Nick Nurse is pretty upset over some reports criticizing the character and coaching of one of his former assistants.
Indiana Pacers first-year head coach Nate Bjorkgren has come under fire recently. A report on Tuesday said that Bjorkgren’s future is in jeopardy, largely due to his style of coaching and communication.
On Thursday, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer published a lengthy piece that smeared Bjorkgren, pointing out all his perceived flaws and issues as a coach. One section reported that Bjorkgren acted as a sort of chief of staff for Nurse while working as an assistant coach in Toronto.
So I just read the report on the Pacers situation with Bjorkgren and a pretty interesting couple of paragraphs about his time in Toronto… per @JakeLFischer pic.twitter.com/CuCv4SZYfk
— Esfandiar | Darth Es (@JustEsBaraheni) May 6, 2021
Nurse, who is in his third season as the Toronto Raptors’ head coach, responded with disgust. He told reporters that the information shared about Bjorkgren was “100 percent false” and a “bold-faced lie.”
"That was 100% false. It was absolutely a bold-face lie what they printed.” – Nick Nurse on Raptors section of Nate Bjorkgren story pic.twitter.com/UW9unIYf42
— Yahoo Sports Canada (@YahooCASports) May 7, 2021
Nurse also questioned any journalism that would allow them to publish such lies.
Bjorkgren, 45, is almost certainly going to be fired after all that has leaked out about him. What’s unfortunate is that the article was not balanced and did not include any support from someone like Nurse. Even one Pacers player had to deny an accusation from the article.
