Don Nelson Mania on the Web!

by Atma Brother ONE on Aug 29, 2006 7:57 PM PDT in Links Comment 8 comments

The Warriors are back on the map!

Nellie rocks the old school Warriors hoodies!

Nellie sippin' Hyphy Juice!

Nellie knows the draft!

Nellie has Warriors Nation seeing playoffs!

For the past 12 seasons the Warriors haven't been on the NBA map. 12 straight years of missing the playoffs in a league where over half the squads do, will make that sort of thing happen. Well, a little Nellie changes all that.

From the World Wide:

Marcus Thompson (see recent GSoM interview) for Contra Costa Times: Warriors replace Montgomery with old favorite Don Nelson

Nelson, second to Lenny Wilkens on the NBA all-time wins list with 1190 career victories, took the Chris Webber-led Warriors to a 50-32 record in 1993-94. They were swept in the first round of the playoffs by Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns, and haven't been back to the postseason since.

It seems like just yesterday the Warriors were in the playoffs... oh wait- no it doesn't! That was a LONG time ago.

Janny Hu (see recent GSoM interview) for SF Chronicle: Montgomery out, Nellie back in as Warriors blast back to the past

Nelson has agreed to an incentive-laden three-year contract that is worth up to $18 million, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. As part of the deal, Nelson will receive $1 million if the Warriors make the playoffs this season.

Have to love that $1 million bonus for the playoffs!

Tim Kawakami for SJ Mercury: Move signals Warriors' desperation: Montgomery out, Nelson back -- What is Mullin's Plan?

I understand hiring Nelson, even at 66, even after he walked away from his last few jobs (for health and other reasons). I get that Nelson can do more with an awkward lineup -- nobody's more awkward than Dunleavy and Murphy playing together! -- than anybody in the history of the NBA.

One major problem: the Warriors still have the worst frontcourt in the league with Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, and Adonal Foyle.

Lang Whitaker for Slam: Nellie: Promiscuous Boy

It’s like the early ’90s all over again! The Warriors have a bunch of athletic guys on their roster, and Nellie will almost certainly employ the same run-n-gun show he’s installed throughout his career.

Warriors Nation loves the early 90's!

Ray Ratto for SF Chronicle: It's what's left for Warriors

We're not sure that Nelson will have a lot of power to start, but he has always been brilliant at filling a vacuum. He can, at least at the start, get the attention of players who had long ago turned Montgomery off for the very simple reason that they knew he had no power and would be eliminated the first time he ever considered exercising it.

Liz Robbins for The New York Times: At 66, Nelson Goes Back to the Bench

Will the current group — featuring point guard Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy — be known as Run T-M-C-squared?... Montgomery’s firing had been rumored for more than a season. Two N.B.A. executives, who were granted anonymity because the hiring was not official, said the Warriors had been considering the move since late spring. Only since July did talks between the owner Chris Cohan and Mullin intensify.

Naw, we can come up with a better nickname than that!

Eric Gilmore for Contra Costa Times: Warriors fans should celebrate

When it comes to Xs and Os, it would be hard for the Warriors to find a coach who is better suited to lead this particular Warriors team.
Nelson is one the NBA's greatest masters of matchups.
This is a coach who had Manute Bol launching 3-point shots from the top of the key. He'll do anything at any time in order to get a favorable matchup.

Does this mean Foyle will be launching treys? UH-OH.

Marc Stein for ESPN.com: Sources: Nelson to return to Warriors as coach

The past, sources say, has been sufficiently buried to clear the way for Nelson's return. That's largely because of Nelson's two-decade kinship with Warriors vice president Chris Mullin, who has been quietly pursuing Nelson's return for weeks.

Golden State's best kept secret.

Geoff Lepper for Inside Bay Area.com: Nelson returns to coach Warriors: Golden State fires Montgomery after two poor seasons

"I'm happy for Nellie," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said in e-mail. "I think this means that the Warriors will finally make the playoffs. Nellie is that good a coach."

