Don Nelson Mania on the Web!- Part III

by Atma Brother ONE on Sep 4, 2006 10:09 AM PDT in Links Comment 10 comments

In addition to our ongoing crazy coverage of Don Nelson's return to the Warriors

we've supplied a roadmap to entire WWW's Nellie mania (see Part I and Part II). It's been a hit and even NBA.com loved it. So here we go... PART III!

Welcoming Nellie to Nellie-ville!

Nellie: "ONE? Haha, it should say ZERO for how many times the Warriors have made the playoffs since I left!" (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Nellie: "I can teach you how to be a good GM too, Chris? DEAL. Let's shake on it!"

Mullin: "I see playoffs!"

Nellie: "Hold up a sec... I only agreed to coach the Warriors if KG was going to be here." (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Nellie: " Really- no KG? Uuhhh... no more questions, please."

Nellie: "Just playing! We're going to the playoffs in 2k-- soon!"

Sam Rubenstain for Slam: Will it be Golden?

Now, Don Nelson is a really good coach. I like him and the style he teaches. He had a phenomenal run in Dallas (and a kind of annoying half season with the Knicks), and he’s much better suited for this job than Mike Montgomery, who people were predicting disaster for from day one. Personally, I’m skeptical of his ability to turn it around, and a big reason for that is Baron Davis’s health is just as shaky as Hardaway’s was. And L’il Dun is no Chris Mullin, despite the skin complexion.

Fantasy Junkie and I were making some Run TMC comparisons the other day. Baron = Timmy Hardaway and JRich = Mitch Richmond/ Chris Mullin? The Warriors need a sharp-shooter desperately or else JRich is going to have be a 5-Mic MC.

Jake Kelman for The Stanford Daily: Moving on from Montgomery

It’s not that Montgomery is not a good coach, and I do buy into any number of the standard explanations for his failure on the other side of the Bay. "His style wasn’t cut out for the NBA." "The Warriors just didn’t have good enough personnel." I’d believe either, and regardless of his recent failings, I still do believe the man can coach basketball. But Cardinal faithfuls calling for Trent Johnson’s job and Montgomery’s re-hiring (assuming he would even take the Stanford job if offered) are simply living in the past.

SinCity for Warriorsworld: What's the Motivation?

The second Don Nelson Era in the Bay Area begins today and the biggest question left to answer is why? What cosmic set of circumstances made Nellie and Cohan put aside their differences and do the right thing for the franchise? Is Nellie just doing this for another payday or as a favor to old pal Chris Mullin? Is Chris Cohan just trying to drum up some interest for ticket sales? Maybe Nellie is just planning on putting in a half season of work knowing he will get banished back to Hawaii with a fat severence package?

Is SinCity predicting another Nellie-Cohan legal battle?

Felipe Torcato for Humm-Baby!: Alou Meets with Nelson

The Chronicle erroneously reported that Felipe Alou visited his home in Miami Monday to prepare for Tropical Storm Ernesto. Reliable sources have told HMB that Alou was in fact meeting with new Warriors Coach Don Nelson to talk about a possible position with the organization next year. Dennis Erickson and Art Howe have been rumored to round out the rest of Nelson's brain trust next year. In one of the more promising developments, Avery Johnson has been in talks with Nelson to be the starting point guard.

Bill Walsh- next head coach of the Warriors?

Marcus Thompson for Contra Costa Times: Nelson see the potential

Loyalty. Potential. Risk.

Janny Hu for SF Chronicle: Looking like the same old Nellie

Nelson believes all the pieces he needs are already with Golden State and said he didn't foresee any roster tweaks. As for his coaching staff, Nelson said he already had at least one assistant coach in mind -- current aides Mario Elie, Keith Smart and Russell Turner are under contract for another year, and the Warriors have not filled the position vacated by John MacLeod -- but declined to mention any names or specific moves.

Aw Nellie- the master of deception. At least I hope so. He has to be joking if he thinks this roster as presently constituted doesn't have any holes.

