Should the Warriors fire Don Nelson and go after Mike D'Antoni RIGHT NOW?
By Tim Kawakami
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
12:36 p.m. update: Mavs have officially fired Avery Johnson. I like Avery
and I've sup****ted him in the past, but I just don't see him fitting the
Warriors as well as D'Antoni would. Maybe it's that first-round memory,
looming too large. Avery will get another job whenever he wants, but I
wouldn't repeat history by firing Nellie to get him here.
First warning: I have not run this idea past anybody with the Warriors,
have
never discussed anything like this with anybody even remotely associated
with the Warriors, and really don't believe this could come close to
happening.
It's a darn irresponsible idea. if it wasn't so devishly logical, I must
say.
As I hinted yesterday (was it only yesterday?), it might be time for the
Warriors to get pro-active about their next coach. I'm all for
pro-activity,
as you know.
-Don Nelson obviously is, at best, a short-timer, and maybe a no-timer,
depending on Don's decision whether to come back for his guaranteed $5.1M
next season.
-If he comes back, the moment he sets foot on the floor for the Warriors'
first practice session of 2008-2009, he's a lame-duck coach.
You think Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson might've tuned him out a bit in
March? What about next February and March? Do the Warriors have to hold
off
on major personnel decisions this summer because they don't know if Don
will
be back?
Even if Don comes back-and we're all assuming he will want to, with $5.1M
sitting on the table-it's likely that this would be the last season for
the
lion, and if everybody knows it, that often is a recipe for anarchy in the
locker room.
-Can the Warriors sit back and wait until Nellie tells them whether he's
coming back (July 1 or later-knowing Don, it'll be later). if a potential
perfect candidate becomes available NOW?
-That'd be Phoenix's Mike D'Antoni, who may or may not resign or be fired
or
just get tele****ted to Chicago, Dallas, New York or Toronto in the next
few
days or weeks.
-Would D'Antoni want to leave the Suns (I think that's the most likely
exit-he'll get an offer from someone else, Suns GM Steve Kerr will say:
See
ya) or bypass other offers for the Warriors?
I think that's possible. The Warriors are attractive for a lot of reasons,
possibly No. 1 because I'd say Chris Mullin and D'Antoni would be very
compatible and the personnel is already more compatible than anywhere else
with the possible exception of Chicago.
-The Warriors should want D'Antoni-whether it's now or later, he's the
ideal
post-Nellie candidate: Plays fast, personable, creative, just the kind of
coach Mullin would've wanted as a player.
If Mullin doesn't have another ideal candidate in the back of his mind
(for
July if Nellie walks away or for later if Nellie starts the season), would
he be happy letting D'Antoni land in Dallas? Or Chicago or Toronto?
-It's possible D'Antoni either stays in Phoenix (but will be on shaky
ground
from Day 1 of next season) or he quits and takes some time off.
Then D'Antoni be the DOUBLE-IDEAL Warriors candidate, because the Warriors
could bring Nelson back and still have D'Antoni waiting on the
back-burner.
So why would the Warriors risk losing D'Antoni if he's the perfect next
coach?
I can tell you why:
* Chris Cohan would have to eat $5.1M-'cause there's no way Nellie's
taking
a dollar less than his guarantee-only a few months after exercising the
option clause for next season, without Nellie ever coming close to working
a
day of the season.
That's a lot to ask-yet that's precisely how NBA owner****p shows fans
commitment: There's a salary cap, so you can only pay players so much and
it's
not proven that paying over the cap is a road to success; there is no cap
for coaches, so if you've got a shot at a long-term solution and you don't
do it for money reasons. there's your potential lack of commitment.
Again, $5.1M for nothing is a lot to ask of Cohan. He'd have to pay that,
he
has the $10.1M he has already paid Nelson for two seasons to get one
playoff
team.
Then there's the money he'd have to pay D'Antoni, probably another $5M a
year for five years.
Lots of money. Not my money. But there it is. (The Warriors are free of
the
Mike Montgomery contract this summer, so there's an extra $2.5M lying
around
Cohan's wallet/2008-2009 pay schedule these days.)
* Nelson is owed respect from the Warriors. I don't question that. He
resurrected this team after 12 horrendous seasons. He did OK this last
season, too.
In a perfect world, Don Nelson has earned the right to dictate his end
date
as Warriors coach, as Mullin suggested a few weeks ago. However.
-Don's the one who stuck it to the Warriors management last summer,
holding
out for more money.
Nellie lost a lot of moral high ground by pulling that stunt-you put your
career on the line as a negotiating stunt, it's hard to say the Warriors
can't
manipulate the situation when they've got a chance.
Last summer's hold-out paid off for him, but there's no reason to weep for
him or accomodate after it.
-He'd get $5.1M for nothing if the Warriors fired him. That'd be over $15M
total for two seasons of work-not bad. Can fund a lot of poker games with
that kind of cash.
-He might realize that he has gone about as far as he's going to get with
BD
and this roster. Mullin might've realized it, too.
And, if Davis sticks around next season, who knows where his head's going
to
be and if Nellie can come close to controlling him?
If this season is a semi-re-start. would you want to do it with Baron and
Nellie, with only one of them around or with neither of them around?
-This team is going towards Monta Ellis, Brandan Wright, Andris Biedrins.
and that might work for Don, but it might not.
I guarantee you, if the Warriors move Baron this summer and Don is the
coach
next year, Don will complain about it, even if he's privately concerned
about Baron (which I don't know for sure).
So there. It's a lot to ask. It's a big irresponsible idea, but also one
that has me thinking.
I'm sure the Guy in Maui right now won't be pleased with me-or maybe he
will
love this idea: Take Cohan for another free $5.1M, with a hearing to see
if
he gets $6M from Cuban? What could be better for the Kahuna than that?
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