Nick Nurse explains why he chose to coach Sixers over Suns, Bucks

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CAMDEN, N.J.–The Philadelphia 76ers made their first offseason move by bringing in Nick Nurse as their new head coach to replace Doc Rivers. After three seasons, the Sixers moved on from Rivers because even though the team won games, they couldn’t get past Round 2.

Enter Nurse who will bring his innovative mind and outside-the-box thinking to the position. He won a lot of games as coach of the Toronto Raptors, 227 of them across four seasons, and he has a championship from 2019 on his resume. The Sixers feel as if they got their guy.

Nurse chose the Sixers over jobs like the Phoenix Suns or the Milwaukee Bucks. Two teams who are arguably in a better position to contend for a title when considering the uncertainty of whether James Harden returns to the Sixers.

“There’s several things you’re evaluating,” said Nurse. “First of all, I know it’s a good team because I’ve been in the trenches trying to battle you guys a lot and it had been a pretty good rivalry having saw each other a lot in the playoffs and stuff as well–certainly a big factor and then what I think is most important is ownership.”

Nurse has certainly seen his fair share of the Sixers over the years. He coached against them in both the 2019 playoffs and the 2022 playoffs. He has seen a lot of Joel Embiid up close and personal and he has also seen the Embiid-Harden partnership out on the floor.

On top of that, he has a relationship with President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey from their time together with the Houston Rockets.

“They always say do your research and everything I hear is super positive and I know Daryl and Daryl’s track record of putting together players and putting together a roster that can compete for the title speaks for itself,” Nurse added. “That’s what made it a fairly easy decision in the end.”

Whether Harden returns or not, the Sixers have a strong roster led by the MVP of the league in Embiid. Obviously, it would be extremely tough to replace The Beard and what he brings to the table in the case he does leave, but with the big fella in tow, the Sixers will be a competitive team under Nurse’s…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nick-nurse-explains-why-chose-201257045.html?src=rss

Author : Sixers Wire

Publish date : 2023-06-01 20:12:57

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