Nellie holding up Golden State for another raise

[dude1394]

Guy just can't help himself. More power to him if he can get it, but nellie has always been about the dollars imo.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...PGQSQQNHV1.DTL

One way to look at Don Nelson's behind-the-scenes demand for a contract renegotiation/adjustment is that all he's seeking is a cost-of-living raise.

For a decade, the Warriors were dead. Now they're alive. If Chris Cohan wants his team to go on living, it will cost him.

Nelson is less than a year into his three-year contract and he's shaking down the Warriors for an extra million or more dollars per year (that's a guess) on top of the $3.1 million per season he agreed to, in writing, 10 months ago.

That's crazy, right?

I couldn't do that. You couldn't do that. How come Nellie can do that?

Because he's Nellie and we're not.

We didn't turn the NBA's most mystifyingly clueless team into one of its most entertaining, and Nelson did.

"Sure, I signed a three-year deal last year," Nelson probably is telling the Warriors' management right now, "but I didn't realize I was this good."

Who did? Nelson has done some good coaching, but this was his finest work. He made chicken salad out of a sow's ear.

When he signed a year ago, Nelson said he believed the Warriors were a playoff team. He was dead wrong, and he soon realized the error of his judgment. He -- and Chris Mullin -- blew up the team and rebuilt it from the soul out, and the team took local fans on the most exciting sports thrill ride in years.

Then Nelson said he might not return, giving Bay Area sports fans something new to worry them. With the last eight Warriors' coaches, the concern each offseason was that the coach was threatening to return.

The threat thing bothers a lot of people, Nelson saying he'll retire to Hawaii if the Warriors' ownership doesn't show him more love in some tangible form.

Indignant fans want to know: Whatever happened to the sanctity of a contract?

Good question. In a similar vein, whatever happened to the purity of the two-hand set shot?

Baron Davis has one season left on his contract, and at some point, prompted by a media question or all on his own, Davis will mention that he really would like the Warriors to rip up his contract and give him an extension.

Because that's how it's done. Anyone who says "a contract is a contract" is hopelessly out of touch with the reality of modern sports business.

If you're performing lousy, you collect your check without apology. If you're performing well, you demand a bump. In most cases, you don't make your demand as early in the contract's life as Nelson did, but in most cases, you're not 67 years old and looking at the last year or two of your career.

Nelson was smart; he created his leverage. He invented, through his coaching and his input on personnel moves, a team that can win and is exciting and, most importantly, can be coached only by Don Nelson.

The Warriors could bring in another coach. Nelson's protege, Keith Smart, would be a likely candidate. But that would be like turning over Picasso's half-finished painting to his top art student.

Even if the next coach turned out to be a splendid fit for the Warriors, as the previous eight did not, what are the odds that he would inspire the players to talk about how they love their coach, and say it with conviction?

Nelson has been a bit disingenuous, dating back to his postseason musing about how he wasn't sure if he would come back next season because of the mental and physical toll that coaching exacts. It does wear down a fellow, but now Nelson's decision on whether to return seems to hinge on money.

That's a problem with some fans because it dissolves their fantasy that last season was pure Camelot, that these were knights who would have played and coached for free. Sadly for the dreamers, pro basketball is still a job, with paychecks.

Nelson's base salary last season made him the 17th-highest-paid coach in the 30-team league. When he signed, his leverage was less, he couldn't command Gregg Popovich dollars.

Nelson's stock soared, he gained leverage, now he's using it. If there's one thing Nelson has taught us, it's that you should do the best you can with what you've got.

If you're disillusioned or even disgusted by Nelson's shakedown, just remember that if any of the last eight Warriors coaches -- between Don Nelson and Don Nelson -- had tried this, we would not be having philosophical debates right now, we'd be laughing milk out of our noses.

[Mavdog]

Nelson knows his worth
Scott Ostler

Wednesday, July 4, 2007


One way to look at Don Nelson's behind-the-scenes demand for a contract renegotiation/adjustment is that all he's seeking is a cost-of-living raise.

For a decade, the Warriors were dead. Now they're alive. If Chris Cohan wants his team to go on living, it will cost him.

Nelson is less than a year into his three-year contract and he's shaking down the Warriors for an extra million or more dollars per year (that's a guess) on top of the $3.1 million per season he agreed to, in writing, 10 months ago.

That's crazy, right?

