© Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Nick Nurse Praises Steve Nash For How He's Handled Nets Drama
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The Nets head coach, Steve Nash has had a lot to deal with since taking the head job in September 2020. The long list - a list that has expanded each season - includes handfuls of key injuries, COVID-19 outbreaks, disgruntled superstars, and most importantly, surviving an ultimatum that could've cost him his job.
There's no secret everyone kept a close eye on what was going on in the borough during the Nets' extended off-season, wondering whether the Eastern Conference contender was going to implode and grant Kevin Durant a trade out of Brooklyn. Ultimately, the team remained intact after the drama-packed storm but in the NBA, anything can happen down the road.
Enter Nick Nurse, who has known Nash before the head coach became a household name during his playing years. The relationship between the head coaches dates back over two decades stemming from when the Raptors' head coach was coaching in England.
"Listen, I've known Steve [Nash] for a long time, and pretty well," said Nurse during his pregame press conference. "I got a phone call from him back in about 99-2000. His brother was playing for, I think, Stockport County in England and I was coaching the Manchester Giants, and this was before he was even Steve Nash yet. He was in the league, but he wanted to know if we were practicing, and we were just starting training camps, so we went through about four or five days of training camp with Manchester Giants teams. So I've known him for a long time since then, I've had a lot of good moments along the way."
Before they dueled on the hardwood, Nurse revealed praise for how his long-time friend has handled the drama in Brooklyn and everything that has been thrown at him. He holds empathy for Brooklyn's head coach and believes Nash has handled the load with "great composure and class."
"When there's a guy you know, for sure (there's empath), you know, you always paid a little more attention when it's somebody you consider a friend," Nurse added."And certainly, like, it's hard. This job is hard, right? This profession is hard, and that stuff just makes it harder, but I think he's, I think he's handled it with great composure and class and all that kind of stuff, and he's still fighting."
