UXBRIDGE, Ontario. — Shortly after playing five quick warm-up holes before the main event, which was due to take place in just under an hour, Nick Nurse was beaming.
“Birdie, bogey, birdie, bogey,” joked the Story of My Life Nurse. “I’ve been to this round many times in my life and it doesn’t end at 72.”
As the host of a charity golf tournament for his Nick Nurse Foundation (which aims to “improve the lives of children and young adults through music, sports and literacy”) on Wednesday at the Wooden Sticks Golf Course, Nurse seemed excited about the Spread word and raise money for his foundation.
“I just spoke to a couple of people about it and they were surprised it was our first,” Nurse said of Wednesday’s event. “I told them the story that we started the night the scroll was on every phone or TV and Rudy Gobert tested positive. We literally stood on stage for the music night that night. So it was the first kind of live event.”
But while Nurse had fun on the links on Wednesday, it’s safe to assume the rest of his team got some serious work done in preparation for the upcoming season.
“I get it — I don’t want to go too far here — but I see a little anomaly about this group,” Nurse said of the players currently on the Raptors roster. “I mean, none of them are here today, right? The reason is that they all train together at the gym. Literally the entire team except for one guy who is hosting a basketball event in another country. So we’ve seen some really good signs of some cohesion and some faith and construction.”
As social media posts suggest, Raptors players like Pascal Siakam, Dalano Banton and DJ Wilson are in Los Angeles right now, taking part in the famous Rico Hines runs.
According to Nurse, however, more than just these three are certainly training with the Raptors’ new assistant coach.
“Part of the reason we’re doing this is so we get a chance to get them out and do group work,” Nurse said. “So the runs continue in the afternoon and this is just sort of an organized YMCA run with a lunch ball, but very organized – three courses are running at the same time. And Rico runs the show and there’s kind of a winners’ jury and you know how it’s phrased.
Even before he was on the coaching staff, Hines was credited with some of the big off-season jumps Siakam had seen in the past and there’s an expectation that this summer will be no different.
“He looks absolutely spectacular. He really does,” Nurse said of Siakam. “You just sit there and watch him train and his athleticism is electric, he’s focused, his shot is smooth and soft and, I mean, he looks great.”
At this point, the news that Siakam will find ways to improve in the summer is only natural. More interesting and probably more important for the future of the Raptors is the development of some of the team’s young role players.
“I mean, there’s a group of guys that we know can all step down and play for us, and then they have to step up, carve out a role and do it more consistently every night,” Nurse said. “Whoever wins these fights will probably be the one who does it most consistently.”
In particular, Nurse is looking for Malachi Flynn, who tore up the Pro-Am circuit this summer to make a big jump.
“Malachi looked great in LA the other day,” said Nurse. “This is a big year for him to move up. And I really think there was a window last year where he started before an injury distracted him. And I think a lot of things are ruled by injuries.”
On Wednesday, the Raptors announced their training camp schedule, beginning with media day September 26 and going cross-country with stops in Victoria, BC for formal camp and preseason games in Edmonton and Montreal. Though he didn’t specifically say so, Nurse alluded to what could be a lively, competitive preseason and dropped a big hint as to what he and the coaching staff will be looking for.
“Listen, I think so,” Nurse said. “What do we need from these guys on offense? You have to put down open shots. It’s not like they have to do every skillset move in the world and create something. If it comes by and they get kicked to the rhythm, they have to do something. Anyone who does that has the best chance of consolidating one of these places.”
Fast dribbles
• Wednesday’s golf tournament also featured Kyle Lowry, former top player for the Raptors and current Miami Heat point guard, who had nothing but good things to say about the nine years he spent in Toronto.
“It’s great to come back here in the summer,” he said. “It’s a place I’ve called home for a long time, it will always be special in my heart and I’ll still call it home. … It’s a beautiful place, a beautiful country, beautiful people and there’s a reason I’ve called this home for a long, long time and I will continue to call it home.”
• Additionally, Lowry mentioned that a key reason he was there on Wednesday to help Nurse and his foundation is the bond they forged while in Toronto together.
“Nick was the guy I shot and trained with,” Lowry said. “He was an assistant when he got here so he and I had a great relationship before he was even a head coach and we’ve always had the same mantra about winning, understanding and trying to innovate.
“Nick is a friend of mine and we grew closer and trusted each other over the years. Maintaining a relationship with a guy like him obviously I’m here for a reason, he’s such a great man, he’s helped me tremendously in my career and all I can do is try to give so much back to him as he gave me.”
• Lowry missed a number of games last season for undisclosed personal reasons, which may account for what by his standards was as poor a season as his debut season at South Beach. The 36-year-old said he is still dealing with the disorder and will publicly announce what happened once the matter is resolved.
“I’m still dealing with it. It’s a situation where it’s better, I’ll talk more about it, but it’s definitely something that derailed my whole season and derailed me for a long time,” Lowry said. “To this day I deal with it every day, I just got a call about it.”
• Among the distinguished guests on Wednesday none was greater than Julius “Dr. J” Erving, who took the time to honor the life and legacy of his friend and mentor Bill Russell, the legendary NBA great and civil rights leader who passed away Sunday at the age of 88.
“I watched him from afar during my teenage and teenage years, and then I was fortunate that he came through UMass when I was there and extended the hand of friendship when I was 20,” said Erving. “So that was 52 years ago and in order to make that happen, it was important to me to do the same with players who are trying to follow in my footsteps, who have admired my style of play, with my on and off the -Court presence and what do you have. So I learned so much from him.”
Lowry and Nurse also commented on the indelible mark Russell left.
“I think he meant a lot to the African American community in general, that’s the most important thing,” Lowry said. “He was one of those guys who stood up and kind of pushed that African Americans should have more freedom, more say, and just be more of everything.
“Basketball-like? Just unbelievable. One of the greatest athletes, one of the greatest players to ever play this game… player manager, everything he could, we wish he were still here because we want to show him more love, give him more flowers. And give him everything more.”
Nurse added: “My high school coach had this iconic image of him going over the back of one of his own teammates to block a shot and it was a black and white thing that was in our locker room and he gave me this photo and we had a lot of discussions about bill russell, me and my high school coach. … But what can one say? His legacy speaks for itself.”
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