If Mark Cuban bought the Warriors it would seal the deal!

Mark Kreidler for ESPN.com: Golden State gig hasn't been a golden opportunity

In that sense, Mike Montgomery made out fine on Tuesday. Kicked to the curb by an organization working on its eighth coach in 11 calendar years, Montgomery leaves with a $5 million buyout, an almost impeccable record from his college years and, really, one blot: two seasons with the lousy Warriors. In a phrase: So what?

So, Warriors Nation now has hope!

Charley Rosen for Fox Sports: Thrill of Nelson's return to wear off quickly

The last time Nelson sat in the Warriors' command seat his teams played loose, undisciplined offenses that featured lots of isolations, and two-man situations. The only real structure that could be discerned was his best scorers basically playing 3-on-3 while the other two guys were double-parked above the 3-point line. The various 3-man combinations included Mullin-Tim Hardaway-Sarunas Marciulionis; Mullin-Latrell Sprewell-Chris Webber; and most famously Mullin-Hardaway-Mitch Richmond.
Was Nellie Ball entertaining? Absolutely.
Was it frivolous? For sure.
Was it effective? Not when the games counted — the Warriors collective playoff record in Nelson's tenure was a dismal 5-15.

Rosen always has razor sharp analysis. Honest question though: does the man ever crack a smile?

Greg Beachham for AP: Warriors drop Montgomery, re-hire Nelson

The move is curiously timed, since the club opens training camp in just five weeks in Oakland. Mullin, who played for Nelson throughout the coach's tenure, has been thought to be unhappy with Montgomery for most of the last two years, but the Warriors' top executive repeatedly stated Montgomery would return for the upcoming season.

Curious yes. Exciting? Like San Quinn- "HELLYEAH!"

Marty Burns for SI.com: Step right up: Warriors should find respectability under Nelson

Don Nelson back with the Warriors? What's next? Latrell Sprewell and P.J. Carlesimo signing up as assistant coaches?

How about bringing back CWebb AND Spree? It's the only way to really end the curse!

J.E. Skeets for The Basketball Jones: 1.21 Gigawatts! Nelson Is Back

The dirty little secret in this deal is that Mike Montgomery got sent packing because of Chris Mullin’s own failings. Everyone expected Mullin to shake-up the team by changing over the roster. Clearly, that did not happen, so instead, Mullin looked to other parts of the organization and saw a perfect scapegoat in the form of Mike Montgomery. The fact that this move comes only days after Mullin lost out on dealing for Al Harrington cannot be ignored.

SwanShadow Thinks Out Loud: What's Up With That? #36: Deja voodoo

So, what — it's Old Home Week in Oaktown? Next thing you know, Reggie Jackson will be playing right field for the Athletics, and The Arena in Oakland will play headquarters to a hockey team called the California Golden Seals.

Chancelucky for BlogCritics.org: Golden State Rehires Don Nelson After 12 Years

Psychologists sometimes encourage traumatized patients to "relive" the incident and work through it again. Perhaps this is what Cohan's up to. He's tried eight different coaches since Nelson and the team still plays as if they're jinxed. Nelson may be the only person on earth who has the counter-spell.

Garrett Wilson for Hoopsworld: Nellie Returns!!!

Jason Fleming for Hoopsworld (can't believe they charge for their content): Warriors Finally Make Right Decision

After a summer of nothing the Golden State Warriors decided to actually do something to get ready for the fall. Exit Mike Montgomery, enter Don Nelson. Instead of trying to do something they aren’t good at (defense), the Warriors are going to embrace what they really can do – score points.

Mike DeCourcy for The Sporting News: Call Montgomery wealthy, but don't call him a failure

It's pretty dreadful that Golden State waited until all of the good college jobs were gone -- even UTEP, for goodness' sake -- to move Montgomery out of the way. But then, the Warriors are expert at being dreadful. They're so accomplished in that category that anyone claiming now that Montgomery is another college coach who "failed" to make the transition to NBA ball is as thick as a McDonald's milkshake.