Lowell Cohn for The Press Democrat: Monty out, Nelson in: Warriors dump nice guy, re-hire mad genius

Nelson is a Hall of Fame coach, has the second-most wins in NBA history, and was a reasonably good player in the league. He commands instant respect. It's more than that. He has stature and charisma and he's a hard-ass. This is what the Warriors need. If Davis turns his head away while Nelson speaks, Nelson will handle that. He will handle Davis. He is a strong man, and he is cunning. He gets what he wants, and he gets even with people who cross him. These are some of his strengths.
He has another strength. He is creative. He is one of the most creative coaches anyone ever has seen anywhere. Montgomery is a by-the-book guy. Basketball is supposed to be played a certain way, and he would make sure he taught that until the day he had to step away. Nelson is a mad genius. He perceives patterns no one else sees. The Warriors have a bunch of awful centers, barely live bodies. Don't be surprised if he makes forward Troy Murphy the center.

Watch for the Ike-Murphy tandem coming to a defenseless game near you!

The Cavalier for Yay Sports! NBA: Coach Don is Back in the GSW

Don was last seen being pushed out (our read) of Dallas - his return to the GSW is somewhat of a surprise, mainly because nobody expected him to return at all.

Hey, many of us never expected the Warriors to ever return to the playoffs during our lifetime too.

SignArenas for SportsColumn: Party Like It's 1994

Somehow, the Warriors managed to find someone who just might be able to win with the players currently on the roster, a feat only a precious few coaches would even dare dream possible (the short list: Emilio Estevez, Gene Hackman, Walter Matthau, the guy who played Lou Brown in "Major League"). And unlike any player the team could have brought in, Don Nelson isn't likely to be steamrolled by the Warriors' losing culture. After all, he's the reason that culture exists.

If Nellie turned down the Warriors for this second go-around, only Coach Carter could save us.

Art Spander for Marin Independent Journal: Warriors back to uncertain future

What doesn't make much sense is why Mullin, the general manager, waited until almost September to make these moves. Or was this the work of Mr. Cohan? If you're going to perform a coaching switch, wouldn't you want to do it before the draft not after? And stepping back some 24 months, who really wanted Montgomery as Warriors coach, Mullin or Cohan?

It's strange that the coaching switch didn't happen before the draft. You have to wonder if Nellie would want another two center projects.

Dave Del Grande for Inside Bay Area: Dunleavy gets new life with new coach

There's a two-word response that immediately comes to mind when asked the big question on every Warriors fan's mind today: What makes you believe Don Nelson will do any better than Mike Montgomery?
Simply stated: Mike Dunleavy.
Say what you want about Baron Davis or Jason Richardson, the future of the Warriors now resides squarely on the shoulders of one of the NBA's biggest disappointments in recent years.

I've always enjoyed Del Grande's work on radio, print, and the web, but this has to be the silliest article on the Warriors I've ever read. It also features this great line: "As was the case almost 20 years ago with Mullin, the Warriors will go only as far as Dunleavy can take them."

Craig Kwasniewski for The Association: RUN-TMC, Part Deux?

Don Nelson is returning to coach the Golden State Warriors. My question to "the people" is why? The writing was on the wall regarding Mike Montgomery's dismissal. At a Lakers-Warriors game, I saw firsthand that some of the players were tuning out Montgomery during timeouts. Assistant coach, Mario Elie was feverishly politicking for the head coaching spot with the players at every dead ball situation.

Even better question: Who's going to be the heir to Nellie's throne in a few years?

Rob Peterson for NBA.com: Don of a New Day?

Anyway, here's a guy who gave up the good life in Hawaii (see, you still can't peg the guy) to coach a team that 34-48 last season and hasn't seen the postseason since the time everyone thought O.J. Simpson was a cool dude.

You have check this one out just to see the GSoM shoutout at the bottom!

Greg Beacham for AP: Welcome back Nellie: Coach plans to make Warriors win again

Nelson saw an opportunity in Golden State big enough to lure him out of a comfortable routine at his home in Hawaii and his sports bar in downtown Dallas. With his unorthodox coaching methods -- and a vow to improve his team's defense, just as he promised every season with the high-scoring Mavericks -- he's ready to fix another moribund club.

Hahaha, dee-fence?

