Kawakami: Nelson picks perfect time to send Davis, others a message
Tim Kawakami
Mercury News Columnist
Article Launched: 04/16/2008
Subtle? Don Nelson definitely wasn't trying to be subtle or subliminal.
Subtlety doesn't work often or very well in the NBA.
This was not subtle. This was the furthest thing from subliminal, and
kudos
to Nelson for refre****ng heavy-handedness, at last.
By freezing Baron Davis on the bench for the entire second half Monday in
Phoenix - while the Warriors tried mightily but failed to stave off
elimination - Nelson almost certainly was letting the world know three
meaningful things:
.. Forget about tonight's meaningless season finale, Nelson is already
coaching for next season - probably his final go-around - with major
amounts
of personal pride on the line.
.. Nelson wants Davis to know that next season Nelson will hold every
player,
including Davis (if he doesn't opt out and leave), accountable for poor
performance.
.. After hinting about it for a few weeks, Nelson is setting the stage for
Monta Ellis to take over the Warriors' primary scoring responsibilities
next
season.
Basically, the message: This could very well be Monta's team next season,
not Baron's.
That's assuming Ellis does not leave the team as a restricted free agent
this summer, which Warriors chief Chris Mullin will do everything in his
power and Chris Cohan's bank account to prevent.
Am I reading too much into one coaching decision in the 81st game of the
season, when Nelson himself said he was merely resting a tired player?
Nope, these issues are real and have been brewing for a while. It's about
time Nelson addressed them for the long term after letting Davis, and, in
smaller ways, Stephen Jackson and Ellis, play so sloppily for so long.
Jackson gets excused for his bad turnovers and erratic shooting because he
has provided tremendous defense when healthy. Ellis gets excused for his
dismal defense because he's only 22 (6 1/2 years younger than Davis) and
because he is shooting 53 percent from the field.
Davis has been excused from playing hard on defense all season because
he's
an incredible player, a true difference-maker, and because he has remained
healthy for the first time in six years.
Davis got excused because he's such a special player. If he's still a
special player. All three of these guys get excused for mental lapses
because Nelson played them so heavily this season.
But, of the three, Davis went into cruise control in January and couldn't
or
wouldn't snap out of it in many of the pivotal games of March and April.
So maybe it's strange that Nelson chose the second-to-last game of the
season to send such an obvious signal to Davis. But then again, maybe the
timing was exactly right - that was the start of the 2008-09 season, right
then and there.
What about that swift, hungry non-Baron squad playing relentless,
aggressive
basketball against a good team in the third quarter against Phoenix? Yes,
that meant a little, too, especially after Davis' slow-motion first half.
Do I think Davis, an unrestricted free agent, will react by opting out of
the final year and $17.2 million on his contract? I do not because there
isn't a long list of franchises lining up to pay him huge long-term money.
You know, Nelson was the guy who refurbished Davis' coach-zapping
reputation. They've been great together because Davis also revived
Nelson's
career and showed that the old coach could connect with Davis, Jackson and
other risky NBA personalities.
Next season, Davis and Nelson still belong together, but with a different
tone to their relation****p.
Davis has to play more defense. He has to play less often. He has to lead
by
example. (Add those three up: If Ellis sees Davis refusing to fight
through
screens or get back on defense, why should Ellis do any of that?)
Davis has to step into more of a sup****ting role for Ellis and a few other
players. Davis has to accept the new reality: He's 29, he's not beloved
around the league, he can still flourish, but only if things are right.
Nelson has to make sure things are right for Davis and for everybody else
on
the roster, and not just for Davis first and foremost. Nelson has to hold
him accountable.
I think that process has been quietly under way for a few weeks now. But I
think it went public Monday night in Phoenix.
Check out Tim Kawakami's Talking Points at blogs.mercurynews.com/
kawakami.
Contact him at tkawakami@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or (408) 920-5442.
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