Thanks for the memories, mon ami...

Steinmetz has the scoop:

For awhile, it was clear the fire was still there.  Don Nelson gave Warriors fans their greatest moment in a generation in his first season back.  What came after it shouldn’t detract from that accomplishment.  But as became increasingly clear from the middle of the 07-08 season onward, that fire for coaching was growing dimmer by the game.  With the win record achieved at the end of last season (at the cost of better draft odds for the team), the time was right for Nelson to step away from the game.  Thankfully, he took the opportunity.

Lacob and Guber likely recognized that some large, public change was needed to put their stamp on a new era in Warriors basketball.  Firing Rowell would have been a good place to start — and should still happen — but for the average fan, it wouldn’t signify much.  Letting Riley go falls under the same category, although his moves this summer have been a net positive for the team (in large part because he was able to undo earlier mistakes).  The easiest move to demonstrate that things will be different post-Cohan was to let Nelson go.