Tim Kawakami for Mercury: Mullin won't wither under questioning

QUESTION: How did you breach the possibility of Nellie to Chris Cohan, who has had legal issues with Nelson after their first go-round? Did Cohan have to be talked into this?
MULLIN: Not really. I had some thoughts about it, but really, it was presented as, `This is an upgrade,' and he was on board with that all the way. Everybody wants this team to be better. And this is the way to do that

$10 says within the next 5 years Chris "lawsuit" Cohan is going to sue Chris "nice guy, terrible GM" Mullin for something crazy.

Ann Killion for Mercury: Decade later, he'll try again

Don Nelson walked into Oakland Arena on Wednesday night to applause from the 100-or-so folks who either left the next-door Red Sox game too late or didn't want to get home for Algebra homework too early.

Man, I have to admit it was tough coming home late that night after the press conference to 100 pages of reading- but I still got it done! Really, I do this for the kids as part of the GSoM Read to Achieve program. Adonal's got nothing on me!

Eric Gilmore for Contra Costa Times: Warriors put faith in Nellie

This wasn't just a news conference. It was a coronation, welcome back party and shameless marketing ploy all wrapped into one.
Was it cheesy? Sure. Think Tillamook. But it also sent a message. The Warriors and Mullin believe they hit a home run in hiring Nelson, and they held an event that matched their expectations.

It really did feel like a party.

Scott Ostler for San Francisco Chronicle: Good-time Nellie rides back into town

Because Don Nelson lives part-time in Hawaii, where he hangs with his good buddy and poker pal Willie Nelson, it might be appropriate to ask Don Nelson what he's been smoking.
Leave Maui, where he lives in a village named Haiku and where his wife Miss Joy paddles war canoes and where he plays golf with other land barons and lives la vida aloha? Trade all that for the daily scuffle, angst and turmoil of the NBA in general, and the job of coaching the Warriors in particular? At age 66? What's up with that?
"What's wrong with the Bay Area?" Nelson replied during his welcome-back news conference at the Arena in Oakland on Wednesday evening.

Man, Nellie reps the Yay Area harder than E-40! Now that's super-duper-hyphy-hyphy.

Mike Beas for TribStar.com: Nelson's hiring sends bad message in NBA

Golden State’s immediate cornering of Nelson mere minutes after Montgomery’s dismissal sends a disturbing message, that the NBA’s all-white Good Old Boy network is alive, well and not becoming extinct anytime soon.
The one that dues-paying assistant coaches — black or white — can get passed over any time, any place so that the Hubie Browns, Bob Weisses and Don Nelsons can continually be recycled.

Normally I would be in complete agreement with Beas about the Good Old Boy network, but this time it's a little different. This could be the only way to break the Nellie-CWebb curse that has haunted the Warriors for 12 long, painful, comedic seasons. We've got Nellie back, now let's bring back CDubbz. After we break the curse, Mario Ellie or Keith Smart can take over.

Ron Agostini for The Modesto Bee: Nelson's return can't hurt Warriors Why not? Golden State gives former coach a second chance

Nelson promises his own dance steps, but who's going to be impressed this time? He electrified the Warriors years ago with his point forwards and smallish lineups that forced teams to match up with him. Only now, many of his exotic defenses — illegal when he got away with them 10 or 12 years ago — now are allowed as the NBA caters more to offense.

It should be illegal to play defense as poorly as the Warriors did last season.

Audio Interviews:

Don Nelson on The Razor and Mr. T (KNBR 680)
Janny Hu's SF Chronicle Podcast: What Nellie's return means for Baron Davis and rest of Warriors roster
Dave Del Grande on the Nelson Hiring (Real GM)

Track of the Day: The Roots- "Do You Want More?!??!"

Post any other Nellie links in the comments section.

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Comments

Spelling

It Don Nelsons throne, not thrown, unless you meant that to be witty or something.

LARRY JOHNSON LIKES TO SLAM ARRRR!!!!

by Zorgon on Sep 4, 2006 5:25 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks!

Thanks for catching that Zorgon. Assume witty in the future tho!

Haha

93 'til Infinity: The Warriors' playoff drought?

by Atma Brother ONE on Sep 4, 2006 6:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not to be a pain but....

Read to Achieve.

