Mavs owner needs to own up to errors

[mavsfanforever]

Link

As his humiliated team picked up the pieces Wednesday, Don Nelson admitted to the possibility that he will not return as the Mavericks' coach next season.

This unusual playoff scene was either genius by Nelson, or the coming to a head at the worst of times of a problem spawned by owner Mark Cuban.

With all due respect to Nelson, a master both at deflecting attention from his club when it is down and playing the leverage game, put the blame on Cuban.

He has turned into an obstacle for his team.

Cuban's incessant carping about officials has become wearisome. Kings forward Chris Webber pointedly mentioned in a pre-series talk the Mavericks' celebration, led by Cuban, after a win at Sacramento.

Cuban's handling of Nelson has created a distraction where there should be none.

At a time when they should be focused on the complex riddle of defending Sacramento's free-form offense, the Mavericks deal with uncertainty at the top. All because Cuban has not said seven little words.

Nellie will coach the Mavericks next season.

This is the final season of Nelson's contract as coach. He has a deal with Cuban for eight more seasons: three as general manager and five as consultant. Nelson called it "a beautiful contract."

Nelson, who brought the franchise from the depths of despair, wanted to coach beyond this season. Preseason talks about an extension went nowhere, creating the worst possible situation for any professional coach or manager.

Nelson operated as a lame-duck coach this season.

Nelson said he was originally uncomfortable with the arrangement, but learned to live with it. Cuban said this is his management style, and being uncomfortable is not always a drawback for an employee.

That may be true in business, the world from which Cuban came, but not in sports. The product in sports is people, not widgets. The creative-tension, coach-for-your-job school of management does not work well in sports.

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner proved that for more than a decade. The Yankees became consistent winners only when Steinbrenner, who had to sit out a suspension, settled on a stable management group.

Coaches need the extra year on their contracts to create the aura of consistency. Players cannot have any reason to think the coach is on the verge of being tossed out.

If Cuban planned on a coaching switch after this season, he should have removed Nelson last summer to get started on the transition period. The next coach will be different than Nelson, and will want different players.

If Cuban were only considering the possibility, he still should have extended Nelson's contract as coach to eliminate a potential headache.

Cuban can operate the club any way he chooses. It is his duty to consider whether Nelson, a week from his 63rd birthday, can make the Mavericks more than a first-round marvel.

A Nelson-coached team has not won five games in the playoffs since 1987, when he was with Milwaukee. His teams have lost five consecutive second-round series. He has the most games coached in league history without reaching the finals.

That said, this ranks among Nelson's best coaching jobs.

The question is not why have the Mavericks been blown out three times, by Portland twice and Sacramento on Tuesday, in the last five games. The question is how did this team ever win 60 games and defeat Portland in Game 7 on Sunday?

The Mavericks have the weakest frontcourt of any playoff team. They have a thin bench. They cannot match the athletic skills of Sacramento.

Their best resource is Nelson's deep supply of smoke and mirrors.

"Where are you going to get a better coach than Don Nelson?" asked Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril, an advisor on the Kings staff.

The Mavericks' shortcomings start not with the coaching but the construction of the roster.

Whoever is responsible for long-term deals with centers Raef LaFrentz and Shawn Bradley, the lack of a well-rounded bench, the absence of good defenders and the failure to improve this team after it was eliminated by Sacramento in the second round last season should be canned.

Can the owner fire himself?

[Charlie Brown]

<< Whoever is responsible for long-term deals with centers Raef LaFrentz and Shawn Bradley, the lack of a well-rounded bench, the absence of good defenders and the failure to improve this team after it was eliminated by Sacramento in the second round last season should be canned.
>>



uhh . . . nelson? am i the only one missing something here? since when was cuban gm?

[MavKikiNYC]

Not missing anything.

Cuban bears some responsibility for the state of things, but AT MOST 50%.

Makes me ill to hear Nellie bleating about not signing Brian Grant. That would have made very little difference, if any.

[Rhylan]

It's too late for me to tear apart that piece of crap article.

He takes a couple of legit points and stretches them so thin.. and blaming Cuban for &quot;not improving the team&quot; is BS.. Nellie has a hand in all that, too. Probably more of a hand than Cuban. This is so clearly a Nelson team.. what a dork Gerry Fraley is.

