foligno 2nd period speech to the team when they were losing at their Winter Classic outdoor game to the Pittsburgh Penguins?
The guy's not the Captain or even seen as one of the main guys. But he's a veteran, a leader and an effort guy. It was a short epic speech on effort. And guess what, the Bruins came back to win.

Who's that guy on the Raptors? The guy that grabs you by the lapel and gives you a shake, backs it up on the court and leads you into battle.

It's not Pascal, sorry it's not Fred, it's not OG. My opinion, it could be Scotty one day.

Nurse says they're falling short on effort and players are echoing it this week. I hope a teamleader is calling players out in the dressing room but I highly doubt it.

I've been saying for years we need more sandpaper on this team, more grit, more fire, more vocal leaders. I'm saying it again.

You want players to die for this team?
Trade for Canadian players, no matter the cost,
and instill in them that they are playing for Canada.

[Primer]

Except where you're being paid millions, on national TV several times per week open to public scrutiny, social media has made critiquing you life common place and sites like this exist for fans to debate your shitty effort game after game with millions more potentiually left on the table for your next contract at risk....

Maybe, just maybe then you want to try a bit harder? A bit different than Joe six pack.

Did anyone happen to see Boston Bruin veteran leader Nick Foligno 2nd period speech to the team when they were losing at their Winter Classic outdoor game to the Pittsburgh Penguins?
The guy's not the Captain or even seen as one of the main guys. But he's a veteran, a leader and an effort guy. It was a short epic speech on effort. And guess what, the Bruins came back to win.

Who's that guy on the Raptors? The guy that grabs you by the lapel and gives you a shake, backs it up on the court and leads you into battle.

It's not Pascal, sorry it's not Fred, it's not OG. My opinion, it could be Scotty one day.

Nurse says they're falling short on effort and players are echoing it this week. I hope a teamleader is calling players out in the dressing room but I highly doubt it.

I've been saying for years we need more sandpaper on this team, more grit, more fire, more vocal leaders. I'm saying it again.

The money doesn't make guys play harder, quite the opposite actually. Their body is their career and they aren't going to risk it for a bottom 7 team. No point.

[G__Deane]

You want players to die for this team?
Trade for Canadian players, no matter the cost,
and instill in them that they are playing for Canada.

That's Masai's job
And getting every non US player to want to play here to stick it to Uncle Sam
Embiid and Giannis should be here with Pascal, OG and Koloko.

[G__Deane]

The money doesn't make guys play harder, quite the opposite actually. Their body is their career and they aren't going to risk it for a bottom 7 team. No point.

You're not taking the season off on a bad team in a contract year....no one does.
It's no secret that a cartload of guys have their best years prior to a new contract....on good and bad teams

[Primer]

You're not taking the season off on a bad team in a contract year....no one does.
It's no secret that a cartload of guys have their best years prior to a new contract....on good and bad teams

Try their best on offense. No one gets paid for defense unfortunately. Especially not for their defensive effort on a bad losing team.

[Luciid]

Except where you're being paid millions, on national TV several times per week open to public scrutiny, social media has made critiquing you life common place and sites like this exist for fans to debate your shitty effort game after game with millions more potentiually left on the table for your next contract at risk....

Maybe, just maybe then you want to try a bit harder? A bit different than Joe six pack.

Did anyone happen to see Boston Bruin veteran leader Nick Foligno 2nd period speech to the team when they were losing at their Winter Classic outdoor game to the Pittsburgh Penguins?
The guy's not the Captain or even seen as one of the main guys. But he's a veteran, a leader and an effort guy. It was a short epic speech on effort. And guess what, the Bruins came back to win.

Who's that guy on the Raptors? The guy that grabs you by the lapel and gives you a shake, backs it up on the court and leads you into battle.

It's not Pascal, sorry it's not Fred, it's not OG. My opinion, it could be Scotty one day.

Nurse says they're falling short on effort and players are echoing it this week. I hope a teamleader is calling players out in the dressing room but I highly doubt it.

I've been saying for years we need more sandpaper on this team, more grit, more fire, more vocal leaders. I'm saying it again.

One of the reasons why they traded for Thad last season

[golden]

You're not taking the season off on a bad team in a contract year....no one does.
It's no secret that a cartload of guys have their best years prior to a new contract....on good and bad teams

Apparently there's a study that shows that most NBA players actually perform worse in their contract years. Maybe too much pressure on themselves, or conflict & friction between team and personal goals.

[golden]

The money doesn't make guys play harder, quite the opposite actually. Their body is their career and they aren't going to risk it for a bottom 7 team. No point.

Yep. And this probably applies more to stars than role players. Stars are sitting out more frequently and longer than ever. It makes a lot of fiscal sense to preserve your body for one or two extra contracts at the end of your career. Just way too much money at stake not to consider dogging it... if you can avoid the scrutiny.