LARRY JOHNSON LIKES TO SLAM ARRRR!!!!

by Zorgon on Sep 4, 2006 9:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not to rain, but.....

Wouldn't it be fair to say that if Mullin really hasn't changed the roster from last year's 34 game winning roster, how is Nelson gonna matter?

Sure he'll make you excited, but until the W's get themselves a real franchise player aren't they just shuffling the chairs?

by clem on Sep 4, 2006 9:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Very True

Hopefully there's some player changes this season. I would be surprised if something didn't happen before the February deadline.

With this roster if everyone has a career year, the Warriors are nothing but an easy out for the #1 or #2 Western conference playoff seed.

I think everyone's just excited because Don Nelson gives us hope for better direction and more fun. Towards the end of last season the games were just tough to watch. Now at least they'll be fast-paced and high scoring.

93 'til Infinity: The Warriors' playoff drought?

by Atma Brother ONE on Sep 4, 2006 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Coaching

How to win more with the same roster.

Monty's style was to have a tall Center set up his team. GSW didn't have a tall center.
Monty was criticized for not be fast enough for the NBA game: Slow reacting and bad substitutions.
Monty lost the team last year.

Nellie can win without a center, creates and exploits mismatches, and isn't going to lose this team's respect.

We'll know by Jan 1 whether this team can make the playoffs --or so Nellie has said.

by joe sez on Sep 4, 2006 11:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice Round-up

Good work on putting this together, and fair comments all around. At least Nellie can generate some buzz on this team. And, ideally, they'll be watchable for the first time since BD's "tease" when he first joined the team.

by johnl on Sep 5, 2006 9:43 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

We Guess We Represent the Two Percent

Yo Atma,

We're still wiping tears from our eyes and completing the years of counseling we're going to need to recover from being left out of your Don Nelson Mania on the Web series. Ouch.

But no matter, our take on the Nelson hiring is apparently not inline with Bay Area mainstream thinking. For that we feel very badly -- for Bay Area fans, not for ourselves.

Having grown up in San Diego, we have keen insight into what it means to go long, long, LONG stretches of time loyally following perpetually moribund teams. So our window on reality with regard to the pathetic state of the Warriors and their lazy and completely short-sighted selection of Don Nelson as new/old coach has significant and painfully earned credibility.

Apparently, we represent the two percent (according to your poll) of Warriors fans who still cling to the idea of a solid franchise capable of making a run at the championship (eventually). We understand that Warriors fans have been abused for these past 12 years and that it would feel so good to have that hammer stop hitting us in the head, if even for one 45-win season. However, acceptance, excitement for the Nelson re-hiring is exactly this type of lowered expectations and "in the moment" thinking that will keep this team average at best, (we can only wish for average at this point).

Cohan and Mullin need to be held accountable, and that's never going to happen as long as the Oakland Arena keeps selling out for a far-below-.500 team and fans gleefully accept pathetic and transparent moves like rehiring Don Nelson.

Golden State of Mind is always our first stop for Warriors info and commentary, but we think everybody needs to take a step back and ask the question we've been asking for a long time -- what is the freakin' plan?

Re-hiring Nelson will sell tickets and give us a whiff of mediocrity, but it isn't the answer, and the sooner Warriors fans acknowledge this and put Cohan and Mullin back on the hook for developing a successful, forward-thinking franchise, the sooner we can all get down to the business of hammering the Lakers and raising some banners.

Keep on rocking GSOM, but when you want a reality check on Warrior lamitude to counterbalance the hysteria of wishful thinking, check in on SFist.com.

Cheers,

TruthMaker

SFist.com

by TruthMaker on Sep 7, 2006 1:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

SFist is OFF THE HOOK!

We're still wiping tears from our eyes and completing the years of counseling we're going to need to recover from being left out of your Don Nelson Mania on the Web series. Ouch.

TruthMaker- We would never forget to give a shout out to SFist! We're saving you guys for the last great act... PART IV of Don Nelson Mania on the Web! It's coming...

Everyone definitely check out SFist. Great people, great blog. It's one of my daily reads.

1-Bay!

93 'til Infinity: The Warriors' playoff drought?

by Atma Brother ONE on Sep 7, 2006 5:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs