The Don Nelson Show KNBR 4/10/08

by Atma Brother ONE on Apr 12, 2008 9:48 AM PDT in Links

Lucky's our dogg.

I can't tell you how ecstatic I was when I heard that the Warriors picked up Nellie's option for next season. He's the mastermind behind this operation and the only coach in the league that could win 47+ games with this erratic and deeply flawed roster and stingy ownership. The only coaching upgrades out there are Phil Jackson (as long as he comes with 2 mega-stars and all time greats) and Jerry Sloan (as long as he brings a bruising 4 like Karl Malone or Carlos Boozer). After that 12 year drought we're lucky to have Don Nelson steering this ship.

But that's not all I appreciate about this hoops legend. Nellie's pure entertainment every time the media mics him up. The weekly Don Nelson Show (mp3) on KNBR with The Razor and Mr. T is a must listen. Every time Nellie comes on he's funny, candid, and insightful. You just know Nellie's on the phone sipping a cheap American cold one when he's talking to Ralph and Tom.

Jump for some notes from his latest show.

Nellie thinks last year's team with Jason Richardson was better than this year's even though their record is better.
If the Warriors kept JR he would've played him at the 3 spot with Monta Ellis at the 2.
About JRich- "We sure coulda used him."
Nellie believes that if he played the young guys earlier they wouldn't be in the chase down the stretch for the final playoff spot.
Both Brandan Wright and Marco Belinelli have the potential to be very good players.
The 10 missed layups against the Nuggets really hurt them.
The Warriors didn't do well against the Nuggets zone because 1) They're good at it, 2) They're pretty athletic, and 3) Unforced turnovers.
You have to take what's there against the zone, even if it's a quick shot.
It takes 3 great players/ superstars to win it. Denver is one of those teams that has 3 stars.
Travel's not a factor anymore for determining who goes to the playoffs. The top 16 teams should go.
Nellie owns half of Assistant Coach Larry Riley's house because of his money skills at Gin Rummy.
The team played great all season.
The Dubs beat every team except for Utah this season at least once.
They had a great season without dominance inside.
There's no question the Warriors were tired, but he doesn't think they were tired against the Nuggets since they had a day off.
The bench isn't dominant. "There's nobody there to put in."
The team is going to "play like heck" the rest of the way!

Any things from this interview that stood out in your mind?

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The one thing that I noticed...

Is his affection for JR. I noticed that in the post game conference on Thursday. I think Nellie saw how good JRich could be, by watching him before he took the job. then with injuries and adjustments, Jason struggled last year and Nellie didn't think of him as a crucial piece, and seemed to definately be the driving force behind trading him.

It's interesting to see him talk about how we needed Jason Richardson, which I didn't expect him to say.

by bradyk2 on Apr 12, 2008 9:58 AM PDT reply actions

Agreed

though Nellie never publicly called JRich out, the fact that Richardson didn't step up when AK shut Jackson down last post season ultimately led to the trade, and I thought Nellie definitely supported the move.

Nellie's also not the one that would have to dish out at least $90 million next season if the warriors had kept JRich and brought back Andris, Monta, and Baron. As it is, they'll likely be right at the luxury (possibly $5 million over) next season.

by BingBluNT on Apr 12, 2008 10:27 AM PDT up reply actions

Brandon Wright

must not take all that kindly.

by Golden Boy on Apr 12, 2008 10:00 AM PDT reply actions

never been a nelson fan...

and still not to this day...
does he realize that he has guys on the team that can play besides the starting 5?
Why does he hate on rookies so much? no faith in B Wright? he's always bringing something positive to the game and he always has energy which is obvious when the rest of the players are moving kinda slow...
hopefully tonight the rookies can play, Marco and B Wright..

Giving a shout out to Mr. Mean, Purvis Short, J.B. Carrol, Bernard and of course, Mr. Bill King

by World Sleepy King on Apr 12, 2008 11:05 AM PDT reply actions

Props

for posting this! I've been looking forward to his weekly show on KNBR since he came back last year. Definitely a must listen every week. Not only is he the last real personality in pro sports, he actually answers questions about games and the team. He's not afraid to speak his mind.

Also, I believe him when he says the rookies couldn't have helped this year. In fact, last week he said that he 'protects' Brandon and puts him in the game when he knows he can succeed. That means that if he's been successful in a game, its because Nellie used him at the right time. Anyone who questions a coach with the second-most NBA wins of all time, and 5 Championship rings is delusional, period.

In Nellie we trust!!

by in for life on Apr 12, 2008 11:38 AM PDT reply actions

This

team is not better than last year or they haven't played down the streatch like last year. This year we have more wins because we have had so many come from behind victories thanks to miraculous plays from Jax,Baron,and Monta(buike for one philly game.)

brb, going to ORACLE

by warrior510 on Apr 12, 2008 11:50 AM PDT reply actions

agreed

I also think that if we had our squad last year for the entire 82 games, we probably would've been no lower than the 6 seed with 50+ wins. The organization didn't give that team last year a full run to see what it was capable of. If Houston was able to close out their series vs Utah, we would've made it to the conference finals.

by rush735 on Apr 12, 2008 12:52 PM PDT up reply actions