Again, I'm not criticizing Nelson's coaching style as much as Nelson's penchant for tearing a team's fabric apart with his trades. In regards to players, I've been suggesting several players the Warriors should get that would fit Nellieball. But having a coach like Nelson, you got to have a strong GM who will stop him. Without Mullin, we don't have that and Nelson is free to run amok. One thing, I'd like to know what happened was the Baron fiasco. It appears that was the last straw and how Mullin got into the doghouse. We know Mullin wanted to extend Baron and Rowell was against it. Was that all there was when Don Nelson and his right hand man, Larry Riley, end up as the chief beneficiaries? You have to add that to all the stuff Nelson was involved in. Look at his time with the Dallas Mavericks. While he didn't trade Jason Kidd, he did trade the other two J's, (who made The Three J's -- Kidd, Mashburn and Jackson) Jamal Mashburn and Jimmy Jackson and ended up with Shawn Bradley. He ended up trading all-stars or near all-straws for no stars in order to fix the clubhouse disruption. Holy guacamole! What a disaster. We're coming up to a similar scenario with the Warriors. Nelson wants to get back to the playoffs and have a chance at a championship, so he will likely be interested in another huge trade for next season. I doubt he will want to make our youngsters better, but he is showcasing them for trade and trying to figure out who to keep. Developing a young team, like Larry Brown, was not what he has done in the past. It's another reason why he should not be in the Hall of Fame nor the position he is with the Warriors now.
You're talking about Nellie the GM, not Nellie the coach. I put the blame on what is going on here on Rowell and Cohan. Mully had it right. 1 note on Nellie the GM, Nellie also managed to get Dirk for garbage too. And he consistantly manages to pull CBA/D-Leaguers and Euros (before others were doing it) and made them into players. He takes risks every now and again there, sometimes they work, other times they don't. Would I rather have Mully in the front office, yes. Would I rather have Nellie or Twardszick... I mean Rowell, Nellie in a heartbeat. As for the Hall of Fame, it's the Basketball HOF. Nellie's number is retired in Boston, he'll be the winningest coach in NBA history, and he did more for international players as a GM than just about anyone else in NBA history as well. I think he should be a 1st ballot HOF-er personally.
I think Nelson had something to do with Baron not being here anymore and he played Rowell and Mullin over it behind-the-scenes. While the evidence is circumstantial, one cannot discount the position Nelson is in now since Mullin is gone. Moreover, you discount how Nelson gave up the three # 1's, and then after the 93-94 playoff season, was dismantling the Warriors with the debacle of a trade for Rony Seikaly. Not only that, we ended up losing three UNPROTECTED # 1's for Tom Googs. That started the doom of the Warriors for the next thirteen years. Can Nelson make amends for it today? Nope, because he's not someone who has developed a young team and this team is ripe to be destroyed. One bad Nelson trade and whatever future the Warriors have built up will be gone. The only way Nelson could make this team better would be to sacrifice the now for the future and he's not going to do that. If he trades Mags or Crawford for picks, expiring contracts, and younger players, then he would be headed the right direction, but we all know Nelson is not going to do that. As a GM, Nelson is a Failure with a capital F. I don't think he deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame, even as the winning-est coach because of the losses he's piled up and how long he took to get there; Besides having no rings, of course. The Warriors are in a great situation now, as we are a young team on the rise instead of a bad team as we were for thirteen years with Nelson and his cronies such as Garry St. Jean. Blecch! We need to get someone younger like Kiki Vandeweigh or Kurt Rambis now. I thought the Warriors finally had the situation turned around with Mullin, but I can't help but think Nelson, Rowell, and Cohan fouled up the works. Mullin learned on-the-job and got us to where we are today with his trades, free agent signings, and drafts. Just when we see that he's turned around his job performance, he gets left out on the side of the road like an used tire. EDIT: It was Donnie Nelson, who made the trade for Dirk. He also, got Josh Howard. I'd take him to replace his dad in a heartbeat.
That's a pretty bold statement. There hasn't been anything reported to even think that. In fact, Mully, Nelson, and Baron all said that it was a business move from Baron's side. Baron realized that he was geting older and a long-term contract was the best thing for him I think you mean Rowell/Cohan move. And the Warriors are a collection of players and youth, not a team. There is nothing team-like about them right now. Again, it's not Nelly making that move. Every player on this team is better than they were at the beginning of the season except Monta. I think Nelly's done well with what he has gotten. As for the Hall of fame, see my above post. Playing, Coaching, GMing and innovation. He has changed the game. Very few can say that. You honestly believe that the Warriors are in a GREAT situation? Long-term contracts invested in Magette, Jackson, and Monta? Really?. 1's a coach, the other works in the front office. I'd take Donnie in the front office over Rowell as well. Hell, I'd take just about anyone on this board over Rowell
Sigh. Will get my groove back when the warriors get more disciplined defensively and offensively... So hard to watch all these injuries and sloppy play. We've been the perennial losers for a long time and there's got to be a strategy that breaks this cycle. You think that every time we've been sent to the lottery we'd at least come away with a Paul Pierce or a Danny Granger... doh... I believe you can't go wrong with an athletic-enough 4-year college player that's ready. Look at Brandon Roy, pretty unathletic, probably would have dropped in a deeper draft, but he gets the job done because he's smart and he's not slow. I could take 5 guys who couldn't jump over the height of a penny, so long as they're quick enough to get to the ball on the glass or to stop the ball on defense or to cut to the hoop and they are polished and smart players... We got inconsistent rooks and some veterans that just don't think sometimes... I think our picks have promise, though. Just none of them are nba ready or durable against more physical teams.
I've seen articles from Tim Kawakami and Adrian Wojnarowski on it. The truth will come out. You're in denial. Nelson and his henchman Riley are making the player personnel decisions now since Mullin is out. Nelson is too old to be GM in the NBA now, yet that's where Rowell/Cohan put him and they ousted Mullin. Huge mistake. The Warriors aren't that bad off. I don't like the contracts of Mags/Crawford/Jax, which they need to remedy with the back court jam, but if they could get rid of one or two of those and pick up a starting point guard, then they should be all right. It's not like the team doesn't have talent and young talent waiting in the wings. There should be a younger GM out there that wouldn't mind taking on the Warriors challenge; It's not like they have to dump horrible contracts and take years to turn things around. But we have the old dumb bastard Nelson calling the shots. I don't mind Nelson as coach, unlike some of Nelson's other critics on this board, but once you get Nelson making player personnel decisions, then the team is doomed for years to come.
