I don’t believe for one second that Nurk hasn’t talk to Bud 2 months. He’s a cancer get him off this team
I hope you’re right. I seriously don’t understand why some posters are defending the alleged refusal to talk.
Yeah, shame on Bud if he’s running a team like that but I don’t buy it. Nurk got a huge victim complex, never takes accountability. Complaining that fans expect him to play like KD, he’s a dumbass. He also thru shade at Vogel during media day this year. Unfollowed Book and KD. He just seems like a locker room cancer. These quotes from him are pretty terrible, so yeah I don’t believe him. If they can’t trade him then just send him home and waive and stretch his contract in the offseason.
Without know the real facts and without necessarily buying into this 'did not talk in two months' allegation, my take is this:
Nurkic used to be pretty good, but injuries have made him a total liability on the court. Even if his attitude was perfect, I wouldn't want him in my rotation if I could avoid it, and it seems he just can't take it. Now, if I am the coach, it is my responsibility as a manager to convey this message to him, and to do so in a way that is respectful and does not burn bridges, for the overall sake of the team. After that, I don't owe you anything more than professionalism and common courtesy and if you start to become a bad apple, I'll have to remove you from the basket.
Yes I know KD really isn’t a big, but he’ll see time at the 5. Morris and Oso our emergency guys.
Can we afford to relegate Oso to “emergency”? We need to be looking toward the future and he needs playing time to develop.
I had a 9-man playoff rotation in mind when I was saying that. I think he’d keep getting regular season minutes with that team…he and Portis would make an interesting 4-5 combo.
I just ... I'm sure he and Bud have spoken over the past 2 months. There are team flights, practices, huddles during games. There are plenty of forums for players and coaches to speak to each other. I'm sure in the huddle, Bud draws up a play, and he says "Nurk you do this, you go there," etc. They've talked. I think what Nurk really means is, Coach Bud hasn't gone out of his way to give me a special 1:1 meeting for 2 months to clear the air and address the issues I am hurting about. Which, I don't think Bud owes him that.
If Coach Bud is really truly giving him the cold shoulder and refusing to speak to him, like, turning away from him in huddles, or Nurk asks to talk and Bud says no, etc., that is bad management and that's on Bud. But I really really doubt it.
I think Bud even said he didn't tell Nurk he was being benched a few weeks back. It feels like bad management but each coach is different in handling things. He could also have his assistants handling those convos instead of handling each one himself. We also don't know how Nurk has been handling himself in practice and around the team. If he was doing everything asked and got the cold shoulder, it's not a good look. If he's been dogging it and feeling like he's the one getting the blame for everything, then the players and coaches might be tired of his act. We just don't know the inner workings.
Here is an interesting post about Nurk from the reddit thread for the Duane Rankin article.
I went to an event in early December that was a Suns team only event. What I mean by that is that it was only the players, the coaches, and front of house staff that attended this event. Matt.Ishbia was there and his brother along with other front office members and of course Coach Bud was there. All of the players, including Nurkic were there. The only non-Suns people that were there were myself and about five other people that were there to help. It was a private event held at a golf course.
He absolutely did not want to be there. He was completely disengaged with the rest of the team. He talked through somebody to ask if he could leave early. And this is all before any of this trade stuff came out with him. Right then and there I knew something was wrong. KD was super cool though. Booker gave me a “what’s good” And Mason Plumlee really likes otter pops.
I kinda believe it. Definitely feels like all this has been brewing for awhile.
Saucey should like this one haha: sfw, has nothing to do with the Nurk stuff tho.
Edit: Since this gained a little traction I’ll share my favorite moment of the afternoon.
KD was talking to a front office member. He was a short pudgy guy. Think along the lines of Jonah Hill’s character in the movie Moneyball. They obviously hadn’t seen each other in a few weeks and they were catching up with some small talk and chit chat. At the time KD had been out for a few weeks I think and this guy was encouraging him and stuff. Saying stuff like “you got this you’ll get back to form soon” etc. Something along those lines. Anyway KD comes back with “Yeah I just gotta lock in and stop smoking so much weed man.” It was so fuckin funny. I couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle. I had to turn around so they didn’t know I was listening in on the convo.
