Tim Roye interviewed Don Nelson on his weekly Warriors radio show. Callers got a chance to ask Nelson questions. When asked why Vladimir Radmanovic started and Anthony Randolph didn't, Nelson said that, "Randolph wasn't ready." What was disappointing was that he did not elaborate beyond that. Other callers tried to point out politely that Radmanovic started off horribly, so Randolph should have been put in earlier, but Nelson stuck to his line. Therein lies the problem. If a young player isn't ready, then doesn't he need PT in order to get ready? In my book he would. Randolph is not a rookie anymore, so he has had enough practice time to become familiar with the Warriors playbook. He should be ready to play and deserved a chance to start when injuries took down the starters. Since Nelson did not elaborate on the matter and Roye wasn't going to grill Nelson and put his job in jeopardy, we are left to get the rest of the story from the media. Apparently, AR's agent, Bill Duffy is pressing for an AR trade. We already had BJ Armstrong who was AR's agent his rookie year press for an AR trade and then eventually got fired. Perhaps he did not press hard enough. Duffy also says that he wants $60 M for a five year deal when the time comes for Randolph whether he plays or not on the Warriors. This does not sound like it will end well for AR and Warrior fans. My solution would be fire Don Nelson and promote Keith Smart assuming he'll play Randolph and work with him so he knows he'll be rewarded for working hard, where to be on the floor and not forget plays. Screw Don Nelson's wins record (he's said he doesn't care about it during the interview), the team's unity and Randolph is more important . Hint: If you have trouble reading between the lines, it's another freakin' feud. One that has been going on between coach and player since last season. Read below and make your own decision. Second-year shooting guard Anthony Morrow and rookie guard Stephen Curry — other touted members of the Warriors core of young talent — both average more than 30 minutes per game. Guard C.J. Watson, who was told in the offseason that minutes would be tough, is averaging 26.1 minutes. Randolph is eighth on the team with 22.6 minutes per game. That includes all injured players, save for guard Raja Bell (who played one game). And though injuries have forced the Warriors to juggle lineups frequently, Randolph is tied for fewest starts on the team with Turiaf and NBA Development League call-up Chris Hunter. That doesn't sit well with many of Randolph's supporters, who considered this a rebuilding year — which is what Warriors management called it coming into the season. Instead, the Warriors are going with veterans in many cases, including those who aren't expected to be around long term, such as forward Vladimir Radmanovic and center Mikki Moore (before he decided to have surgery). What's more, it appears to some that veterans are allowed to make mistakes and take ill-advised shots while Randolph gets benched for the same. The reason, according to Warriors insiders, is that Randolph is supremely inconsistent. Some have said he let his success in summer league, and the invitation to the Team USA training camp, get to his head and curb his work ethic. And he still has trouble remembering plays and being in the right position, they say, which disrupts everything. Undoubtedly, his occasional ill-timed jumpers or head-scratching turnovers drive Nelson mad. But Randolph's supporters, including many fans, don't think that's enough reason to bench Randolph. And playing Randolph more, actually, has seemed to work. In the six games this season where he has played 30 minutes or more, Randolph has averaged 17.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. The Warriors are 3-3 in those games. "If you look at any player in the NBA," said Bill Duffy, Randolph's agent, "I think it's safe to say, the more latitude that they're given, the more productive they'll be. "More often than not, a young player needs instruction and direction and latitude." Anthony Randolph's playing time a subject of debate http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_14035467?source=rss The loose figures I heard: Duffy is mentioning 5 years, $60M or more, given Randolph’s size and unique skill set, and Duffy is saying that’s the money they want whether or not the Warriors get around to playing Randolph regularly by then. Warriors in a bind: Do they know what to do with Anthony Randolph? http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawaka...akami-merc (Talking Points with Tim Kawakami)
Curry Routinely gets in foul trouble (Rookie getting rough calls) and CJ is being showcast for a trade at the deadline. Both will change as the year goes on (especially if CJ doesn't get moved) Randolph has to do 1 thing to get minutes, and he refuses to do it. He just needs to box-out every time on defense. He feels that his talent doesn't require him to do that. He may be right, but he knows Nelly well by now, just do it and the sky is the limit. I blame Randolph as much as Nelly for this. I Don't think I've seen Randolph being benched for bad shots. It's usually because he's not boxing out. Now I agree with you that guys like Magette should be benched for taking shots, but that's a different story altogether. My guess is that they're hoping that Magette's numbers are good enough to fool a bad GM to make a move for him, but that's giving the front office too much credit. Randolph has shown over and over again that he gets in foul trouble with more minutes because he starts reaching and tries to grab boards when he didn't work ahead of time. A few games, this wasn't the case, and he played out of his mind. But that's the exception to the rule. This is probably true, Which is why it's too bad that Magette and Stephen Jackson were around to teach Randolph how to pout. I bet Randolph would've followed instructions and took his time had he been next to Tim Duncan.
