Nellie resigns??? - Page 2 - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

dude1394 · 03-19-2005, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: kg_veteran
The more I reflect upon this, I think that this moment was destined to come from the moment that Nash left on July 1. Nellie wasn't happy with that decision, and it colored his outlook from that point forward.

I can't really say that I blame him.

No doubt... He saw the mvp of the league let go for bucks (build for 2-3 years from now, not the championship tommorrow) and saw his offensive game exported to phoenix.

Drbio · 03-19-2005, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Mavdog
This is a sad day in Mavland, Nellie has meant sooo much to this franchise being elevated from the most embarrassing NBA team to one of the most competitive.

Yes, it wasn't hard to see that there was a listness in the team as they have been playing down to the level of their competition.

Was it the coaching? No, not in my opinion, and if you think it was a result of the coaches that won't fundamentally change.

I do find it humourous to read the nellie bashers come out and scream negativism about Nellie. They ignore the wonderful, positive things that have come from the Nellie years.

Good bye Nellie, you may not still be on the bench but you're still in our hearts and minds. All Mavs fans should say a HUGE thanks for all you have done.

It just kills me to say this....but...........DAMN.FINE.POST.MAVDOG!!!

ocelot_ark · 03-19-2005, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Drbio
ocelot- I am in no way giving him too much credit. He deserves every ounce of credit. Period. You are trying to make this a Dirk vs Nellie, or so-and-so vs. Nellie issue and it is not. It's time to give the man unqualified credit for his effort and not turn every farking thread into a damn Nellie bash. This forum is rediculously overrun with idiots who cannot make a post without the obligatory "Nellie sucks" (see dudes thread - and..not calling <u>you</u> an idiot).

Just give the man the credit he deserves and let him move on. Dear god.

Yes, you are. You said he and Cuban are the only reason this franchise has turned around. Not true. I'm not trying to turn this into anything other than an intelligent discussion with more than blind sentiment. ...and why is someone who didn't like Nellie as a coach an idiot? 'cause their opinion differs from yours? Evidentally that faction knew a little bit about what was going on.

Look, I'm not saying Nelson sucks. I'm just saying that he did an admirable job but in no way was he the second-coming of Dallas Mavericks basketball. Who's to say that some other coach, say a conventional one, couldn't have got us a championship by now? A division title by now? He's done great but there are thousands of coaches out there who could have done equally as well...or better...or worse. What kind of a coach openly tells the media that his best player isn't an MVP candidate? Or that he doesn't want that player to lead the league in scoring? Give me a coach with some fire and some willingness to get cocky about HIS team.

#1MavsFan · 03-19-2005, 01:26 PM

Wow, came as a huge surprise.

dude1394 · 03-19-2005, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Drbio

Quote:

Originally posted by: Mavdog
This is a sad day in Mavland, Nellie has meant sooo much to this franchise being elevated from the most embarrassing NBA team to one of the most competitive.

Yes, it wasn't hard to see that there was a listness in the team as they have been playing down to the level of their competition.

Was it the coaching? No, not in my opinion, and if you think it was a result of the coaches that won't fundamentally change.

I do find it humourous to read the nellie bashers come out and scream negativism about Nellie. They ignore the wonderful, positive things that have come from the Nellie years.

Good bye Nellie, you may not still be on the bench but you're still in our hearts and minds. All Mavs fans should say a HUGE thanks for all you have done.

It just kills me to say this....but...........DAMN.FINE.POST.MAVDOG!!!

Hah!!

Not me. DAMN.FINE.POST.MAVDOG...

Drbio · 03-19-2005, 01:30 PM

ocelot- I'm not wasting any more time on your insistence of splitting symantics. The point is...Nellie deserves ENORMOUS credit and those who cannot see that are in fact idiots. This has nothing to do with whether or not you like Nellie. It has to do with facts and results. Nellie is the greatest coach the Mavs have ever had. Motta wasn't better...none of them were. It was Nellie and it is high time to step up and recognize him as such.

I guess some people just insist on pissing on graves.

kg_veteran · 03-19-2005, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: dude1394

Quote:

Originally posted by: Drbio

Quote:

Originally posted by: Mavdog
This is a sad day in Mavland, Nellie has meant sooo much to this franchise being elevated from the most embarrassing NBA team to one of the most competitive.

Yes, it wasn't hard to see that there was a listness in the team as they have been playing down to the level of their competition.

