<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Warriors coach Don Nelson has had better seasons, many of them right here with Golden State. He's turned Milwaukee around and taken Dallas from a 16-win team into a 60-win title contender. And yet, with the Warriors scratching just to stay in the playoff race, assistant Larry Riley, who's been by Nelson's side for the last six years, ranks this season as one of Nelson's top campaigns. "When you go back and look at what we started with," Riley said, "With (Jason Richardson) on the injured list and not really getting going until he got back after the broken hand, the other injuries, the personnel we were dealing with, and assimilating the trades guys, it's one of his better coaching jobs." It's April, after all, and Warriors are still in the playoff hunt with seven games to go. Though their postseason fate is out of their control -- even if they win the rest of their games, the Clippers or Nuggets still need to lose for Golden State's postseason drought to end -- Nelson has replaced false hope with a sense of purpose. </div> Source
I like Nellie, and he's done a good job. But c'mon -- the team is still sub %500. When he takes this team to 50+ wins, then we can start talking about a great coaching year. If you ask Nellie, he'll tell you he's disappointed. Why? Because he should be. The team is having a losing season. Hopefully they make the playoffs, which will be a step in the right direction. But talk to me (and Nellie) when GS notches 50+ wins. Until then, who cares?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Larry Riley:</div><div class="quote_post">the personnel we were dealing with</div> In other words, "Dunleavy and Murphy really sucked!"
<div class="quote_poster">AlleyOop Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">But talk to me (and Nellie) when GS notches 50+ wins. Until then, who cares?</div> I think making the playoffs are a pretty big deal, and everyone cares.
For a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 12 years and finally get a coach that gets them there, is a coach of the year candidate for sure.
Good points -- I didn't really mean either 50+ wins or bust -- what I mean is that even if the Warriors make the playoffs, if they do so with a losing record, I don't see how that in any way constitutes Coach of the Year. I mean, they had 34 wins last year, if this team gets 38 or 39, sure of course that's an improvement. But if a losing record still gets you into the playoffs, that's not enough for me to consider it a "turnaround." Now, with that said, the Warriors are playing great basketball right now, and if they make the playoffs that will be a great accomplishment. Also, Nellie is a GENIUS. He's doing great things with the roster. Of course I care about the playoffs. I just don't think ANY coach should deserve coach of the year with a losing record. i don't think Nellie believes he deserves it. I think with the way he's been coaching, and the way this team is improving, 50 wins isn't at all out of the question next year, and if THAT happens -- then he better be a top candidate for COY. Just my opinion -- but I didn't mean I don't care about this team -- I live and breathe every second of every game. If this team makes the playoffs, that will be one of the most awesome accomplishments in CA sports history and we should be throwing parties for weeks. I just meant that in the context of voting for COY -- because the voters aren't really going to even look at Nellie as a candidate with a 38 or 39 win total, IMO. Of course, I'd be stoked for Nellie if they did! I just don't see that happening
Nelson has a done a very good job. For his first season with this team that is so young, inexperienced, and injury-prone. If we rewind and go back to before the start of the season, this roster looks very different. I am not referring just to the mid-season trade and that change, but mainly the development of two of the main players this season in Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis. If I am not mistaken Dunleavy and Murphy were the starters, Biedrins was an afterthought, and I believe there was some thought about where Monta Ellis will be on the depth chart in respects to Roberson. At the beginning of the season Andris Biedrins was just a player related to the word potential more than the words proven or reliable, or even starter. Andris Biedrins averaged less than 15 minutes per game the previous season and was at some points seen as a trading piece to land a player like Magloire. Monta Ellis was less proven than Andris Biedrins. Monta Ellis had much less professional (or actually anything out of high school and AAU) ball under his belt as he rarely played in his rookie season, and who knew the type of a player he would become today? So I'd say that his development (I know this is a tricky issue of who and how do you credit development of young players between the player and the coach and what have you) of Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins gives Nelson big pluses in his report card this season (at least from me). His finding of Matt Barnes and Azubuike were important (though Barnes did stumble some for a stretch, but overall he has definitley overachieved most expectations). Nelson also got huge productions out of Mickael Pietrus, though he too also had some stumbles, especially recently, but he was playing at a very high level because of Nelson and the confidence and the role he gave Pietrus. For the first season of Don Nelson as the head coach for this team, I think he has done as good of a job as anyone could have expected because of the development of many players this season. I mean Mike Dunleavy even looked like a decent role player as 6th man before he got traded. But also considering the injuries and inexperience of this team, he did a good job. Also considering how poor the refs were consistently against this team, I think he has done an even better job, at least compared to what the team's record might indicate. If the refs were friendlier and fairer I think the Warriors have at least two or three more victories, which would make them the 8th seed right now in the West. I suppose some disputes might be about a lack of (visible) development of Patrick O'Bryant and a rotation which oversaw the services that Josh Powell could have probably brought if he played more. But maybe POB is better right now because he did butt-heads with Don Nelson, and then helped polish his game in the D-League, where he's putting up very impressive numbers especially with improved rebounding stats and great block shots statistics. And the rotation disputes involving Powell I think are general arguments a fan from any team from youth to pros can make. I think AlleyOop is right that Don Nelson shouldn't really get any votes for COY, but I do think he belongs into the discussion about which coaches have done a good job this season. It wasn't perfect, but for the most part it was a lot of fun and usually very entertaining. Don Nelson is great to have in Oakland. It's just a shame the rest of the Bay has the Warriors tuned out. KNBR 680 is all Giants and tonight 1050 was Arena Football League. But this is all for a different topic. But yeah, all in all I will tend to agree with Larry Riley, though I can't dispute much of what others have written in this thread either.
