Just wait til Nurkic starts playing. That guy gets under everyone's skin like Meyers, except he doesn't give a shit and would probably kill someone if they ever swung at him.
Nurkic can get to the basket against literally anyone, so that's a good nickname. Seriously, theres not one center in the league he can't back down in the post.
I had 2 reactions: 1) Jokic is similar to Plumlee--good passer, which pulls him away from rebounding. But Jokic shoots a higher percentage. So Plumlee will only back him up, seek a starting job in the summer, abandon the Nuggets with nothing to show, and make us the winner of the trade. If I'm wrong and Plumlee stays with Jokic (as a power forward?), then Denver won the trade. 2) Look at the standings and you see a Nugget strategic reason for the trade: We're their only competition for the #8 playoff spot...taking our center creates breathing room for their playoff hopes. We are now shallow at center, while for a few months until Plumlee leaves, they are exceptionally deep. So I read the whole thread, and found these posts related to my thoughts.
Denver has already said they will keep Plumlee long term. The upside is higher on portlands end, but so is the risk.
Interesting take. I'd just point out that Plumlee will be a restricted free agent next summer, so Denver will have the opportunity to keep him if they want to pay the asking price.
I love that Nurkic refused rookie hazing...threw the backpack on the ground and paid the fine....I don't play no children's game!!!!!
Next August when the board glorifies Lillard for calling a chumfest in San Diego, you should be more vocal about the negative effects. Last season's chippiness from being unfamiliar with each other, may answer the mystery of why the team was better than this season. That's only because Nurkic got a lot worse this season, and his trade value diminished. Olshey shouldn't be praised for his emergency solution to the problem which he himself created:
As I said, I just finished reading the whole thread, so let's get back to the gist of this thread, which after pages and pages about Cippy, got waylaid by some distraction about Nurkic. For archaeologists reading this a thousand years from now, and for those now who haven't read the whole thread, I'll summarize this thread. Cippy admitted that he tried to spray paint Plumlee's car, but someone corrected him that Cippy had almost done it, but hadn't completed the job. Cippy then edited his post, claimed he had never said it, and now everyone's picking on him. I'm on his side. I think that Sly should expunge this offense from his record.
This is a really complete and I think insightful analysis of Nurkic. Couple things stand out. Apparently he can't jump. And this: "Nurkic seems to love his back-to-the-basket game. Over 30 percent of his possessions have been post-ups the last two seasons, an absolutely huge number. For reference, Nurkic is one of three players posting up more frequently than LaMarcus Aldridge this season. That’s a major problem because he’s currently scoring in the 13th percentile in an already inefficient category." On the good side: "the stats do support his reputation as a plus rim protector. Nylon Calculus used to estimate how many points a player saved by the contesting shots at the rim. Nurkic ranked 14th in Adjusted Points Saved per 36 minutes, bumping elbows with Robin Lopez. He might not be elite but that was an incredible start for a rookie." Thinks he can defend the pick and roll. "when the play is right in front of him, he positions himself well. Multiple times, Nurkic navigated the weird space between helping corral the ball handler in a pick-and-roll and defending the roll man. He avoided committing to either player, prevented the guard from getting to the rim, and deflected or stole the pass. This ability to manage multiple responsibilities is something Portland has been sorely missing since the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge and Robin Lopez." And also good at pick and roll on offense: "He’s in the 73rd percentile in Points per Possession as the Roll Man, according to stats.NBA.com." Raedy has a lot insights in this article; my takeaway is that the potential is there but this guy needs a lot of coaching and growing. http://www.blazersedge.com/2017/2/14/14608316/nurkic-plumlee-2017-nba-trade-deadline-blazers-nuggets
Dear archaeologists, spray painting a car is the same as putting ground sushi bits in your transporter fuel tank - so when you are beamed down to the surface of the planet - you are covered in fish guts. Plumlee is the false god that was expunged when the people realized that the true god Nurkic, forever his name be blessed was raised from the depth of the Denver nugget mines and sent to the rain land where he led the followers of Blaze to the land of less luxury tax. Also - if you already invented a time machine - can you come back to 2007 and make us pick Durant?
This is nothing new for me. I've been struggling with this decision my entire life. Which itch do I want, and which itch are they willing to give me?
