Will it be Golden?
Nellie is back with the Warriors, and one of his players is now his boss. That’s pretty crazy. What do you think about this?
I don’t think I’ve properly expressed how ridiculous this Don Nelson thing is. Golden State of Mind is all over this thing, as they should be, but I’d also like to chime in here.
I commented on it in the comments section of Lang’s initial post, which had Nellie sitting there with that pimpy moustache and wine, but here’s my point: The Warriors were on their way back in 1994. They won 50 games, and this was without Tim Hardaway, who missed the whole season with an injury, coming off a year when he was a 20-10 guy. Mullin was a 25 ppg scorer, the original Sarunas was at about 18 per, and and there was so much young talent, like Sprewell, Billy Owens, Chris Gatling, even Tyrone Hill. Then… they added Chris Webber to that mix? The starting five of Tim, Spree, Mullin, Owens, and Webber would have been maybe the most talented in the league, and they were deep too. With Nellie’s crazy schemes, the play of Webber and Owens would have exploded over the years cause they were both versatile big men and not just bangers.
Why did that team fall apart? Cause Nellie couldn’t get along with Webber. They traded him to Washington, Nellie was replaced by Bob Lanier during the season after going 14-31, and the Warriors haven’t been back to the playoffs since. This is their franchise savior? It’s not exactly Brian Hill returning to Orlando to bring back the glory days.
Now, Don Nelson is a really good coach. I like him and the style he teaches. He had a phenomenal run in Dallas (and a kind of annoying half season with the Knicks), and he’s much better suited for this job than Mike Montgomery, who people were predicting disaster for from day one. Personally, I’m skeptical of his ability to turn it around, and a big reason for that is Baron Davis’s health is just as shaky as Hardaway’s was. And L’il Dun is no Chris Mullin, despite the skin complexion.
As for Mullin. Oh boy. Has there ever been an ex-player in a decision making role, that hired his old coach to run the team? You don’t see Kevin McHale or Danny Ainge trying to get K.C. Jones to come back, or Joe Dumars and Isiah competing for Chuck Daly. This is really weird to me. Nellie was your boss and now you are his.
So… what do you all think of the Warriors chances this year? They haven’t finished higher than fourth in their division since Nellie’s last full year there. Let’s see how you think they’ll do. Back in the playoffs? Or will they still never get going like the Saafir, Xzibit, and Rass Kass trio that got its name from them?
21 Responses to “Will it be Golden?”
Aug.31 at 1:23 pm
Marcel Mutoni says:
i just don’t see that team making the playoffs. what have they done to improve their squad and chances? not much, imo.
Aug.31 at 1:59 pm
William Huang says:
they will make the playoffs…in 10 years.
Aug.31 at 2:15 pm
G and D says:
i don’t see what the problem is. baron was supposed to save the team, and though they looked okay at the end of the season before last, he and the warriors have barely won anything since. and all the baron-is-playing- hurt stuff seems to miss the higher probablility: he might be one of those guys who just tunes out if things aren’t going exactly as he wants them to. nelson’s a big name coach known for a run ‘n gun style; if anyone has a chance of getting baron on side, it’s him or someone like him. and who else were they going to grab? lenny wilkens? larry brown? if i was a warriors fan, i’d be happy. and incidentally, i think webber’s had something of a history with that can’t-get-along-thing too. on the other hand (and i really don’t know the answer to this), has nelson had a record of run ins with players? on the level of, say, george karl? or brown? or even phil jackson? or byron scott? or…
Aug.31 at 2:21 pm
Young C says:
As their roster currently stands, this team has little to no chance of making the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference. They need to make some moves and shake things up with the roster in order to even have a chance to make the playoffs next year. They should trade Murphy and Brown to Denver for K-Mart. Then trade Dunleavy to Portland for D-Miles. It would be fun to see such an athletic and talented team get close to the playoffs only to self destruct because of their injuries and egos.
Aug.31 at 2:27 pm
Ang says:
it’d be funny if they brought spree back. you know…so he could feed his children.
Aug.31 at 2:32 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Sam,
The Defari Lakers-font logo was much cooler than anything Xzibit has ever been involved with.
