In Nellie we trust?
What’s that definition of insanity?
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome?
A cynic might note that’s an apt description for the coaching career of Don Nelson.
He’s just begun his 30th season of NBA coaching (he’s doing a second stint with the Golden State Warriors), to which he brings a career record of 1,280 wins against 954 losses, about 57 percent.
And he’s closing in on Lenny Wilkens’ all-time record of 1,322 NBA regular season coaching wins.
You could say that on many nights Nelson has got what they call that 2,000-game stare, except that his hoops habit runs much deeper than that. Nelson also played 14 years in the league, another (1,200) games including playoffs.
So that’s 44 years and better than 3,500 games (including exhibition games and playoffs). That, my friends, is a a lot of basketball.
In all that time, Nelson has never coached a championship team.
In fact, he’s never even coached a team that advanced to the NBA Finals.
At one point in the 1980s, Nelson’s Milwaukee Bucks teams won six straight division titles, but they flamed out each year. If it wasn’t Dr. J and the Philadelphia 76ers standing in Nelson’s way, it was Larry Bird and the Celtics.
For all of his years of coaching, Nelson has a big “nada” when it comes to the playoffs.
He did play on five Boston Celtic championship teams (1966, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1976, a nice little ring collection), and this season marks the 40th anniversary of Nelson’s huge moment late in Game 7 of the 1969 championship, when Boston was leading the Los Angeles 103-102. The Lakers’ Jerry West knocked a ball loose, and Nelson picked it up and threw up a dubious shot that hit the back of the rim, rose high in the air and fell back through the hoop.
It has long been considered the shot that sealed the Lakers’ fate in their sixth championship loss to the Celtics. Forty years later and Jerry West still has a hard time when he sees Nelson or hears his name.
Anyway, Nelson has never been so lucky as a coach. Not even close. He’s wasted a couple of 60-win seasons, and a 59-win season, plus innumerable other good campaigns. All of them ended in playoff flame-outs.
The numbers suggest a reality that may have New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni waking up with night sweats.
Nelson has long been the ultimate “small ball” innovator in pro basketball. And D’Antoni has been a top disciple of that faith. In fact, Nelson’s Warriors team got up even more shots than the Phoenix Suns last season.
“He’s always been able to make other teams play the way he wants to play instead of the way they want to play,” triangle offense guru Tex Winter says of Nelson. “He sees the game and he has ideas about how it should be played.”
For those reasons, Nelson has long been considered an innovator. Winter lauds Nelson’s tremendous success over the long haul.
During the regular season “small ball” always presents opponents trouble as a “one-game philosophy,” Winter says. “But it becomes a question mark when you get locked into a seven-game playoff series. That changes things considerably for those teams that want to play small ball or run a lot.”
As a result, Nelson’s impact on basketball philosophy has been bigger than his ability to win the big one.
That’s almost a moot issue for the Warriors, a franchise that has struggled for years to get it together. Golden State’s ownership is quite happy with what Nelson has done in his latest stop there.
In 2007, he chalked up 42 wins, just barely got the eighth seed in the playoffs and pulled a stunning first round upset of the no. 1 seed, the Dallas Mavericks.
The playoff victory goosed a long-suffering Warriors fan base that knows basketball and frankly deserves better.
For 2008, Nelson boosted the team’s win total to 48 but the Warriors just missed the playoffs in the challenging Western Conference.
Still, it was the first time the club had had back-to-back winning seasons since 1991-92, when Nelson was in the midst of his first coaching tenure with the Warriors.
For rediscovering the winning ways, team president Robert Rowell recently gave the 68-year-old Nelson a two-year contract extension worth an estimated $12 million.
“We’re elated that Don has elected to sign an extension,” Rowell said in making the move. “He has proven to be one of the most successful and innovative coaches in the history of our game and his continued presence on the sidelines is certainly a prominent asset for our team and organization.”
“It wasn’t my idea,” Nelson told reporters. “It was fine with me to weigh it year to year. But they came to me and wanted me to commit to three years and, uh, I’m pretty excited about it. It’s quite an honor really to be wanted. At my age, you’re lucky if anybody wants you. Hopefully your wife.”
In less politic moment, Nelson confided his true feelings to reporters recently, saying that “an ass-kicking veteran team that would have a chance to win a title is what I deserve at 68.”
(The comment brings to mind that Clint Eastwood quote from “Unforgiven”: “Deserve’s got nothing to do with it.”)
Yet Nelson’s comment reveals just how badly he wants to win one, just how badly he feels cheated by the circumstances.