I couldn't do that. You couldn't do that. How come Nellie can do that?

Because he's Nellie and we're not.

We didn't turn the NBA's most mystifyingly clueless team into one of its most entertaining, and Nelson did.

"Sure, I signed a three-year deal last year," Nelson probably is telling the Warriors' management right now, "but I didn't realize I was this good."

Who did? Nelson has done some good coaching, but this was his finest work. He made chicken salad out of a sow's ear.

When he signed a year ago, Nelson said he believed the Warriors were a playoff team. He was dead wrong, and he soon realized the error of his judgment. He -- and Chris Mullin -- blew up the team and rebuilt it from the soul out, and the team took local fans on the most exciting sports thrill ride in years.

Then Nelson said he might not return, giving Bay Area sports fans something new to worry them. With the last eight Warriors' coaches, the concern each offseason was that the coach was threatening to return.

The threat thing bothers a lot of people, Nelson saying he'll retire to Hawaii if the Warriors' ownership doesn't show him more love in some tangible form.

Indignant fans want to know: Whatever happened to the sanctity of a contract?

Good question. In a similar vein, whatever happened to the purity of the two-hand set shot?

Baron Davis has one season left on his contract, and at some point, prompted by a media question or all on his own, Davis will mention that he really would like the Warriors to rip up his contract and give him an extension.

Because that's how it's done. Anyone who says "a contract is a contract" is hopelessly out of touch with the reality of modern sports business.

If you're performing lousy, you collect your check without apology. If you're performing well, you demand a bump. In most cases, you don't make your demand as early in the contract's life as Nelson did, but in most cases, you're not 67 years old and looking at the last year or two of your career.

Nelson was smart; he created his leverage. He invented, through his coaching and his input on personnel moves, a team that can win and is exciting and, most importantly, can be coached only by Don Nelson.

The Warriors could bring in another coach. Nelson's protege, Keith Smart, would be a likely candidate. But that would be like turning over Picasso's half-finished painting to his top art student.

Even if the next coach turned out to be a splendid fit for the Warriors, as the previous eight did not, what are the odds that he would inspire the players to talk about how they love their coach, and say it with conviction?

Nelson has been a bit disingenuous, dating back to his postseason musing about how he wasn't sure if he would come back next season because of the mental and physical toll that coaching exacts. It does wear down a fellow, but now Nelson's decision on whether to return seems to hinge on money.

That's a problem with some fans because it dissolves their fantasy that last season was pure Camelot, that these were knights who would have played and coached for free. Sadly for the dreamers, pro basketball is still a job, with paychecks.

Nelson's base salary last season made him the 17th-highest-paid coach in the 30-team league. When he signed, his leverage was less, he couldn't command Gregg Popovich dollars.

Nelson's stock soared, he gained leverage, now he's using it. If there's one thing Nelson has taught us, it's that you should do the best you can with what you've got.

If you're disillusioned or even disgusted by Nelson's shakedown, just remember that if any of the last eight Warriors coaches -- between Don Nelson and Don Nelson -- had tried this, we would not be having philosophical debates right now, we'd be laughing milk out of our noses.

[dude1394]

Mavdog has the same article in a more appropriate spot.

http://www.dallas-mavs.com/vb/showthread.php?t=30659

This one should exterminated.

[92bDad]

Great post and perfect location...us Mavs fans can have plenty to talk about when it comes to former Mavs coach Don Nelson.

I was pleased with the way he turned the Mavs Organization around, but I grew tired of him after a while. He is doing it much quicker with the Warriors, probably because he realizes that he doesn't have too many years left to be involved in coaching.

Nelson is now holding two organizations hostage and I hope he loses on both accounts!!!

[dude1394]

So you think he's holding GSW's hostage because cubes won't agree to his 6.5million suit?

I wonder if he's ever ranted about a player refusing to play unless their salary has been re-negotiated?

[EricaLubarsky]

cost of living raise? Does the guy realize that a 30% raise on multi-millions is not only ridiculously high, its also ridiculous?

[chumdawg]

Did Avery Johnson get his contract renegotiated a while back?

[dude1394]

Did he threaten to quit? You don't see a little bit of a difference here chum?

[chumdawg]

Well, Nellie isn't necessarily threatening to quit, as far as we know. And who knows what terms AJ would have been on with the team if he didn't get it raise.