Was it the coaching? No, not in my opinion, and if you think it was a result of the coaches that won't fundamentally change.

I do find it humourous to read the nellie bashers come out and scream negativism about Nellie. They ignore the wonderful, positive things that have come from the Nellie years.

Good bye Nellie, you may not still be on the bench but you're still in our hearts and minds. All Mavs fans should say a HUGE thanks for all you have done.

It just kills me to say this....but...........DAMN.FINE.POST.MAVDOG!!!

Hah!!

Not me. DAMN.FINE.POST.MAVDOG...

Ditto.

ocelot_ark · 03-19-2005, 01:34 PM

DOC - Did Nellie ever get us to a game 7 of the WCF?

ames7 · 03-19-2005, 01:35 PM

From the DMN story...

Nelson resigns as Mavericks' coach

12:13 PM CST on Saturday, March 19, 2005

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

Mavericks coach Don Nelson is passing the whistle to Avery Johnson.

The long-time Mavericks coach told his players Saturday morning that he was relinquishing coaching duties of the team, effective immediately. Avery Johnson, who has coached 13 games this season when Nelson was out for various reasons, will take over.

"Nellie said it just seemed like the right time," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. "He said he just didn't have the passion anymore."

Nelson will retain general manager duties.

Nelson, a who has nearly three decades as an NBA coach became the Mavericks' coach in 1997. He has a 339-251 record with the team and a record of 1190-880 overall.

A news conference was scheduled for noon.

------------------
The Ticket is saying the press conference is at 1 & they will carry it.

Man, I did not see this coming at all. As much as Nellie has frustrated us, he certainly made things interesting around here for a while. Run & gun, SmallBall, UnderdogBall, Hack-a-Shaq... But I won't say I'm not glad he at least made a decision one way or another. Switching back & forth between coaches all year could not have helped the team's rhythm.

Drbio · 03-19-2005, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: ocelot_ark
DOC - Did Nellie ever get us to a game 7 of the WCF?

Did he get us more than 15 wins? You myopic insistence to ignore his contributions and give him the credit he deserves on a day that he resigned is quite distrubing and graceless.

ocelot_ark · 03-19-2005, 01:36 PM

Thank you Nellie...I enjoyed the last few years very much, no matter how frustrating they were.

ocelot_ark · 03-19-2005, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Drbio

Quote:

Originally posted by: ocelot_ark
DOC - Did Nellie ever get us to a game 7 of the WCF?

Did he get us more than 15 wins? You myopic insistence to ignore his contributions and give him the credit he deserves on a day that he resigned is quite distrubing and graceless.

Oh snap, I didn't realize Nellie was at home reading this thread.

#1MavsFan · 03-19-2005, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Look, I'm not saying Nelson sucks. I'm just saying that he did an admirable job but in no way was he the second-coming of Dallas Mavericks basketball. Who's to say that some other coach, say a conventional one, couldn't have got us a championship by now? A division title by now? He's done great but there are thousands of coaches out there who could have done equally as well...or better...or worse.

Lets see the coaches behind him didn't do it. Name one other coach who would have taken a risk on a little know German player? or a struggling Canadian point guard? or take a chance on turning around one of the worst franchises in the nba at the time? Give credit where it’s obviously deserved.

Drbio · 03-19-2005, 01:39 PM

Anyways....whether or not anyone thought it was time....maybe this was the BEST time for this move to be made....who knows....the point is that Nellie was the greatest coach in Mavs history. His contributions should be greatly appreciated and acknowedged.

Thank you Nellie and good luck Avery.

ocelot_ark · 03-19-2005, 01:41 PM

Nellie is God. What shall we do now that he's gone?

Drbio · 03-19-2005, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: ocelot_ark
Nellie is God. What shall we do now that he's gone?

Win a championship in his honor.

Misfit Mav · 03-19-2005, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: kg_veteran
The more I reflect upon this, I think that this moment was destined to come from the moment that Nash left on July 1. Nellie wasn't happy with that decision, and it colored his outlook from that point forward.

I can't really say that I blame him.

Significant choice of words? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

ames7 · 03-19-2005, 02:07 PM

Guess the Ticket has to carry the NCAA tournament. Is no one carrying the press conference live? I wanted to know what he had to say...

MavsFanFinley · 03-19-2005, 02:09 PM

Here you go Ames. The DMN has another update with some responses...

Nelson resigns as Mavericks' coach

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News

Mavericks coach Don Nelson is passing the whistle to Avery Johnson.