Ah, the circumstances. They’re a bit complicated with the Warriors. First, June 30 brought the shocking news that point guard Baron Davis was opting out of the final year of his contract and walking away from $17.8 million. He stunned Nelson by signing a five-year, $65 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers a week later.
“When you lose someone of his talent and stature, it’s hard to replace,” said Chris Mullin, the Warriors’ executive vice president of basketball operations.
The organization figured it would have talented young shooting guard Monta Ellis to move to the point. But Ellis was injured in a summer moped accident that infuriated ownership and left him suspended during his months-long recuperation for violating his contract provisions.
On the plus side, Corey Maggette (22.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg) signed a free agent contract with the Warriors after spending the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. But the net for Golden State means that the bulk of Nelson’s roster is under 25.
Instead of a veteran team, he’s got a young one, a roster with no proven point guard, no real power forward, just the circumstances for Nelson to do what he does best: Innovate.
“Our philosophy has to change a little bit,” Nelson had said even before Ellis was injured. “I played mostly my veterans last year, trying to get to the playoffs, and we didn’t do it.”
Long known for letting his players play, Nelson admitted he was going to have to become more of a teacher. And he had plans to require his players to become better students of the game, more video study, more fundamentals, etc.
It wouldn’t hurt if they rebounded and defended better too.
Nelson’s immediate answer has been to put the ball in the hands of Stephen Jackson, to make him more of a point forward, and to align him with one of the several unproven young point guards on the team. In the early going, the results have been mixed.
The turmoil has begat more turmoil. Forward Al Harrington, never seemingly comfortable in Nelson’s system, opened the season by demanding a trade.
The developments all make it easy to predict that the Warriors are heading into what appears to be another winter of their discontent, and apparently the job of team executive Chris Mullin hangs in the balance. Team president Robert Rowell, upset over the handling of the Ellis issue, appears reluctant to extend Mullin’s contract, which is scheduled to end after this season. And there are stories circulating that Mullin had negotiated a new contract with Baron Davis only to have Rowell reject it.
Yes, things are pretty much a mess with the Warriors, with some observers speculating that Nelson is making moves to gain control over the front office by replacing Mullin, the loyal friend who hired him.
“No. No. Don’t want to be. No,” Nelson told the San Jose Mercury News. “I’m not interested in general manager, or coach and general manager, or anything else. I’ll support Mully the whole way. I hope he gets his deal done as well. I love working with Mully. I’m a coach. Period.”
A coach indeed, one with a determination to keep on rolling and looking for better things in the world to come.
Josh Said,
November 3, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
I think the warriors have done very well with their system yet. the had bad loses to the hornets and raptors. the had the advantage of both teams aber didn´t get the job done at the end of theses games but played very well. In new jersey they won but you have to win against these nets when you try to make the playoffs. But i have two problems with the coaching of Don Nelosn so far. Jax is playing far to many minutes and he has to get randolph and wright a little bit more playing time.
greeting from germany
sam Said,
November 3, 2008 @ 12:33 pm
The main problem with Nelson is he doesnt give playing time to young guys like brandan wright. Its amazing how much talent he has and I am sure all the golden state warriors have witnessed that. Its just that when he plays a little slow Nelson puts him out. I think he should be given more time so that he can gain confidence. Just look at how biedrins has improved this season. I think the latvian team did more good to him than nelson has in the past 2 year. Whats with this relnship with jackson. I agree he is a good player but why the hell is he playing so many minutes. Its just going to get him injured some day and the day that happens I will sell my hdtv. Please Nelson, if you are reading this stop using jackson so much and give player like wright morrow and randolph some playing time. I am sure one of them will prove big for our team.
Gianni Said,
November 3, 2008 @ 1:19 pm
From what I’ve seen so far, I think this will be Nellie’s best year as a coach. For the talent and young inexperienced players he currently has, he makes it work. The Warriors have the youngest squad in the league, only three guys are over the age of 25 Jax, Maggette, Al harr.
He’s gone down to the wire with New Orleans, Toronto (both 3-0), and this is without Monta Ellis. The other night he played a lineup of Maggette, Jax, Harrington, Turiaf, Beidrins…. no one under 6′6″. So the small ball theory is going out for him.
But I do agree that he needs to start rotating in the youngsters, because at this pace the big minute guys will wear down by the end of the season.
qtlaw Said,
November 3, 2008 @ 8:39 pm
Thanks for the insight. As a lifelong Warriors fan (45 and counting), I’ve seen all of it, Al Attles, Nellie, Dave Cowens (boy did he get a raw deal), etc. We have been very fortunate to have Nellie here because its been pretty much lousy since Attles left (George Karl had a nice run but got run out of town.)
