And in an effective rebuttal to my previous comments to Gwen Knapp's
column, here comes Bruce Jenkins a day later. Yeah, I believe that NBA
players party all the time. -AL
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SFGate
Nelson went too far in benching Davis for a half
Coach deflated the season with one intemperate move
Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle
Saturday, April 19, 2008
..
(04-18) 17:49 PDT -- What happened in Phoenix will never be cool. The
second-half benching of Baron Davis broke too many rules, even if
Davis may have broken a couple himself. Say this for Don Nelson,
though: He didn't need any help bringing down the hammer on an
unsatisfying season. He deflated it all by himself.
What we learned that night, beyond all doubt, is that the Warriors
simply weren't good enough to make the playoffs this year. Complain
all you like about the unfair seeding process - it's been a thorn in
this column's side for years - but there's nothing so impossible about
fini****ng eighth. The Warriors couldn't do it, and they signed off
with a rude implosion, so have a nice summer. Nothing could be more
just than Denver sneaking into the postseason at Golden State's
expense.
Some compared the Phoenix incident to Nelson's 1994 feud with Chris
Webber, a valid point in the sense that both men were to blame. It's
fine to bench your superstar at the beginning of the second half, but
you never keep him out the entire half if he's not injured (and Davis
wasn't). That's just not how it works. Nelson gave the impression of
giving up on the season at a time when the Warriors were not yet
eliminated.
As for Davis, who turned 29 the night before that game, this is a man
who loves to party. Who's to say he didn't stop in L.A., where he's a
celebrity of the highest order, and throw a massive bash? He's done it
before. You'd be right there, too, if you had his charisma. Nelson
claimed Davis deserved a "much-needed rest," and you don't say that
just inches from the finish line - not about a man who has carried you
all season. That's busting someone who, for whatever reason, simply
isn't ready to play.
It's all speculation about Davis' birthday plans, naturally, but don't
be so quick to judge. That's the other NBA: the rampant off-court
merriment, with more party favors and fine-looking companions than
most can imagine. That lifestyle took down Magic Johnson, tem****arily.
More than one night in the late '80s, the fabled Celtics partied a bit
too hard in L.A. - during the playoffs. Earlier this season, Stephen
Jackson and some teammates stopped off in Las Vegas for a prize fight
and some revelry on their way to a game in Los Angeles - a game they
lost. Carmelo Anthony got himself in trouble just the other night (a
DUI arrest Monday). So if you're picturing everyone getting safely
tucked into bed around 10:30 each night, find another image.
Where the Nelson-Webber comparison falls apart is the consequence.
There won't be any recurring nightmares about Felton Spencer, Latrell
Sprewell or the pathetic Dave Twardzik, deciding Kobe Bryant wasn't
such a worthy draft pick. The smart money is on Nelson coming back for
at least one more year, on Davis finding his best option is to stay,
on Chris Mullin making some wise offseason decisions, on more
thrilling nights at Oracle Arena with the starting lineup of Davis,
Jackson, Monta Ellis, Al Harrington and Andris Biedrins.
Which, when you think about it, is absolutely fine. If they show up
with some defense, a low-post presence and the realization that their
three-point obsession makes them hapless and delusional, they just
might join the real party.
From some other time
Is it just us, or does Masters winner Trevor Immelman sound like one
of those mannered gentlemen from a 1940s movie? Nice to know that in
certain corners of the world, people still talk like that ... Tiger
Woods may be 0-for-32 in majors in which he didn't have at least a
share of the lead after three rounds, but he has never given one away.
That's more than you can say for Ben Hogan (1946 Masters), Sam Snead
(1939 and 1947 U.S. Opens) or Arnold Palmer (blew a 7-shot lead on the
final day of the 1966 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club), to say nothing
of Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson, Thomas Bjorn, Colin Montgomerie and so
many others ... Most everyone in tennis has been impressed by Serena
Williams' hard work, getting her body back in shape when it appeared
she was doomed, and that bodes well for the upcoming majors ... It
wasn't enough for New York's Sean Avery to be ridiculed and despised
for his behavior in Game 3 against the Devils (idiotically harassing
goalie Martin Brodeur at point-blank range with his back to the
action). Somebody should have stepped up and, in the great hockey
tradition, knocked him cold ... The Giants seem convinced that Barry
Zito's performances are improving, and there's plenty of evidence, but
here's the problem: Whether it was Brad Penny, Ben Sheets or Brandon
Webb, the opposing pitcher has had noticeably better stuff. In a well-
balanced National League, that's going to continue all year.
Enough with the jokers saying the Warriors would be better off without
Nelson. Throw out 1987, when George Karl took them to the playoffs,
and Nelson is the only reason there has been any excitement around
here since the 1975 title year. Nobody else could have coached Davis
and Jackson for two dynamic seasons with so few complications ...
Touching farewell to Isiah Thomas in a New York Post headline: "Door's
That Way, You Arrogant Bum" ... It's an innocent comment, but when
LeBron James reminds everyone that he's 6-foot-9, 260, isn't it a
little bit frightening? Nice framework to his "can't be stopped"
resume ... In dismissing the notion of seeding the top teams 1-16,
Commissioner David Stern will never understand the beauty of a 58-game
season (two games against each of the other 29 teams). He'd probably
prefer three games, but that would be an absurdly long 87-game grind.
Best answer: Be completely ruthless. Eliminate Memphis, Atlanta,
Seattle (if the Sonics move to Oklahoma City), Charlotte, Miami and
the Clippers. Just throw them right out of the league. They won't be
missed (and we're being kind to Sacramento, New Orleans, Toronto and
New Jersey). Now you've got 24 teams, three games against each, and 69
for the season ... We now return to our regularly scheduled reality.
E-mail Bruce Jenkins at bjenkins@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
article appeared on page D - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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