Point is, great coaching performances often merit raises. It's not a big deal.

[vjz]

Pay that man his money. That was a masterful coaching job last year.

[V2M]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Point is, great coaching performances often merit raises. It's not a big deal.

I would agree with you if the converse was also true... i.e. if they can accept a discounted pay after a lousy performance.

Or else... just honor your contract if you'd like to be considered an honorable person. You can't have it both ways! And yes, that pertains to AJ as well.

[chumdawg]

It's a two-way street, because a guy can honor the terms of his contract, yet still feel slighted by the team and walk away from them at the end of his contract. He has fulfilled every bit of his obligation. If the team doesn't want this to happen, they usually extend the guy before he enters the last year of his deal, give the guy a raise, or both.

It's not either guy getting the better end of it. It's win-win for both sides.

[V2M]

May be so if it's the last year of his deal, as you said. With Nellie and AJ, it's at the end of the 1st year of a 3 or 4yr deal.

[GP]

Originally Posted by V2M

I would agree with you if the converse was also true... i.e. if they can accept a discounted pay after a lousy performance.

Or else... just honor your contract if you'd like to be considered an honorable person. You can't have it both ways! And yes, that pertains to AJ as well.

I think owners never ask for refunds or discounts when someone does a pathetic coaching job. Why is that you ask? Because they have the g*( d*&(ed freaking hammer. They fire the fat SOB to get their satisfaction.

[V2M]

^ Except that they still have to pay the entire contract amount.

[spreedom]

Yawn.. if I were Mullin, I'd tell him to live up to his end of the contract, or hit the bricks and resign without getting another red cent.

[mary]

Originally Posted by spreedom

Yawn.. if I were Mullin, I'd tell him to live up to his end of the contract, or hit the bricks and resign without getting another red cent.

Or if Nellie is really pissed about it, he could just stop attending practices, go work on his handicap, and keep collecting big fat checks while showing very little interest in his professional obligations.

But that's crazy talk.

[DevinFuture]

Originally Posted by mary

Or if Nellie is really pissed about it, he could just stop attending practices.

Maybe he could go golfing?

[mary]

Originally Posted by DevinFuture

Maybe he could go golfing?

hehe...edited

[u2sarajevo]

When I read the thread title I pictured Don walking into Mullins office with a bandanna over his face and a gun.

[chumdawg]

I will give Cuban a free tip he can take to his arbitration case. Evidently Nellie earned a one million dollar bonus for making the playoffs last year. And if he has any leverage now--which he certainly does--he wouldn't have the same leverage if he hadn't beated a 67-win team in the first round.

So Cuban can go to the arbitrator and say: "Hey, if we had pulled our nuts out of our purse and played our guys against him that late regular season game, and won, he might have $1MM less in his account than he has right now. And if they made the playoffs even so, if we hadn't bent over for them in the first round, he wouldn't have been in a position to command a $2MM raise. So basically, we've already made him $3MM richer. Shouldn't I be able to deduct that from the $6MM I owe him?"

It's a compelling argument.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by mary

Or if Nellie is really pissed about it, he could just stop attending practices, go work on his handicap, and keep collecting big fat checks while showing very little interest in his professional obligations.

But that's crazy talk.

Crazy like a fox. Whoever said the female sex was the weaker one never envisioned message boards.

[chumdawg]

Hey, like Nellie has said, it's a hard job, but it's not hard for him. Dude could golf three times a week in the middle of the (pre-)season and still take the pants off Avery in the real season. Would you really expect any less out of such a grizzled vet?

[u2sarajevo]

Originally Posted by chumdawg

Hey, like Nellie has said, it's a hard job, but it's not hard for him. Dude could golf three times a week in the middle of the (pre-)season and still take the pants off Avery in the real season. Would you really expect any less out of such a grizzled vet?

What happened to Jerry Sloan's pants?

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

What happened to Jerry Sloan's pants?

Jerry Sloan doesn't drop his pants for anybody.

[u2sarajevo]

Except Pop?

[chumdawg]

Originally Posted by u2sarajevo

Except Pop?

Well, I thought that was a fairly fought series, and both teams availed themselves well. I don't think the Jazz have near enough to take down the Spurs. Sloan probably did as well as he could do.

[u2sarajevo]

I really do agree with you on this one. Avery was out classed during the GS series in one game. And that's all it took.