You should never assume. But, anyway, good points all around. I just posted an article by Steinmetz in another thread that says more minutes, opportunities, and responsibilities will be given to Randolph...all at the 4 spot! Who woulda thunk? This is based upon the return of Biedrins and Turiaf.
The Steinmetz article mentions more time at PF for AR, but it also says he's going to be spending a lot of time in that "point forward" position, which I don't like. You're keeping the ball out of the hands of your best ballhandlers most of the time, at the most dangerous position (easy dunk on the other end if the ball gets poked away). Having AR at the top of the key also leads to more jump shots for him (not his best strength IMO) and takes him out of rebounding position on most plays. It also takes away from the inside-out game and won't prepare AR forthe traditional post game in a post-Nelson future. It reeks of another Nellie gimmick experiment where the risks probably far outweigh the potential payoff.
Again, Don Nelson had a chance to explain on Tim Roye's radio show, but all he said was Randolph's not ready. So will he be ready at the 4 spot when AB and RT returns? Nelson did not explain what Randolph had to do to get back in his good graces. Is that what you are assuming? Thus, all we have is what we hear in the media and that is there is a feud with Randolph and him and that Randolph will get traded. The Warriors fans don't want that. We had enough of the Harrington, Crawford, Belinelli and Stephen Jackson type trades. We don't want another Chris Webber situation and consequent trade. Talented big men do not grow on trees. It's taken years to get to where we are now. There's also the talk about blocking out, better spacing and remembering the plays. Randolph has to do that, but we also want to see coaching of the player if he makes mistakes. We do not want to see the coach's frustration, lack of patience and attitude leading to another feud. The fans would be on Randolph is we were a playoff team, but we're not, so let's make it a rebuilding year and give Randolph his PT. I thought the stats about the Warriors being 3-3 and Randolph averaging 17.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks when given 30 mpg and the Warriors being 3-3 in those games was something to follow up on. In other words, give AR his PT and then let the fans be the judge. There's no need for the coach to be frustrated for all of us. If Randolph keeps making the same mistakes, then he'll earn the fans' frustration and wrath instead of praise. Like you want $60 million for that stuff on the floor???!!!???!!! LOLOLOLercoaster . Should I ask for let the big men play instead of small ball here? I'll settle for having AB and Randolph as starters for now. Who's at the 3? Radman or Mags?
This is the point that needs to be hammered home. It's an open question that nobody really knows (I don't even think Nelly does?) It should be a no-brainer. Randolph is not ready to pound with the 5s in the league. But he is ready to learn to play the 4 when he's not the only big man on the court. I really hope that when Beans and/or Turiaf comes back AR gets a chance to play alongside these guys and learn how to move on the court. I sincerely hope Magette gets moved at the deadline so that there's no black hole on the court when Randolph and Morrow are on the court together. Side Note: Morrow took a step back before taking a few small steps forward. He's trying to move and get open without the ball, as well as drive and kick in scenarios. Nelly isn't pulling him for doing the right things, even though he messes up sometimes.
No, I'm not assuming anything. I'm just posting what I read. It's not about making mistakes, it's about forming bad habits. AR is a very raw and a very young player, so building good fundamentals is key. Nellie mentioned that AR has never really been coached before, so this is his first time being in a system where he has responsibilities. You know, accountability. Most good players have that. Curry has that. All the players that get PT have that. Why should the fans be the judge of how to bring along a young player? The fans' (me included) expectations are instant gratification. It would be wreckless, if it's true that AR has had no real coaching and that he's had an inconsistent work ethic, to just give him unlimited PT. Stats aside, there's a lot of things AR is NOT doing to earn him the time. Is it right? I don't know. Do I like not seeing him on the floor? Not at all...I want him to get unlimited PT but if it's the wrong thing to do, then who am I to judge. You're saying that regardless of it being right or wrong, the fans deserve to see AR get tons of PT. I can empathize with that but I can't really agree with it given all the unknown variables.
Randolph had these red flags when he was drafted, so I'm not surprised that the bosses feel this guy ain't ready. He's sort of playing like Mickael Pietrus. He'd be productive and all, but he'd be doing some bad stuff as well. So let's say if Randolph plays more often, we see him do 5 good things, and then 5 really bad things, we fans will start to get annoyed with him. Still... considering that our starting center is space cadet, I'd rather have Randolph as center. Why play a guy who sucks when we can play a guy who sucks half the time and gets us rebounds and shotblocks. Let him foul out, let him make turnovers. That'll learn him. At least Randolph would be less likely to jack up a break away dunk or an ill-fated 3 point attempt.