Aug.31 at 2:47 pm
Zee says:
This is doomed from the start. No one has really ever forgiven Nellie for screwing up the 94 squad that would’ve tooled on the comp for years. I hope he fails miserably. The bay area radio is trying to sell this to the public as a good move for the ballclub..please, this is about as helpful to the warriors as Bruce Bowen was to the USA hoop squad.
Aug.31 at 2:48 pm
Zee says:
Oh yeah, that group with Ras, Saafir and Xzibit was ridiculous!! At least for the 5 or six songs they did. Industry rule 4080…..
Aug.31 at 3:21 pm
Joe says:
It wasn’t so much that Nellie couldn’t get along with Webber. It came down to Nellie not getting along with the owner and later sueing him.
Aug.31 at 3:29 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
RUN BRd (baron, richardson and ‘lil dun) are going to be the second highest scoring team this year (behind SPRINT NAM, nash-amare-marion). Nellie’s style will at least fill some seats before the inevitable baron injury…
Aug.31 at 4:01 pm
sush carter says:
at least the bay will come out and cheer..too bad the squad sucks…can we get a lebron, a kobe, or even a sam cassell in this biatch?
Aug.31 at 4:04 pm
McBain says:
With Nellie at the helm, I’m thinking Ike Diogu will put up some serious numbers
Aug.31 at 4:12 pm
pretty girl says:
I’m from SJ and have been following this team for the past 6 years. I became a season ticket holder at the end of the season they traded for Baron. Anyone who’s really followed the W’s knows they’re more talented than the record they’ve accumulated these past few years has shown. The Montgomery signing was a huge mistake cause as a young team, they needed a veteran coach to guide them. Last season was a prime example in which they lost almost 20 games in the final minutes by like 2 or 3 points. The inexperience by a squad that’s not used to winning and of a coach without a clue was beyond obvious. I’d say with Nellie on the sidelines this season, they win at least half those close games they would’ve blown before. Make no mistake, i’m not saying they’re going to the finals or even the playoffs in the tight west, but a good coach is worth at least 10 more wins. Just ask the Lakers in their 2nd run with Phil.
Aug.31 at 4:15 pm
Alex says:
Jordan brought Doug Collins to coach Wizards… Those things never work out well.
Aug.31 at 4:32 pm
pawnograffiti says:
It’ll be funny when everyman and his dog is on the golden state bandwagon wanting to ride this crazy wave into the wild wild west. People will say they were down from Day1 of RUN T.M.C. But people will kinda forget about that 10-12 year period when we achieved diddly squat.
Aug.31 at 5:04 pm
Bryant Reeves says:
Response to Alex:
“Jordan brought Doug Collins to coach Wizards… Those things never work out well.” Not for people named Kwame! Seriously though, Jordan was always Collins’ boss…
Aug.31 at 5:43 pm
Atma Brother #1 says:
Playoffs 4 sho! In 2k8 though. I think they’re a few trades and a good draft away from competing in the West.
Aug.31 at 7:24 pm
albie1kenobi says:
amend to what pretty girl said. gsw is one big man away from being a consistent playoff team. well, at least we can count on baron consistently being injured.
Sep.4 at 7:32 pm
Tim Dogg says:
Pietrus…Pietrus…Pietrus Baron’s sick, when healthy, which is hardly ever, but he’s definitely shoot-first. Lil ‘Dun was signed for way, way, way too much money. He’s the Raef Lafrenz of their team — the one with the regrettable contract which will tie up the front office for years. Jason Richardson is a scorer, but can do little else. Too many scorers, no defense, too many people who need the ball too much and take ill-advised shots. This team will never make the playoffs as long a J Rich is their “go-to-guy.”
Sep.4 at 8:35 pm
Mike D says:
Webber and Nellie will be forever scarred by their mutual destruction in ‘94. In human terms, neither man was big enough to give up a little in the name of the greater good. I’ll never forget the day I walked into the Delauer’s newstand in downtown Oakland and saw Sprewell on the cover of multiple magazines, more than one predicting G-state to go to the big dance. Let’s rename the club “Oakland Warriors”, run up the luxury tax on a veteran big man or two, and get the playoff party started!
Sep.5 at 11:00 pm
Dean says:
there only chance is to bring back spree and webber. hahaha