[LRB]

<< Coaches need the extra year on their contracts to create the aura of consistency. Players cannot have any reason to think the coach is on the verge of being tossed out.

If Cuban planned on a coaching switch after this season, he should have removed Nelson last summer to get started on the transition period. The next coach will be different than Nelson, and will want different players.

If Cuban were only considering the possibility, he still should have extended Nelson's contract as coach to eliminate a potential headache.
>>



I've read some really DUMBASS articles in my time, but this one has to go right up near the top. If you're thinking of letting a coach go at the end of the season, then you should let him go the season before. But that means you really should have let him go the season before that. Wait a minute now you'll have to go back one more additional season and let him go. Does this logic sound ridiculous to anyone elase?

Coachs can be fired at any time in major sports. Unless you just one a championship your job isn't safe. Wait a minute Phil Jackson wasn't extended a contract offer by the Bulls after his last championship, so I take that back. This article is total BS. Cuban certainly isn't perfect, and he should bear some of the responsibility of how things have gone. Cubes biggest mistake is Nellie. And I sure as hell hope he rectifies that after this year. To bad he can't fire the dumbass author of the article.

[MavKikiNYC]

&lt;&lt;...Players cannot have any reason to think the coach is on the verge of being tossed out.

If Cuban planned on a coaching switch after this season, he should have removed Nelson last summer to get started on the transition period. The next coach will be different than Nelson, and will want different players.

If Cuban were only considering the possibility, he still should have extended Nelson's contract as coach to eliminate a potential headache...&gt;&gt;

Yeah, this is the part that gets me. Why can't players have a reason to think the coach could be replaced? In Nellie's case in particular, couldn't it be argued that the possibility of a coaching change should make Nowitzki, Nash, Finley, Mantis, LaF et al play harder? If they don't play with any more focus and resolve, doesn't it mean that Nellie has lost the ability to get through to them and motivate them? And doesn't that suggest the need for a coaching change?

Despite the (admittedly very tangential) frustration I've felt this year at having seen no significant upgrades in personnel, and despite the recent frustrataion at having seen some poorly coached games, I really will feel bad to see Nellie go. But it may be time if the Mavericks want to contend for a championship in the next 2-3 years.

The question that has always been recognized on this board is how deeply the reverberations of Nellie's departure will be felt in the organization. Sometimes you have to first take a step backward in order to be able to move forward. The current Mavs team has wandered off to the side somewhere out of sight of the WCF.

[sturm und drang]

Totally agree with all you said, MavKiki. I think we will have to take a few steps backwards before we can go forward. Cuban has some painful decisions ahead-- foremost whether or not to keep Nellie.

Barring a miraculous turn-around to this Kings series, we all know major personnel changes are ahead. I, however, think just changing coaches would be a cosmetic-- and ineffective-- decision. I think we're going to need to swing some trades to fill the gaping holes in our roster, as well as get younger.

How Fraley could hold Cuban culpable for personnel decisions is beyond me. Do you think he simply forgot that Nellie, not Cuban, is the GM? Cuban definitely holds some responsibility, but I think the burden lies on the shoulders of Nelson.

[Dooby]

From the headline, I had a lot of hope for this article. To bad it turns out to be a bunch of crap.

Why reporters have a hard-on for coaches, I will never know. But coaches can do no wrong and owners can do no right.

There are a lot of things to blame Cuban for. And I thought Dunham and Miller did a fair job of laying it out this morning. To rehash what they said: Cuban and Nellie are indirectly blaming eachother. Cuban is involving himself in the personnel decisions and taking cover behind Nelson. Nelson is blaming Cuban when he says he wanted to address such and such problem and leaving hanging in the air as to why he didn't.

Ridicule Cuban for ragging on the officiating. Blame Cuban for blindly pursuing Rashard Lewis at the expense of acquiring other free-agents. Blame Cuban for not using the mid-level exception the last 2 years, or for nixing a NVE for Brian Grant trade before it ever fully developed because it would not guarantee a championship and would tie the mavericks to an even longer contract.

But not placing some blame on Nelson for having a team that plays remarkably similar to every team he has ever coached, for making moves in a similar vain, for acquiring Bradley before anyone ever heard of M. Cuban, or for bringing some french guy to spare us all to death is ludicrous.