The longtime Mavericks coach told his players Saturday morning that he was relinquishing coaching duties, effective immediately. Johnson, who has coached 13 games this season when Nelson was out for various reasons, will take over.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said Johnson is not the interim head coach. "We plan on him being here for a long time," Cuban said at a news conference Saturday.

Nelson, 64, said it was a "perfect time" to step down and the team "needs a new voice."

Nelson will remain as general manager.

"For the good of the team, it was time to make this move," Nelson said.

Nelson, who has nearly three decades as an NBA coach, became the Mavericks' coach in 1997. He has a 339-251 record with the team and a record of 1,190-880 overall.

Cuban said he found out about Nelson's decision Friday night.

"I didn't sleep a wink last night," Cuban said.

"When Nellie and I talked this morning, I told him he meant so much to this organization," Cuban said. "...I told him the one role I wanted him to take was to be the godfather of the Dallas Mavericks.

"He's been so vital to what we have been able to accomplish."

Said Johnson: "This is a great day for me, and I am really thankful. ...Nellie is a Hall of Famer. He has meant everything to me. No other coach in the NBA could do for me what Nellie has done for me."

"I don't know if I deserve it, but I am really grateful for it," Johnson said.

Added Johnson: "I am just caught off-guard and surprised by the whole deal... I am happy about moving forward, but I am happier that Coach can move along on his own terms."

Nelson said he had been thinking about stepping down as coach for a while. "I noticed some slippage," he said.

"It takes a special person to recognize where he is in his life," Cuban said. "...He can still be a vital part of this organization."

Nelson said he gave his farewell speech to the players in "about 20 seconds."

He said he plans to talk later with each player individually.

Among his regrets this season, Nelson lamented the team's injuries and poor play at home. Center Erick Dampier and guard Jerry Stackhouse have missed substantial time because of injuries. The Mavericks, who play host to Charlotte tonight, are 21-12 at American Airlines Center.

Nelson has missed several games this season, the most in January after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Drbio · 03-19-2005, 02:10 PM

ESPNews said they were going to carry it.....but nothing so far. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

kg_veteran · 03-19-2005, 02:11 PM

Nelson resigns as coach of Dallas Mavericks

By Paul J. Weber

The Associated Press

DALLAS - Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, resigned as coach of the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday and turned the team over to protege Avery Johnson.

Nelson said the change is what's best for the organization.

"I see a little slippage as a team," he said. "The team is just responding better to Avery at this point."

The 64-year-old Nelson also had the title of general manager, but most of those duties were done by his son, Donnie, the team's president of basketball operations. The elder Nelson will stay with the team as a consultant.

Johnson, who retired in training camp already has coached the team for 13 games this year, first while Nelson had shoulder surgery, then recently when Nelson took time off to be with his wife after she had an operation. Johnson has also run practices since training camp and had some test runs as the coach with Nelson serving as his assistant.

His first game was Saturday night at home against Charlotte. Dallas went into it 42-22 and in good position to get the fourth seed in the Western Conference playoffs, which gets home-court advantage in the first round.

dude1394 · 03-19-2005, 02:15 PM

What a class act. He's man enough to admit that he's not as invested in the team as he should be so he steps aside. I hope I can be man enough to recognise the same when (if??) it occurs.

#1MavsFan · 03-19-2005, 02:18 PM

How can you bash this guy.

Quote:

.I told him the one role I wanted him to take was to be the godfather of the Dallas Mavericks.

I second that.

Drbio · 03-19-2005, 02:27 PM

Thank goodness it was an act of class and not a family health issue that drove this decision.

MavsFanFinley · 03-19-2005, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Thank goodness it was an act of class and not a family health issue that drove this decision.

I agree.

I guess we'll have to wait until after the game to hear what Fin, Dirk, and Bradley have to say about Nelson's decision.

rakesh.s · 03-19-2005, 02:51 PM

This probably prevents Avery from going to another team during this offseason.

Cuban will have that coaching contract ready real soon..

EricaLubarsky · 03-19-2005, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: kg_veteran
Just saw this, and my heart nearly stopped.

Wow. Spending time with the kids today, but I'll DEFINITELY have thoughts on this later.

KG, you really don't have your priorities straight.

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

steponhens · 03-19-2005, 03:01 PM

Anyone that is not able to recognize and admit that Nelson has had one of the most positive influences on the Mavericks history is just an idiot. You can say other coaches could have done what he did, but guess what? They didn't!