The last two years were tremendous but without Baron, life could get a bit duller. However, I believe the Warriors will be better off in the long run if Nellie would just let Brandon Wright play and get some confidence and let Anthony Randolph show some like in the preseason.
David White Said,
November 4, 2008 @ 6:37 am
It’s really said how there treating Chris Mullin. After all he’s the guy who put this team together and hand picked the coach, but now others are taking the credit. This organization will be one of the NBA’s worst again as it was before he took over. Losing Baron set this team back and from everything you read that was upper managements call, but losing Mully will be the bigger lose. Who’s call will that be?
Guif Said,
November 4, 2008 @ 11:20 am
I wish Mully and Nellie continue work together. I know Mullin since 20 years ago and is a guy to learn a lot. Also I met Nellie in 1994 in my city, Badalona and he knows the game better than anybody. So let them to work and make the team plays as hard as they can every second of the game. We Believe!!! Go Warriors!!! Keep Mully!!!!
JC Said,
November 4, 2008 @ 11:40 am
You were on to something with your line about insanity, but you didn’t really run with it. Nelsons big problem is that he DOES keep doing the same thing over and over again, even though everyone can see it isn’t working. His biggest problems the last two years have been overplaying the veterans and not playing young players, not holding veterans accountable and relying on odd mismatches even when it is getting them killed on the boards and on defense.
Everyone sees these problems except Nelson, who continues to do the same thing over and over with the same woeful results.
Gerard Himself Said,
November 4, 2008 @ 12:25 pm
First of all: Biedrins is playing like a beast. Second: I would really like to see what this team can do when Ellis comes back (hopefully 100% healthy). My problem with Don Nelson is that he hardly uses his bench. You can’t keep on playing Jackson 43 minutes per game. Even if they would make the playoffs, do his best players have some energy left by then?
Bill Said,
November 4, 2008 @ 12:32 pm
Seems like the Warriors is a team that could take a chance on Marbury.
They should wait until Marbury is released and then pick him up for the league minimum.
Gerard Himself Said,
November 4, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
Bill: no.
They should try to get Hinrich though.
PimpMan007 Said,
November 4, 2008 @ 3:08 pm
Al Harrington makes me want to puke. The way he’s always smiling in Warrior fan’s faces and, now, stabbing us in the back. I don’t know what his situation with Nelly is, but for him to “demand a trade” on opening night is divisive and ludicrous.
Put Harrington at the end of the bench with Kurz, and let’s see a steady mix of Wright, Randolf, and Hendrix at power forward.
Harrington should be treated like Stephon Marbry for his whining and divisive actions.
Mark Said,
November 4, 2008 @ 4:29 pm
I think everyone feels the same that he is playing to few players, but I was at the preseason game when he put Bellinelli in with Jackson, Maggette, Biedrins, and Harrington and that lineup cooked. You had two guys on the outside in Jackson and Bellinelli, and a solid front court. I do not understand why Nellie does not play the youngsters more?
But more disturbing that the issue we see, is what is going on with Mullins and Rowell, if Mullins is going to be gone, I am sad, but to cast him aside now, why do we not know what is going on here?
Mark Said,
November 5, 2008 @ 8:09 am
You guys will be lucky if Mullin is out
Noyolk Said,
November 6, 2008 @ 5:41 am
There are two coaches who will always have work but will never make the Finals: Don Nelson and Jerry Sloan. End of story.
Kenny Seagle, Emperor of the North Said,
November 6, 2008 @ 5:47 pm
4 us long sufering fans its the same dang thing wit h nellie: we like the guy, and yah hes an inovator, but his way of handling younguns is just plain stoopid. finally, brandan wright get some playing time– making it all 2 aparent that the fictional power forward al harrington is not only a misfit 4 the system, but an overated playa. cant wait 4 him 2 be outta here
Jordan Said,
November 7, 2008 @ 3:29 pm
there will be no rings in golden state warriors
fillmoemike Said,
November 7, 2008 @ 4:02 pm
we need chris mullin back….nelson needs to play his bench more and we should trade al harrington for gerald wallace or for david lee and malik rose
Pam Kure Said,
November 11, 2008 @ 4:58 pm
I think Nelson needs to be fired…Let the young boys play…is that so hard? especially when you’ve tried everything else!!!
Roland Lazenby Said,
November 11, 2008 @ 8:20 pm
Don’t link Sloan and Nellie. Sloan’s already been to the finals twice with the Jazz. He’s the standard for hard-nosed competitors.