Nick Nurse

James Harden To Miss First Two Sixers Games Of The Season

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James Harden will miss the first two games of the Sixers season despite returning to practice. The team decision means he will miss road games against Milwaukee and Toronto. However, he could suit up for their home opener against Portland. “He’s been gone for 10 days, so we’re in ramp up phase again. So, like we would normally do, he will stay and get on-court work with our staff and with our players from the Blue Coats [G-League affiliate] and two-way guys and things like that and try to get him ramped up as soon as we can,” head coach Nick Nurse explained Wednesday.

Harden’s appearance at practice Wednesday was the first time in over a week that he’d been with the team. Harden missed practices throughout the back end of last week, with the team reporting that no reason had been given for the absence. However, by the end of the week, the team had stated that Harden was away attending to a personal matter. “He is fine. He understands he’s got to get ramped up. Like I said, he’s been gone for 10 days so he understands it. He wants to get back to playing live, full-court basketball,” Nurse added.

Read More: Ime Udoka Says Fred VanVleet Was A “Better Fit” Than James Harden For Rockets

Harden Back, Relationship With Front Office Still Dead

However, just because Harden is back with the team doesn’t mean that things are peachy in the City of Brotherly Love. Two weeks ago, Harden once again stated that he has no relationship with the Sixers front office and that his dispute with the team can only be resolved via trade. “This is not even about this situation — this is in life. When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage … you lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple,” Harden said at his first media appearance since the start of Sixers training camp. “When I got traded here, my whole thing is I wanted to retire a Sixer. I wanted to be here and retire a Sixer. And the front office didn’t have that in their future plans,” Harden added while pointedly refusing to explicitly name President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey.

Harden did, however, express a great deal of respect for Nurse. “Nick is very versatile. He’s a players’ coach. He understands it. I’ve known him a little bit; he was the G League coach in Houston. He’s obviously won a championship. He just sees the game different and I’m a fan of him,” Harden said. Given Nurse’s comments, it appears that the new coach is more than willing to work with Harden, if Harden wants to be worked with.

Read More: Michael Rubin Says James Harden Saga Wouldn’t Have Happened If He Was Still Sixers Owner

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James Harden Misses Another Sixers Practice

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James Harden has missed Sixers practice for the second day in a row. After stating that no reason was given for the first absence, the organization has now said Harden is away from the team due to a personal matter. “I think the organization has made it clear what’s going on. They’re working on stuff, as we say, day by day. We had a really good practice today. Very energetic. The guys that were here, that’s what we’re focused on,” head coach Nick Nurse said when asked about the absence. Furthermore, Nurse said it was “unlikely” that Harden would play in the team’s preseason finale against Atlanta on Friday.

The missing of practice is something that experts have been surprised hasn’t happened sooner with Harden. The veteran has something of a reputation for being disruptive during offseason activities when he is trying to force a trade. However, it is believed that rumors of renewed discussions between the Sixers and Clippers compelled Harden to put in a few weeks of good behavior.

Read More: Ime Udoka Says Fred VanVleet Was A “Better Fit” Than James Harden For Rockets

Harden Says Sixers Relationship Can’t Be Fixed

However, the escalation to skipping practice shouldn’t be all that surprising. Last week, Harden once again stated that he has no relationship with the Sixers front office and that his dispute with the team can only be resolved via trade. “This is not even about this situation — this is in life. When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage … you lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple,” Harden said at his first media appearance since the start of Sixers training camp. “When I got traded here, my whole thing is I wanted to retire a Sixer. I wanted to be here and retire a Sixer. And the front office didn’t have that in their future plans,” Harden added while pointedly refusing to explicitly name President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey.

Harden did, however, express a great deal of respect for Nurse. “Nick is very versatile. He’s a players’ coach. He understands it. I’ve known him a little bit; he was the G League coach in Houston. He’s obviously won a championship. He just sees the game different and I’m a fan of him,” Harden said. On the topic of basketball, Harden said he would be playing this year, ruling out the possibility of a holdout. But a week is a long time in sports and it appears that playing basketball may no longer be on the table for Harden, at least in Philadelphia.

Read More: Michael Rubin Says James Harden Saga Wouldn’t Have Happened If He Was Still Sixers Owner

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SOURCE SPORTS: 76ers Hire Nick Nurse as New Head Coach

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SOURCE SPORTS: 76ers Hire Nick Nurse as New Head Coach

The Philadelphia 76ers have ended their coaching search, bringing in former Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse to lead the team.

According to ESPN, Nurse was a finalist for both the Sixers and Phoenix Suns’ job, opting to coach Joel Embiid and having a relationship with the team’s president of basketball operations, Daryl Morey.

During Nurse’s tenure with the Raptors, he had a record of 227-163 and won the 2019 NBA championship and the 2020 Coach of the Year award.

The post SOURCE SPORTS: 76ers Hire Nick Nurse as New Head Coach appeared first on The Source.