I agree with you, HiRez. If Steinmetz heard this from the horse's mouth, i.e. Nelson, then I think we should be prepared to be disappointed with AR at the 4. We already had problems with AR at point forward his rookie year. Why do we need a point forward when we have a PG like Curry? It's not Monta at PG like Nelson was saying last year. We keep going around in circles, don't we? The problem with Nelson is he doesn't recognize fast enough the type of players that he needs and other teams are eating his lunch. It's time to retire old man. The above sounds exactly what the PHX Suns have. I already mentioned trying to get Channing Frye when he was available before the season, but the Warriors did squat. And it goes to show that Mullin made the mistake of trading JRich for the # 7 pick (except money had something to do with it at the time). I suppose Nelson thought AR was going to be another Boris Diaw. Holy mother Mcready. Nelson needs to take a page from the Suns GM book -- if there is a type of player I need, then I need to recognize him and go get him. Then there are the NY Knicks. D'Antoni had a lot of problems with his lineup earlier in the season. He was frustrated, but he didn't go ballistic with his players and blame them. I don't think he had mindless arguments with his players about their bad habits. Instead he did things like move Harrington to sixth man. He doesn't like AL either. He rather have Tyrus Thomas, but he gets a lot out of him. Speaking of Thomas, he's available. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. But back to D'Antoni. He, too, goes and gets the players that he wants. If they would have gotten Curry, then Chris Duhon would be looking for another job soon. Yet, he didn't get Curry, so what did D'Antoni do? He kept playing Duhon. He had other players to try and take Duhon's role, like Toney Douglas, but that's the damn thing -- he kept playing Duhon. That was what struck me. He didn't have a falling out with Duhon, but stuck with him until he came around. I'm sure D'Antoni would rather have Curry, but now he has Duhon whom he can live with for now, i.e. have a good enough team until LeBron arrives. D'Antoni does have falling out with his players, but he seems to take care of those things and not get a rep that he doesn't get along with his players.
Yes I wrote this somewhere else, but how is it that Casspi can get major minutes and be a large producer 11 ppg/20 mins/g yet Nelson can't get Randolph to do the same? Sure Casspi was a pro in Israel but that's just an excuse for bad coaching.
Besides his mismatch, small ball coaching , the problem I have with Don Nelson is his arrogance . Arrogance = ego + ignorance. It's what makes him the Fat Dumb Bastard. Other coaches Mike D'Antoni or Alvin Gentry get the most out of their players, but Nelson ends up feuding with his players and wearing out his welcome. The new coach we get should have assistant coaching experience in the NBA or elsewhere at the pro level. The state of the game practically requires it nowadays.
Then he'd be the skinny dumb bastard. I'd like him better if he retired today. What about you Doctor K? What would make you get off the Don Nelson wagon? * With Don Nelson back on the Golden State bench after a bout with pneumonia, word is that Monta Ellis will let the New Year come and go before re-evaluating his future. Nelson and Ellis were seriously at odds early in the season, at one point engaging in a heated exchange after a practice in New York. Things settled down just in time for Nelson to go on a five-game sick leave, with assistant Keith Smart taking over on an interim basis. The Warriors were 2-3 under Smart, and are 1-8 since Nelson returned – which really isn’t the point. Ellis has emerged this season as Golden State’s best player, and as the Warriors get into the teeth of the 82-game schedule, it will have to be decided whether he can co-exist with Nelson. A person with knowledge of the situation said Ellis is inclined to let the holidays come and go before plotting his next move. One thing is certain: Ellis has logged at least 47 minutes on seven occasions for the injury-ravaged Warriors, a trend that has people close to Ellis concerned. Six of those occasions came with Nelson on the bench, as did three other 46-minute outings. http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/19095660?source=rss_blogs_NBA
Whether you like him or not, why the childish name calling? I don't like the current state of the team, and Nelly definitely plays a role in it. But there are not many better coaches out there. Definitely not ones that are not under contract. Also, I don't forget all the good he's brought this franchise. You can knock his approach, call it dated, or even knock his overall philosophy, but dumb...that Nelly isn't. People don't get to where he is by being dumb, especially sticking around for so long. So by calling him a FDB or whatever, what you're really doing, is discrediting every point that you make about Nelly, IMO. Because it is tainted with emotion.