[antoinewalker]

he is worth every penny.

[dude1394]

Funny how cute Nellie gets a pass but as someone said, no one else does. It must be a race thing.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/warriors/ci_6327546

Nelson should be held accountable for contract stance


THE DOUBLE STANDARD is amazing.

So, let me get this straight, Warriors coach Don Nelson gets to hold out for more money and no one has a problem with that? He gets to disregard the contract he signed and there is no uproar?

Wonder what would be the response if a player were to pull such a stunt. No need to wonder, really, because it's been done before. For instance, Terrell Owens took a verbal beating when he threatened to hold out in 2005 (remember the topless sit-ups in the driveway?) because he was upset with being like the 10th highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. New England receiver Deion Branch didn't get any sympathy last summer when he held out for a lucrative contract extension -- and he was the reigning Super Bowl MVP.

There is typically no shortage of sports talk radio hosts, columnists, bloggers and message boarders spouting about how today's players are selfish, money-grubbing divas who don't love the game. It's partly because they don't live up to their contracts, they use their leverage for personal gain at the expense of their team, they milk injuries and pout until they get what they want.

Now that Nelson is doing such, again, what does that make him? Certainly not an ambassador for basketball, and definitely not a model leader for a franchise that preaches chemistry and team-over-individual.

What's more, the way Nelson handled this should be drawing more ire from us. Remember, this started because Nelson said he may not come back because
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he's tired and the season was taxing, etc. It was practically a health issue, and it's perfectly legitimate for a 67-year-old to think twice about putting himself through the grind of an NBA season.

But, somehow, his return is widely accepted (and unrefuted) as now hinging upon the Warriors making him feel appreciated and loved -- expressed, of course, in the form of guaranteed money. When did that switch happen, or was that the reason all along? You be the judge.

Whenever it happened, isn't that the gist of Owens' antics? Yet he's the poster boy for everything that's wrong with sports. Wasn't point guard Baron Davis, when he was with Charlotte, just looking for appreciation and love when he took forever to return from ainjury in 2004-05? He took some potshots when he was suddenly healthy enough to play right before the trade deadline, which many assumed was a play to increase his trade value. Now, he has a reputation as a me-over-team kind of guy, which is one of the reasons the Warriors got him for so cheap.

Nelson, on the other hand, does pretty much the same thing, but he's regarded as the model for today's businessman, savvy and opportunistic.

You usually won't find a problem here with anybody getting every nickel they can, because it is a business, and business only stays fair when everyone looks out for themselves. The only problem from this perspective is with our divvying out of the criticism, how we're so ready to jump all over these players for doing exactly what Nelson is doing, yet Nelson gets a free pass -- even encouragement.

Sure, Nellie is a great coach and a lovable personality. But he should get the business, too, for being selfish and greedy. That, or we need to stop the ever-so-trite crying about this selfish generation of athletes.

Seriously, what if guard Monta Ellis -- who made $664,209 last season and will make just $770,210 this season -- decided to sit out this coming season unless he gets a phat raise. Being the reigning Most Improved Player and reputed future star, he can afford to forfeit this year's salary because he has a guaranteed pay day waiting for him as a free agent next offseason.

But if he did that, if he pulled a stunt like that, Ellis would go from beloved to the third thief on the cross. We, as fans and media, would call him selfish and greedy and immoral for not living up to his contract.

Well, where's the outcry for Nellie doing it? Where are the darts that would've long since been hurled at an athlete?

Here's the real kicker in all this: we're excusing Nelson's hypocrisy. He is suing Dallas owner Mark Cuban for not honoring his contract with the Mavericks. Now he's threatening to not live up to his. We should be having a field day with that kind of material.

We would if he were an athlete. We've already laid down the law that the time for contract negotiations is when you don't have one in play. Not one year into a three-year deal. Not while you've got the franchise vulnerable and helpless. Not while there's a chance to win.

If it's OK for Nelson to disregard his signed contract, then ditto for the next NFL player who holds out because he's underpaid, or the next player who pops up with an injury that can only be cured by a raise.

Hey, Monta, how does winter in Maui sound? Maybe Nellie will let you crash at his place -- for the right price, of course.

Contact Marcus Thompson II at mthompson2@cctimes.com.

[Mavs Rule]

Nellie's favorite movie quote:

"Greed is good!" - Gordon Gecko