Dick Vitale for ESPN.com: Montgomery still a great coach

There is no doubt in my mind we will eventually see Mike Montgomery back on the college sidelines. The big question is, where will that be? He took the Cardinal to the postseason since times in 18 yards, including 12 NCAA berths. He always did in a first-class way, and it adds up to someone making a call and putting him a big-time position.
You can bet that if an opening happens on the collegiate level, Mr. Montgomery will be at the top of many lists.

Great college coach. No question.

Warriors.com: Warriors and Head Coach Mike Montgomery Mutually Agree To Part Ways

"This is a very difficult day for me," said Mullin. "Mike is a terrific basketball coach who has enjoyed a great deal of success throughout his career. His accomplishments in this game are well-documented and, in addition to his resume, you would be challenged to find a better person with more character. He has an impeccable reputation both on and off the court and I have the utmost respect for him. Based on this agreement, we will now focus our efforts in a different direction and do what we think is in the best interest for this team. We thank Mike for his contributions and certainly wish him well."

Monty- come back to Stanford! More to come...

Post links to any fun articles you find about Monty Out, Nelson In in the comments or in a Diary!

Also check out Don Nelson Mania on the Web!- Part II

Keep it locked on Golden State of Mind...

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yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! finally a coach. i almost cried when i realized this wasnt another phony article by you guys. (isn't that sad? the first thing i do is think its unreal mully got it rite!) yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by mydedgerbil555 on Aug 29, 2006 8:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Phony?

i almost cried when i realized this wasnt another phony article by you guys.

Hahaha, I swear there was only that one April Fool's joke from last year about Ice Cube buying the Warriors from Chris Cohan. It was hilarious though!
http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/story/2006/4/1/23358/54988

93 'til Infinity: The Warriors' playoff drought?

by Atma Brother ONE on Aug 29, 2006 9:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Guidelines

Make the playoffs: Test the roster and give them experience in the post season. Worse thing is to tank a season for a draft pick or play young guys for experience and not try to change the culture on day one. Winning is everything.
Instill discipline: 8 coaches in 11 years means the players wait coaches out, tune them out. There are bad work habits and attitudes. We'll see them surface during a losing streak. The nuts don't run the nut house.
Establish a rotation: Make guys work for their minutes and figure out what combinations work and don't. We'll soon find out if the roster has any complementary talent. Pratice determines minutes.
Balance the roster: Assuming Nelson can use combinations of players to evaluate and showcase their talents, trade at least for role players to balance the roster before the Feb deadline.
Avoid quick fix schemes: Don't take on large contracts or piss away draft picks to shake up the roster. We're not stupid and don't expect to change 12+ years of problems and habits in under 12 months.

by joe sez on Aug 29, 2006 10:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Nellie Era II

Wow: first of all, kudos to the whole GSoM crew for jumping on Warriors news with the speed of Iverson. Mere hours into Nellie Era II we already have not two, not three, but twenty-one links to global reaction to the news. You guys truly are the hardest working bloggers in sports.

My take: far be it for me to dispute the GSoM -- 88% of Warriors Fans can't be wrong, right? -- but I have to say my initial gut reaction was less than enthusiastic. From a pure basketball, X&O point of view, I'm sure it's at least a marginal improvement. I was never a Monty fan at all, and Nellie's been successful everywhere he's been. That said: Am I the only one on here old enough to remember 1993/94? I must say still haven't quite recovered from it, nor have my friends who lived through it (one of whom gave up on the team altogether). An incredibly young, super-talented team, coming off a 50-win season, thrown into the toilet because of a petty ego dispute? And the whole thing was so avoidable if Nelson had had just a modicum of humility and patience. Sure, Webb's not blameless, but he was a 20-year-old kid. The (presumable) adult in the conflict should be held to a higher standard. Nellie's going to have to do A LOT to erase the stain of that fiasco.