Philadelphia 76ers Meeting With Nick Nurse

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The firing of Doc Rivers as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers came as a shock to many. However, Rivers had failed to progress the team past the second round of the playoffs. This was despite improving their regular-season wins total year on year. That meant the Sixers would join the Bucks, Pistons, Raptors, and Rockets in the hunt for a new head coach.

Like their fellow coachless franchises, the Sixers’ expected pool of candidates carries both great depth and breadth. Names include experienced head coaches and long-time assistants. Furthermore, there have been calls for the Sixers to consider outside-the-box candidates, with The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Mike Jensen arguing the Sixers should interview Dawn Staley. All this comes along with the news that James Harden has chosen to test free agency.

Sixers To Interview Nick Nurse

Nick Nurse coaching in the NBA
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 27: Head coach Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors reacts to the officiating against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on January 27, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Sixers have scheduled a meeting with former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. Nurse, who lead the Raptors to a championship in 2019, was let go after the franchise’s slow decline over the last five years. However, Nurse is also an experienced coach. His career dates back to 1989 and includes a decade at the NBA level. Nurse originally joined the Raptors as an assistant in 2013 before being promoted to head coach in 2018.

Furthermore, Nurse is a success-driven coach who preaches a fluid basketball philosophy that calls for situational awareness and adaptability. In regard to the news, many fans expressed hope that Nurse would be able to fix the Sixers’ defensive woes. A lack of meaningful defensive adjustments were a major contributor to their early playoff exit. However, the Sixers are still early in their process and proceeding “carefully”. They are also expected to speak with two other recent Championship coaches in Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer. What do you think about the possibility of Nick Nurse to the Sixers? Let us know in the comments.

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Raptors Fire Nick Nurse After Five Seasons

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Nick Nurse briefly turned the Toronto Raptors into one of the NBA’s hottest brands. Serving with the team since 2013, Nurse took over as head coach in 2018. Despite going 59-23 the previous season, long-time head coach Dwayne Casey was fired after being swept in the Conference Semifinals by Cleveland. Nurse took Toronto all the way to a title in his first season, while also bringing to Kawhi Leonard to Canada.

However, Nurse has never been able to replicate that first-year success. Leonard left for LA in the offseason, meaning the Raptors traded a first-round pick for a championship. That 2019 first-rounder became Keldon Johnson, the Spurs’ leading scorer this past season. After winning 53 games the next season, the Raptors have completely dropped off. They won just 27 games in the 20/21 season and finished with a .500 record in the most recent season. As for the postseason, they lost in the first round in the 21/22 campaign and were outclassed by the Bulls in this year’s Play-In tournament.

Raptors Look To “Reset”

On April 21, the Raptors fired Nurse as head coach. Nurse had one year left on his contract and had met with Team President Masai Ujiri numerous times to discuss the plan going forward. However, it appears that Ujiri had other plans. In a statement, Ujiri said that the decision to move on from Nurse was “an opportunity for us to reset, to refocus, to put into place the personnel and the players who will help us reach our goal of winning our next championship.”

So what’s next for the Raptors, and for Nurse? Sources who spoke to ESPN said that former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is a serious contender to take the Toronto job. Udoka has been a free agent since the Celtics suspended and later fired him for conduct violations. Meanwhile, Nurse may not have to wait long for his next role, as sources say that he is a prominent candidate for the vacant position with the Rockets. However, the move ends an era for the Raptors and the team will now look to find a new direction. The team holds a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Joel Embiid to Raptors’ Head Coach Nick Nurse During Game 2 76ers Win “Stop B***hng About Calls”

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Joel Embiid to Raptors’ Head Coach Nick Nurse During Game 2 76ers Win “Stop B***hng About Calls”

Joel Embiid loves to talk trash while on the court, and it now appears coaches aren’t safe from his antics either. During the game two big win for Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers over the Toronto Raptors, Embiid had an in-game conversation with Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse.

You couldn’t tell what during the game, but afterward, Embiid revealed what was said with Nurse’s back-and-forth.

“He’s a great coach obviously, what he has been able to accomplish,” said Embiid of Nurse. “I’ve always been a big fan. But I told him, respectfully told him to stop b—-ing about calls.”

Embiid finished the game with 31 points, with 12 coming from the free-throw line. He attempted 14 free throws for the game. It seems Nurse didn’t like the number of times Embiid went to the line in the game.

“If you’re going to triple-team somebody all game, they are bound to get to the free-throw line, or if you’re going to push them off and try to hold them and all that stuff, they’re bound and get to the free-throw line,” Embiid said. “So I feel like every foul was legit and probably should have been more, honestly.”

The Raptors head back to Toronto down 2-0 in their first-round matchup with the 76ers. Maybe Nurse’s complaining to Embiid and the refs way benefit the Raptors in game 3, have Embiid more motivated to keep the pressure on.

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