Don Nelson Mania on the Web!

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.

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.

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.

"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."

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?

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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."