Its Time To Let Don Nelson Go

I'm a part time Golden State Warrior fan and have been over the last 40 years ever since I got interested in basketball when I was a young kid. Now I say "part time" because over the years I've watched the Warriors rise and fall(mostly fall) and never could take losing. I hate to lose. I love to win.

So when I sense the Warriors are not going to make it to the playoffs, I officially dub that day as "Put A Fork In It (PAFII)" day. This year PAFII day came early - way too early.

The Warriors are 8-22 and the fat lady has sung. The cry of "We Believe" is no longer ringing in my ears. Its time to let coach Don Nelson go.

Its no fun rooting for a local sports team and not watching them take a championship title for over 30 years. I had high hopes for marked improvement last year after they went on to upset the Dallas Mavericks in 2006 in the first round. But after missing the playoffs and watching the Warriors play so horrible the first part of this year, there really is no reason to waste my time watching them nor for hoping for a sudden turnaround.

Who's to blame? Warriors management, especially owner Chris Cohan. Since Cohan took over the Warriors in 1991, the Warriors have gone nowhere to build a winning franchise. I could live with an improving ball club but that has not been the case. Perhaps Cohan is too busy making too much money providing what I feel is mediocre basketball entertainment to the SF Bay Area. Whats more sad is the marketing gimmick of playing into the human emotion of hope with the "We Believe" hype.

If this losing trend continues, Cohan may just find less people in the stands. Nobody wants to watch bad basketball, especially losing basketball. No doubt Warrior fans are getting more grouchier as this season wears on.

So where does the process of change begin for the better? By letting Nelson go. Nellie ball doesn't work. It is entertaining but it is not sustaining. Fast break basketball winds up exhausting players. We've seen this time and time again when it comes down to the final few weeks in the season and a playoff spot on the line players peter out. More so at playoff time, everyone has no legs. It doesn't work. Its like watching a fast moving three ring circus grind to a halt.

Over the years I've watched Nellie's coaching style and frankly, I never liked it. Yes the man has coached in the league for some 30 years now and he is the 2nd winningest coach in history. But so what. He hasn't won an NBA title nor even appeared in an NBA championship game in his entire career. Sometimes, you have to look at track history and realize that it just ain't going to happen.

I have to admit that Don Nelson is a good turnaround specialist. He is like the CEO that comes in when the company is on the brink of bankruptcy and turns the company around just enough to make them profitable again. Its like investing in a company with consistent dividends but never record growth.

I could go on and on about the last two seasons of really stupid decisions Nellie has made. Like signing retired star Chris Webber and starting him in a few weeks, only to watch him huff and puff up and down the court (Webber was later released). To benching Andris Biedrens while Webber returned. Biedrens was playing his best ball in years.

How about the game where Nelson put in Bellineli who rarely plays and asking him to foul one of the worst free throw shooters three times in a row in hopes of being clever - only to have the player go 100% on the line. What an insult to Belinelli and what a embarrassment to Nelson.

And lets not forget about the constant mixing up his rotation to the point where there is no team chemistry at all. Younger players on Nelson's teams are always in the dog house and they never mature. That is Don Nelson. An above average basketball coach that scratches his head in frustration wondering why his players want to leave his teams. Can you blame them?

Its kind of fitting that this has not been a kind season for NBA head coaches. We are not even near the All-Star break and already six coaches have been fired (Eddie Jordan, P.J. Carlesimo, Sam Mitchell, Randy Wittman, Maurice Cheeks, Reggie Theus).

As far as I am concerned, you might as well add Don Nelson to that list too.