Raps coach not stuck on who starts
The idea of a traditional consistent starting five holds no appeal for Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.
Even the discussion of who could start or whose feelings may be hurt by not starting is, well, a non-starter with Nurse.
“It’s not to me,” he said when asked if it was important to identify five guys who will go out and, health permitting, start every game. “Nope, not to me.”
Nurse believes that kind of talk is merely fodder for the sports pages.
“I know it’s awesome to talk and write about, but it’s really not that big a deal,” he said.
In Saturday’s pre-season opener, Nurse’s starting five were Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, C.J. Miles, Kawhi Leonard and Serge Ibaka.
But in Salt Lake City, he’s promising to raise a few eyebrows by possibly starting Utah products Delon Wright (University of Utah) and Kyle Collinsworth (BYU out of Provo, Utah).
It’s clear Nurse is not married to a starting five.
“When a five-man (unit) trots out and a five-man trots in, there shouldn’t be a whole lot of difference,” Nurse said softly, dodging the question. “When a three-man (unit) trots out and a three-man trots in, there is a style we are trying to play here.”
Which would seem to suggest the days of the hockey change — five off, five on — are pretty much over, although even last year former Raptors coach Dwane Casey staggered the rests of Lowry and DeMar DeRozan to keep one on the floor most of the time.
Nurse has as many as nine or even 10 potential starters at his disposal and it appears likely all will get a starting role at some point.
THE WRIGHT STUFF
Wright says he learned a lot in two years in Utah, both about basketball and life. In an effort to give back, Wright holds an annual summer camp here along with former Utah player, former Raptors development coach and now present-day NBA assistant to Casey in Detroit, Jarred DuBois. The one in August was his second and Wright hopes to keep growing it.
“This year’s edition included a panel on mental health at the urging of DuBois. Honestly, ever since I’ve been around him, he was always that guy who always tried to get me to do meditation and some breathing stuff,” Wright said Monday. “I don’t know why we started it. I just felt like we could add that to our program.”
Last season, both DeRozan and Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers talked about their struggles with mental health issues. Wright said it just made sense to pick up on that and keep it going.
“It went well,” he said of the panel. “We had people who talked about what signs to look for. We had some high school coaches and they just wanted to be informed on what to look for. We weren’t trying to tell people what to do. Just make sure where the kids were concerned they were in good hands because kids tend to hold stuff in.”
Wright and DuBois have been together since his second year when DuBois moved to Toronto to help Wright train. He made a big impression on Casey, who got DuBois on staff as a developmental coach. When Casey took the Pistons job, he added DuBois to his staff. QUICK HITS: Wright was asked if he’s learned anything about Kawhi Leonard since joining him in training camp. “He’s not as quiet as people think,” Wright said. “I know people think he doesn’t talk or anything but since I have been around him, he’s been normal. He likes to keep to himself and stay focused on basketball.” ... Nurse has seen a definite change in Wright. “He’s become more of a professional. He is getting the NBA workday. He is understanding that. He has come earlier, stayed later and worked harder in between. His shooting is improving, his vision has always been great and his defence is improving.” ... The Raptors were working on their defensive switching after a slew of miscommunications in Saturday’s game led to some rather easy baskets.