On the other hand (the optimist says): perhaps Nellie is precisely what we need to reverse the "curse." Yeah, that's the ticket! Nellie returns, the Dems take back congress, the Chimperor-in-Chief is impeached, and we all go back to the happy, halcyon days of the early 90s... Ah.... I'm cheering up already.

So, since it looks like we're going to stand pat, personnel-wise, how about this for a starting five:

Murphy C
Diogu PF
Pietrus SF
Richardson SG
Davis PG

With Monta, Dunleavy, and Biedrins the first three off the bench, and the other guys pretty much relegated to mop-up duty. The lack of shotblocking low-post D would be a serious concern, but then that's something we've never really had. Foyle and Taft can always give us a few minutes when we really need to rough up the opposing team's big men. I've always thought Murphy's skills translate better to the 5 than the 4 (with all due respect, the sugggestion of Murphy at 3 was one of the nuttier ones I've read on this site). I see him as poor man's Laimbeer: big, slowish, tough, a great defensive rebounder, and lights-out shooter from the wing and the high post. And I think he'd actually have an easier time guarding the Shaqs and Yaos of the world than he would hyper-athletic 4s like Garnett and Stoudemire. I just like the idea of having guys at every position who can actually PLAY. Let the opposing teams figure out how they're going to guard US. And by all means, bring back the crazy, breakneck, offensive-minded days of yore, even if it means losing games 130-128... If we're going nowhere -- which is obviously where we're going, as long as Phoenix and San Antonio and Dallas are around -- let's go there in style!

by Sleepy Freud on Aug 29, 2006 11:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Defense anyone?

Not so sure defense will be improved under Nellie. So, we may see a 10 game bump for the season, which is welcome, but I don't see Nellie instilling a defensive scheme that can win in the post season.

by eshock on Aug 29, 2006 11:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

But I'll take a no-D offensive dynamo any day over last year's formless, gormless mess. At least under Nellie we had some kind of identity. In an up-tempo game, almost all our key guys -- Baron, JRich, Dunleavy, Monta, Pietrus, and Biedrins -- suddenly look a heckuva lot more skilled. Run BJDMPB!

Also, I suspect the whole "defense wins championships" meme will be put to rest this year, after the '06/07 Amare-fortified Suns run through the league like a buzz-saw. Nash, Raja, Barbosa, Diaw, Marion AND Stoudemire? The mind boggles. I envision 64-65 wins, a thrashing of Dallas or San Antonio, and a breeze to the NBA title.

So let's look to Phoenix as a role model, shall we? All we need to do is find the next Stoudemire and we're on our way. Greg Oden, perhaps?...

by Sleepy Freud on Aug 30, 2006 4:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I gotta respond

to Charley Rosen from Fox Sports. Even if the new Nelson helmed Warriors had a playoff record of 0-4 next year, thats an improvement over our current record of 0-andhaventbeentherein12years. I dont think there is a coach in existence who could turn the warriors into serious contenders without a somewhat serious roster overhaul.
I would be happy with:

Making the playoffs, we have gone 12 years without it, just getting there would fire up some of the best fans in basketball like crazy
In the event of an incredibly powerful western conference, finishing over .500 would be a decent consolation prize
This one hurts to say, but oh well, a season so perfectly tanked due to cataclysmic injuries that last one season and one season only with no reprecussions, that we grab the #1 pick and take the player of our choice and dominate the league all the way to a championship in the 07-08 season behind whoever we picked as RoY, Baron as assist leader, and JR as MVP and scoring champ. Its nice to dream......

Well theres always next year x12

by FoyledAgain on Aug 30, 2006 12:47 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Out of the Oden race?

Why did we wait until the year before one of the deeper drafts in recent history to hire a good coach and improve?
We'll be missing out on Greg Oden, Joakim Noah, Kevin Durant, and others. But whatever, we probably would have drafted a clod despite all the talent out there anyway.

If we make the playoffs, I'll take it.

If we just get a little better and end up picking 10th or 11th, I'll be sad.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this isn't more false hope.

The Bimbo Coles era has BEGUN!!!

by laflyhalf on Aug 30, 2006 9:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs