I have no such fantasy. I long ago realized some people will never change. They may temporarily slink back under their rock, waiting eagerly for the next opportunity to spout their venom of negativity, but they don't change. They just prefer to hide in darkness rather than bask in the bright glow of enlightenment. I have long since abandoned any pretense of rescuing them from their self-imposed darkness. This #FakeNews rumor: http://www.sportstwo.com/threads/nurk-3-yrs-45-million.332936/ I'm surprised you somehow missed out on this latest round of Olshey bashing. Too busy hiding under your rock? BNM
Nurk and Dame bonded from day 1. He now has a teammate and a leader who believes in him. It's obvious he's much happier here than he was in DEN. Yeah, we totally won that trade. So did Nurk. He's gone from an under-utilized outcast to a starter and fan favorite. Not hard to see why he likes it here. BNM
It wasn't that long ago Greg Monroe was considered one of the best young centers in the league. As of now, he has no job. If he gets signed, it may well be for the vets minimum. What coaches want from the center position is changing.
Greg Monroe was never a defensive force. What coaches want from centers might have changed on the offense, but it is mostly still the same on defense.
I'm not sure we will see a lot of change in that direction as teams have figured out that shooting 33% from the 3 is equal to shooting 50% from inside the 3 point line and there are many players in the NBA that shoot 33% or better from 3. The only way I see the game opening up much more to big guys is if they move the 3 point line out further or eliminate it. I would actually like to see the court widened to create more spacing for ball movement. The players have become too big and athletic for the court size.
Actually, because of the way the game has changed offensively, coaches want (and need) even more from their centers defensively. They can no longer just protect the rim and bang down low in the paint on defense, they need to be able to defend the pick and roll all the way out to the 3-point line, and beyond. In spite of being huge and not laterally quick, Nurk is VERY good at defending the pick and roll. He uses his size and strength to briefly swallow up both the screener and the ball handler at the point of attack. This gives our guards time to recover and get back in the play defensively and requires MUCH less switching on the pick and roll than we did with Plumlee at center. It is his ability to effectively guard the pick and roll that transformed this team from bottom 7 to top 8 in defense. It also killed the Dame and C.J. can never coexist because of their defensive limitations narrative. BNM
My goodness, that is your counter? Greg Monroe? A horrible defender? I'm sorry but if that is your argument against Nurk then you have no argument.
Agree, Greg Monroe's career is spiraling downhill. His best years were in Detroit. Watching him now, he's a shadow of his former self, and nowhere near the talent of Nurk.
No it didn’t. Did you watch the New Orleans series? 1-4 Pick and Pop with Mirotic killed us. As did the 1-5 P&R with AD. Weak side defenders either had to help on the AD lob, which left guys spotted up wide-open on the skip pass (a pass Rondo and Jrue were very capable of making), or AD was wide open for the lob because Nurk had to help cover for Dame or CJ for too long. Jrue and Rondo collapsed our shell at will and that starts with lack of perimeter defense. We need one more piece who can guard the perimeter at an elite level, otherwise come playoff time it’s always going to be the same story with Dame and CJ.
New Orleans literally dissected our defense running 1 or 2 actions over and over again, and guys are actually saying the Dame/CJ defense narrative is killed with a straight face. This board is amazing.
I think you touched on something that is the most overlooked skill in all of basketball. That skill is the ability to navigate a pick and roll on defense in a way that allows your teammate that is being screened to recover instead of having to switch. Sure, having switchability is super helpful but if you don't even need to switch it makes it even better. For how many times a game Nurk's man sets a pick, he rarely gets caught having to defend a guard. Whereas other players (like Collins, hopefully this improves) get switched onto a guard almost every time their man sets a screen. It just makes me cringe whenever I hear someone say the new cliche that centers like Nurk are going away.
Monroe was always weak on "D". Coaches used to accept that as long as he hit the boards and provided low post offense. Times (and fashions) change.
Nurk is only 23, too. Not to mention in the past year he’s really transformed his body. He moved so much better this past season than his first with us. Sky is the limit for him. I’m glad he and Dame seem to be close, I really think having a guy like Dame around is exactly what Nurk needed.
Hey man.... I just love good irony. If you’re going to call someone an idiot, you need to make sure your side of the street is clean. Or some shit like that.....
What is the point you are trying to make? Nurk and Monroe aren't even comparable as players so it can't be that. Is it that they are both big "plodders"? Why would a team like the Celtics who were competing to come out of the East pick up Greg Monroe if he didn't still have a place in the NBA? I just don't get how Nurk's defense relates to a player that is horrible on defense, can you enlighten me?
Small ball dies when the next Shaq comes into this league... Or if Nurk plays like Nurk of 2017, right after we acquired him....