And the notion that Cuban's failure to extend the coaching contract of a man who is contractually tied to this organization for the next ten years is stupid. Issiah Thomas has been on the hotseat all year too, and has another year on his deal.

While the argument has some basis in fact in college sports when considering recruiting, it has no support in professional sports. The Cowboys have had puppets for coaches for several years and hid little to no impact on the ability to keep or acquire talent. And any affect on players ability to perform probably has more to do with that particular coach's inability to get the most out of players rather than the player being distracted by worrying over who the next coach is.

[ariosto]

If Don Nelson were to be let go as coach, and replaced by someone more interested in defense and low-post play, would the team change that much since Nellie will remain the GM? I mean, how is agreat defensive coach going to operate on a team that was built and continues to be managed by Nelson? Will Nelson actually change and trade for some big men and defensive guys if the coach asks him? Or will the new coach be stuck with more perimeter-oriented centers and players without defense?

[TheKid]

Couldn't agree more with the fact that NELSON is responsible for in my opinion 70% of the fact this team has not improved. Cuban has NEVER made a move without Nelson's input and trades such as the Grant one did NOT happen because of Nelson. However Cuban has never turned down any idea Nelson has had (ie: signing of Rigs).

The problem is Nelson is his own worst enemy. The Dirk thing could be the best and worst thing that has happened to Nelson. Him &quot;finding&quot; Dirk and having Dirk emerge as one of the best talents in the NBA has made him look like a genius. Now when he has an idea, everyone is going to listen because Dirk worked, so why shouldn't anything else he thinks worked. His complaints about Golden State and New York was he wasn't given the chance to let the process work itself out.

Well my question to you Nellie is what happened in Milwaukee? You were given MORE than enough time there. I think in Dallas he's been given enough time also. Now it's time to step aside. If he's that great at evaluating talent, move upstairs to the GM position or a team consultant and let someone else take over the sidelines.

Cuban has done a good job in my opinion. Yeah he can be a bit much at times, he also can shoot his team in the foot at times too but all in all he's done a fabulous job. That's not to say Nellie hasn't done a good job either, but it's obvious he doesn't have what it takes to get this team over the top.

[Chiwas]

<< Cuban's handling of Nelson has created a distraction where there should be none. >>



Oh, yes, Nelson was very distracted last game and used the same freaking method to be underdog as soon as was possible.

Maybe Cuban should put the Dancers in front of Nelson to distract him more.

[kg_veteran]

Cuban bears responsibility for personnel decisions only if he isn't willing to spend money. Michael Redd would be an example. But Nellie is the GM, and if players that should be here aren't, that's almost entirely his fault.

[LRB]

Cubes should be cut some slack as well because he's new to the NBA. He's still learning about his position as owner. However Nellie has a quarter of a century coaching and can't blame any of his dumbass moves on being new.

Yes there are some personnel upgrades that this team desperately needs to make. But the most important move is the coach. Nellie is not getting the max out of the current team. This team as presently constituted will never be a powerhouse defensive team. They can however be much better than they are. This team has also regressed from last year in being able to close out close games. Nellie did win a couple of more games this year, but most of that was due to the fantastic 14-0 start the Mavs had. Without that start this team would have slipped in regular season wins.

Keeping Nellie as coach is like playing Russian Roulette with a six shot revolver and 5 bullets. There is a chance that you won't shoot yourself, it's just not a very good chance.

[David]

&quot;Where are you going to get a better coach than Don Nelson?&quot; asked Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril, an advisor on the Kings staff.

[Chiwas]

It's not &quot;better&quot; what Dallas needs, but &quot;different&quot;.

Of course not any different coach, but a good one. It's hard to know what &quot;better&quot; means, above all if the comparison is to Nelson.

There is a risk bringing a new coach; he may fail with this very team.

But one thing is for sure, Nelson can't improve more the team with his system, to be a real championship contender. And it seems that it is going to be really hard to bring one or two better players to improve that system.

I see easier to change the head coach, than to hire other players and change the scheme.


Edit: Certainly, he shoudn't stay as GM either. If Dallas wants to change, there shoudn't remain any heavy influence from the past. We can't clean the house, putting the dust under the carpet. (Just a cliche, Nelson is not &quot;dust&quot

[TheKid]

Chiwas... THANK YOU!!!! Different in alot of cases = better!!!!!!!