Nelson made bold moves and almost all of them payed off. He chose to trade Traylor for Dirk. Someone else could have, but they didn't. He chose to take a chance on Nash and give him a big contract before he deserved it. Someone else could have, but they didn't. He took this team from the bottom of the NBA to make it the most entertaining team and an elite team in the league. Somebody else could have, but they didn't. He was the one who was here. He was the GM and the coach. We wouldn't have had half the players we have had if it wasn't for Nellie. He was able to deal with Cuban and all his crazy antics and constant change, something I am sure other coaches wouldn't have been able to deal with.

Ignoring the contribution he made to the team is stupid. You are only trying to keep a personal agenda. Yes the team hasn't achieved what I had hoped it would, but the only reason we are at the level we are today is because of Don Nelson.

Phil Helmuth · 03-19-2005, 03:02 PM

Good luck Nellie, I'll miss you. You made the Mavs what they are today! Thanks -Phil

Mandyahl · 03-19-2005, 03:23 PM

wow, this is really weird timing...but, good luck nellie. questioned some of your decisions as a coach, but as a person, i wish you the best of luck.

avery...well, good luck stepping into the fire.

i wonder if this has been coming all year and that's why avery kept getting opportunities to coach...maybe not, but definitely a possibility. the timing really is very weird though.

i'm quite curious how dirk and fin are taking it, but of course we'll have to wait for tonight to hear that.

anyways, i should have a first-hand look at how the bench is doing tonight as my dad is taking me to the game as a birthday present and we're sitting next to the bench, directly behind cuban. what a weird game to go to...i almost wish it was just a normal game so i could enjoy sitting there without thinking about all of this. i'll be interested to see cuban's reaction as well...

EricaLubarsky · 03-19-2005, 03:29 PM

Anyway,

This is definitely a shocker to me-- not that it wasnt coming down the pipe but just that Cuban stayed with Nelson so long. This is the right thing for the team. As Nelson said, he just didnt have the passion, and the team wasn't listening to him. Beside that fact, Nelson is the boss of the team and he is the one that needed to take personal responsibility for the team's woes.

NELSON is the one that is responsible for making sure every player knows his roll

NELSON is responsible for the development of our point guards

NELSON is responsible for the lineups he puts out there (including the Terry, HArris, Armstrong, Terry catastrophe)

NELSON is responsible for the defense

NELSON is responsible for keeping his emotions in line and not letting his mood changes get in the way of playing guys that really need to play (1. Harris, 2. Bradley, 3. the centers in development--When Bradley is out, and we are in dire need of a center, we need to play A center)

I'm thankful for what Nelson did here-- he's a part of Mavericks history now, and some of the best parts of it to this point. He just has failed at a lot of things. He continued to fail for years, but the team was listening to him so he continued to stay. At the moment we are barely better than Milwaukie, Dirk is playing too many minutes, and we have no consistency. The change was needed.

However, I dont think that we will have the magical turnaround like the Nets had under Coach Frank. AJ is not a magical answer but he's the right choice. He knows what it takes to win a championship, he knows that defense and hustle are important, and he still has amazing passion for the game. It would also be tremendously disruptive to have an outside coach come in to fill the void.

Drbio · 03-19-2005, 03:31 PM

Quote:

NELSON is the one that is responsible for making sure every player knows his roll

Finley...you get the kaiser, no no no Dirk...the onion roll is for Dampier.

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

ocelot_ark · 03-19-2005, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: steponhens
Anyone that is not able to recognize and admit that Nelson has had one of the most positive influences on the Mavericks history is just an idiot. You can say other coaches could have done what he did, but guess what? They didn't!

Nelson made bold moves and almost all of them payed off. He chose to trade Traylor for Dirk. Someone else could have, but they didn't. He chose to take a chance on Nash and give him a big contract before he deserved it. Someone else could have, but they didn't. He took this team from the bottom of the NBA to make it the most entertaining team and an elite team in the league. Somebody else could have, but they didn't. He was the one who was here. He was the GM and the coach. We wouldn't have had half the players we have had if it wasn't for Nellie. He was able to deal with Cuban and all his crazy antics and constant change, something I am sure other coaches wouldn't have been able to deal with.

Ignoring the contribution he made to the team is stupid. You are only trying to keep a personal agenda. Yes the team hasn't achieved what I had hoped it would, but the only reason we are at the level we are today is because of Don Nelson.

