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dirt_dobber · 09-26-2008, 10:43 AM

Warriors owner must be careful
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...SPG5135ISB.DTL

Hidden amid all the Monta Ellis hoop-de-blah is another quieter truth floating at the edges of the Warriors' upcoming season, namely this:

The Mullin-Nelson Era is working on its last year, and the fact is that the Ellis issue is linked to the Mullin-Nelson thing.

For the record, both vice president Chris Mullin and head coach Don Nelson are working on the final year of their contracts. Neither has begun talks with owner Chris Cohan or his right-hand man Bobby Rowell on a new one, and neither seems terribly bothered about that, at least not outwardly.

But the problem of Ellis' punishment for mopedding his six-year, $66 million contract into jeopardy impacts Mullin and Nelson, because it seems clear that Cohan and Rowell want to make Ellis a bigger issue than Mullin and Nelson do, and if they aren't incredibly deft at getting their point across without alienating Ellis, they will have lost the face of their franchise over a principle that can be solved in any number of other and more creative ways.

And they will have forced the two men who gave them their only real taste of good times into the position of starting over, an unappealing prospect under normal circumstances, and unnecessarily so this time.

The statement Rowell issued Thursday made the club's intention clear - they would "gather all the pertinent facts and information," and "have scheduled a meeting with Monta's representatives to take place within the next 7 to 10 days."

In other words, they want to make this a big deal. At least a bigger deal than either Nelson or Mullin seem to want to.

For the record, neither Mullin nor Nelson wanted to touch the Ellis issue Thursday in their back-to-back media chats. They know that this is a hot button issue for Cohan and Rowell, and they are getting out of the way for simple prudence.

But they are also deeply invested. They need Ellis happy, focused and healthy when he returns, rather than resentful and less committed to the franchise than he was when he signed the deal. Starting over again is not an option. At least not a sensible one.

So even if Cohan and Rowell think Ellis needs a lesson in contract law, the fact that they have waited so long to publicly address a problem they've had for nearly a month, and still haven't even met with Ellis' agent to deal with the issue, suggests that they've been stewing over this too long already.

And that puts Mullin and Nelson in an even bigger jackpot than the one Ellis put them in when he decided to go motorbikin'. They need not only a playoff season, but one without the stresses and strains that come from a recalcitrant star, or from an unhappy owner. Because if this goes badly, and there are more ways for it to go badly by seeking out vengeance on Ellis, Cohan will not go quietly into the 2009-10 season. People will have to answer for this year, and the two handiest targets are Mullin and Nelson.

Nelson may just retire anyway. He owns half of Hawaii already, and can smoke cigars anywhere. Mullin, though, has always been a Warrior, even when he was a Pacer, and Cohan's history with other basketball hires is fairly miserable. No lesson is worth starting over again, with all those 29-win seasons, the people laughing at him and calling him the worst owner in the Bay Area, and the rest of the Warrior Nostalgia Package.

So Cohan must tread lighter than he seems to want to here, and not just because Ellis might get pouty. He can leave the abuse to the media and fans if he wants to impart a lesson, but he can't go overboard just to prove a point. And overboard means risking the basketball people that gave him his one fleeting moment of glory since buying the team from Jim Fitzgerald back in the First Chris Webber Era.

Now maybe Cohan is ready for regime change. Maybe the fact that Mullin and Nelson come up for re-signing at the same time is fortuitous for him. Maybe he views this as an opportunity to fix what wasn't broken, because owners do that from time to time for no earthly reason whatsoever.

But he should at least know that is part of the risk involved here. Monta Ellis threw a lot of things into turmoil when he went riding that fateful evening, and now he sees just how extensive that turmoil could be.

That might just be punishment enough.

09-26-2008, 10:43 AM	#28
dirt_dobber Diamond Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Bee Cave, Texas Posts: 3,238	Warriors owner must be careful http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...SPG5135ISB.DTL Hidden amid all the Monta Ellis hoop-de-blah is another quieter truth floating at the edges of the Warriors' upcoming season, namely this: The Mullin-Nelson Era is working on its last year, and the fact is that the Ellis issue is linked to the Mullin-Nelson thing. For the record, both vice president Chris Mullin and head coach Don Nelson are working on the final year of their contracts. Neither has begun talks with owner Chris Cohan or his right-hand man Bobby Rowell on a new one, and neither seems terribly bothered about that, at least not outwardly. But the problem of Ellis' punishment for mopedding his six-year, $66 million contract into jeopardy impacts Mullin and Nelson, because it seems clear that Cohan and Rowell want to make Ellis a bigger issue than Mullin and Nelson do, and if they aren't incredibly deft at getting their point across without alienating Ellis, they will have lost the face of their franchise over a principle that can be solved in any number of other and more creative ways. And they will have forced the two men who gave them their only real taste of good times into the position of starting over, an unappealing prospect under normal circumstances, and unnecessarily so this time. The statement Rowell issued Thursday made the club's intention clear - they would "gather all the pertinent facts and information," and "have scheduled a meeting with Monta's representatives to take place within the next 7 to 10 days." In other words, they want to make this a big deal. At least a bigger deal than either Nelson or Mullin seem to want to. For the record, neither Mullin nor Nelson wanted to touch the Ellis issue Thursday in their back-to-back media chats. They know that this is a hot button issue for Cohan and Rowell, and they are getting out of the way for simple prudence. But they are also deeply invested. They need Ellis happy, focused and healthy when he returns, rather than resentful and less committed to the franchise than he was when he signed the deal. Starting over again is not an option. At least not a sensible one. So even if Cohan and Rowell think Ellis needs a lesson in contract law, the fact that they have waited so long to publicly address a problem they've had for nearly a month, and still haven't even met with Ellis' agent to deal with the issue, suggests that they've been stewing over this too long already. And that puts Mullin and Nelson in an even bigger jackpot than the one Ellis put them in when he decided to go motorbikin'. They need not only a playoff season, but one without the stresses and strains that come from a recalcitrant star, or from an unhappy owner. Because if this goes badly, and there are more ways for it to go badly by seeking out vengeance on Ellis, Cohan will not go quietly into the 2009-10 season. People will have to answer for this year, and the two handiest targets are Mullin and Nelson. Nelson may just retire anyway. He owns half of Hawaii already, and can smoke cigars anywhere. Mullin, though, has always been a Warrior, even when he was a Pacer, and Cohan's history with other basketball hires is fairly miserable. No lesson is worth starting over again, with all those 29-win seasons, the people laughing at him and calling him the worst owner in the Bay Area, and the rest of the Warrior Nostalgia Package. So Cohan must tread lighter than he seems to want to here, and not just because Ellis might get pouty. He can leave the abuse to the media and fans if he wants to impart a lesson, but he can't go overboard just to prove a point. And overboard means risking the basketball people that gave him his one fleeting moment of glory since buying the team from Jim Fitzgerald back in the First Chris Webber Era. Now maybe Cohan is ready for regime change. Maybe the fact that Mullin and Nelson come up for re-signing at the same time is fortuitous for him. Maybe he views this as an opportunity to fix what wasn't broken, because owners do that from time to time for no earthly reason whatsoever. But he should at least know that is part of the risk involved here. Monta Ellis threw a lot of things into turmoil when he went riding that fateful evening, and now he sees just how extensive that turmoil could be. That might just be punishment enough.