Funny you talk about childish name calling because I didn't coin the term "dumb bastard." That was done by Nelson at a Warrior fan he took exception to on the radio. He's called KNBR radio hosts Tom and Ralph dumb bastards. He's all over KNBR with it. And what good has Nelson brought to this franchise? I already mentioned the one playoff year and then destroying the team -- once with Webber and two years ago. And I didn't call his coaching dumb. I called it crazy. What makes Nelson the FDB is his arrogance. When it comes to all the stuff after the game has been played, Nelson has been dumb and it is why he has worn out his welcome everywhere that he's been. This is his second stint with Golden State and soon he will be shown the door again and likely we'll be left with a train wreck.
I'll be off the Nelson wagon when his contract is up. Then I'll jump on the whoever's next as coach wagon. Unless it's Bobby Rowell. I might just kill myself. I don't really mind the name-calling. I gather that it's facetious and that all you want is a new coach. That's fair. I just think you're trying way too hard to make him out to be the scapegoat for everything that has failed this season. You base your arguments around the same old tired argument that Nellie's a fraud and that he destroys teams. I don't know, I thought he did pretty well with Dallas. He certainly didn't destroy anything there. He nurtured two would-be MVP's and handed the reigns over for them to be NBA finalists and an elite team for years to come. Not to use the same old tired injury excuse, but I think things would be a LITTLE different if we didn't have as many injuries this season. Is that Nellie's fault that players got injured? I have been critical of how he has used the players that he has but it's still early in the season and maybe there's a method to his madness with this squad. I understand that's really naive of me to say, but it seems to have been no different with Smart as coach.
It's not just me who blames Nelson for a lot of the player situations and the way he uses his personnel and lack of cohesiveness and sustainability on his teams. Nelson's detractors are probably on every newspaper and blog in the US. I think I posted a good sample of local and national NBA writers. So tell us what Nelson accomplished in Dallas? Are you sure you're not mixing him up with Donnie Nelson? If he did so well, then how come he's not on that team anymore? He sure sounds like a bigger success than JR Ewing in Dallas . I did not blame Nelson for the wins and losses this season, so your injury point is moot and I'm glad that you do recognize that Nelson has a crazy way of doling out PT. Basically, he focuses on the offense side of the ball and the match up advantages he can get against the other team's defense. However, his team gets killed on defense because those match ups work against him. Furthermore, things would have been a lot different if Nelson followed through on the deal for Amare. Apparently, he promised a couple of the Warriors vets that he was going to get a stud PF and he talked about getting Amare. We did not know about this until after the deal fell through. Thus when Stephen Curry fell in his lap, he changed his mind in a heartbeat. Isn't that fraud? Or how about saying Monta Ellis is his PG of the future? How truthful was he on that? I don't think he gave Monta a long look at the position. Or how about what Nelson said about Stephen Curry and that he was the second best pick in the draft? I just wonder how truthful that statement is because the next thing I find myself reading is that every Warrior player is available for trade including Curry. So when is Nelson going to rebut that in the media? Isn't that fraud?
No doubt the front office wanted to go after Amare, but don't forget that Stoudamire himself and his agent were the ones to publicly crap all over the deal. Had he and his agent been more willing to come to Golden State, then that deal (including Curry) probably would've happened. Why did they not want Stoudamire in Oakland? Was it because they didn't want to play for Nelly? Maybe. Or, was it the horrible front office decision making? If it were Nelly, then the front office should've moved him right then and there. I'm guessing it's more of the front office and lack of direction. As for Monta, what did Nelly do to hold Monta back? Where does it say that a coack can't change his mind about how a player should be utilized, especially when circumstances change? Was he the one that placed him on that "moped" and set him back 1.5 years? No. It was Monta. Monta should've been working out in Oakland focusing on the skills needed to run the team. Especially considering he wanted to take over for Baron. You can't put that on Nelly. All of these things you throw on Nelly. When I look at it as just a sum of pieces of a failed front office. Look at the Lakers. They had a pouting Kobe, they had a coach threatening to retire over and over, they had all kinds of holes, young players ready to be re-uped, yet they managed to make it work. How, they made the right gambles, put their money behind the right pieces. (And got a little help from the league with the Gasol deal) But the league tries to help well-run organizations. BTW, I think you're missing my point on the name calling. Nelly's Dumb Bastard comment was tongue in cheek and pretty funny at the time. But making the comment in passing once is funny, twice ok we get it, any more than that becomes tired. There's no substance behind the argument anymore.
CH, I've come up with a new one. Fraud dumb bastard . And every so often when Nelson really gets my ire Fat fraud dumb bastard. FFDB . Let's see if the FDB keeps his word on AR playing the 4 when AB gets back. Oopsie, I changed my mind again.