The only part of your post that isn't stupid.

ocelot_ark · 03-19-2005, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: EricaLubarsky
Anyway,

This is definitely a shocker to me-- not that it wasnt coming down the pipe but just that Cuban stayed with Nelson so long. This is the right thing for the team. As Nelson said, he just didnt have the passion, and the team wasn't listening to him. Beside that fact, Nelson is the boss of the team and he is the one that needed to take personal responsibility for the team's woes.

NELSON is the one that is responsible for making sure every player knows his roll

NELSON is responsible for the development of our point guards

NELSON is responsible for the lineups he puts out there (including the Terry, HArris, Armstrong, Terry catastrophe)

NELSON is responsible for the defense

NELSON is responsible for keeping his emotions in line and not letting his mood changes get in the way of playing guys that really need to play (1. Harris, 2. Bradley, 3. the centers in development--When Bradley is out, and we are in dire need of a center, we need to play A center)

I'm thankful for what Nelson did here-- he's a part of Mavericks history now, and some of the best parts of it to this point. He just has failed at a lot of things. He continued to fail for years, but the team was listening to him so he continued to stay. At the moment we are barely better than Milwaukie, Dirk is playing too many minutes, and we have no consistency. The change was needed.

However, I dont think that we will have the magical turnaround like the Nets had under Coach Frank. AJ is not a magical answer but he's the right choice. He knows what it takes to win a championship, he knows that defense and hustle are important, and he still has amazing passion for the game. It would also be tremendously disruptive to have an outside coach come in to fill the void.

Best post of the day.

V2M · 03-19-2005, 04:00 PM

I'm shocked & disappointed at the timing of this decision. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a big fan of Nellie for turning the team around from being the laughing stock of the NBA to one of the most liked team. He traded for little known players like Nash & Dirk and turned them into potential MVP candidates. He not only created a great talented team but a team of incredibly nice guys. Despite several trades for questionable characters such as NVE, Walker, Howard, Stackhouse, etc., Nellie's leadership ensured no serious chemistry issues. I just loved everything that he's done for this team and I'd always remember him fondly for all that.

Now to be honest to the situation, I was also one of the most vociferous critics of Nellie this season. My reasons, as everyone knows already, were the inconsistencies that Nellie showed with his player rotations. I agree with KG that may be Nellie lost it when Nash was lost to Phoenix. He probably got encouraged by the signings of AJ, Damp, Stack & Terry. But probably player injuries, inconsistent PG play, his & his wife's health all played a reason for this decision. Still, I wish he stayed till the end of this season. It would have given Dirk & Fin enough time to cope with this shocker of a decision.

Finally, I hope AJ steps up and performs well enough to deserve this once-in-a-lifetime gift from a hall-of-fame coach!!

Simon2 · 03-19-2005, 04:01 PM

Can you be happy and sad at the same time? I am sad that Nellie, no matter how much I bashed him, is an icon in Mavland. Thank you Nellie for all you've done.

I am very happy though that a new, more passionate, more energized coach has the reigns. No more small ball or gimmicks. I don't even care now if the Mavs lose this year. All I know is they won't underachieve this year because AJ will kick their butt if they do. Best of all. No more underdog mentality. I really believe attitude is a big, big plus in winning. You can't win if you have the attitude of losing. A winner has taken the lead and that's what will happen.

dirk41nowitzki · 03-19-2005, 04:16 PM

Truly a sad day in Dallas, although I've always wanted him to resign rather than have him fired, because that would make long time Mavs like Dirk and Fin really sad and maybe even angry towards Mark Cuban.
But now that he resigned on his own, people would understand and respect his decision.
I just hope we won't be kicking ourselves later on for always bashing Nellie and wanting him to go.

So Nellie is still the GM right?
Any reactions from the players yet? I thought the conference should've been over by now if it started at noon?

ames7 · 03-19-2005, 04:31 PM

DMN has the video of the press conference now.

Everyone came off classy here.

HexNBA · 03-19-2005, 04:37 PM

"So Nellie is still the GM right?"

nope, just a consultant.

The Miles · 03-19-2005, 04:43 PM

Bottom line, someday I will fully appreciate what Nellie did for a dying franchise but right now we are as alive as ever and I am as excited right now as the day I heard Bill Parcells was coming to town. I am sure some of you are feeling the pain that I felt when Jimmy Johnson was gone so quickly, but I am not and I will be excited about this because it is great, great news to me.